Chapter 4 Results and Discussion
4.5 Parental attitudes and parental involvement in children’s English
learning were found positively correlated with parental involvement in children’s English education. Parents’ attitudes towards English learning had positive but low correlation with parental involvement in children’s English (r = 0.317). Table 4.11 showed the correlation between parental attitudes towards English education and parental involvement in children’s English education.
Table 4.11
Correlation between Parental Attitudes and Parental Involvement
Item Parental attitudes towards
English learning Parental involvement in
children’s English education
Correlation
.317**Sig.
.000N
236** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (one-tailed)
In the scale of parental involvement in children’s English education, there were two open–ended questions. These ran as follows: (a) “When instructing or facilitating children’s English schoolwork, what kinds of difficulties or problems have you encountered and what resources or assistance do you need?” and (b) “What are the factors that decide whether or not you get involved in children’s English schoolwork?”
For question A, 126 participants answered this open-ended question; the response rate was 42 percent (N = 300). The top four difficulties were (a) parents’ English proficiency level, (b) children’s willingness and motivation, (c) the environment for learning and (d) teaching methods and materials when parents instructing their children’s English schoolwork.
In total 49 participants responded that their low English proficiency level especially in pronunciation and grammar was an obstacle when instructing children’s English schoolwork.
Another 21 participants said that children’s willingness and motivation regarding English learning were the chief difficulty that they had encountered during their involvement in children’s English schoolwork. The creation of an English environment in which children could learn, practice and use English (17 responses) was also parents’ difficulty in their involvement in children’s English education. For another 11 participants the difficulty lay in teachers’ teaching methods or the selection of materials. Yet another 7 parents responded that they did not get involved in their children’s English education, and they looked for cram schools or tutors for their children. Table 4.12 showed the examples of parents’ responses to this question. More detailed responses are provided in Appendix H.
Table 4.12
Examples of Participants’ Responses about Parental Involvement
No Response of participantsParents’ Low English Proficiency Level
14
自己的英文程度就很差了，沒有自信可以教孩子英文。
(My English is so poor that I do not have confidence in teaching my children English.)
86
因為自己不會英文，因此無法幫助小孩學習或者輔導，所以只好幫小 孩請家教 (I cannot teach my child English because my English is poor, so I hire an English tutor for him/her. )
158 發音、文法 (Pronunciation and grammar ) Children’s Willingness and Motivation in learning English
20 孩子興趣不佳，強迫學習甚無效果。(My child does not have interest in English and it is not effective to force him/her to learn English)
151 孩子的學習意願不強 (My child’s motivation in learning English is not strong.)
241 孩子對學習英語覺得很吃力所以興趣缺缺。(My child feels that learning English is difficult so he has no interest in English.)
Environment
29 會話練習的環境 (The environment for English conversation practice) 95
學習語言著重生活化，因此生活化能提高學習意願 (Learning a language emphasizes on the authenticity, and authenticity can enhance learners’ motivation in learning the language.)
Teaching methods and materials
175 使用教材家長並不熟練。(Parents are not familiar with the teaching materials that teachers use in class.)
215
學校教得不夠多，無法多練習，學校進度太快。(What learners learn in school is not enough; there is no opportunity to practice more; School schedule is too fast.)
247 難以尋找孩子感興趣的英文書籍(It is hard to find the materials that children have interests in)
No involvement or assistance
130 請英文家教幫忙教學 (I hire tutors to instruct my children.)
134 教導孩子的英語學業，都是以補習為主 (Going to the cram school is the main way for facilitating my child’s English education.)
As for questions B, a total of 134 participants answered this question with the response rate being 45 percent (N = 300). Parents’ low English proficiency level, lack of free time and attitudes towards English were the top three factors influencing parents’ involvement in children’s English education. All in all 50 participants thought that their English competence was insufficient for them to instruct children’s English schoolwork so they did not teach their children English. Another 25 participants said that they did no have time to assist with their children’s English schoolwork. Parents were busy with work so they did not have enough time to help their children with English schoolwork. In addition, parents’ attitudes towards English (21 responses) also influenced parental involvement in children’s English education.
Parents’ attitudes towards English in this study referred to the importance of English for future plans, careers and the significant role of English in the world. There were 16 parents’
taking children’s willingness, motivation and achievement as the reason for their involvement in children’s English education. Other factors were teaching methods or school policy and environment. Table 4.13 lists said examples of the factors that influence parental involvement in children’s English education. Responses are comprehensively listed in Appendix I.
Table 4.13
Examples of Participants’ Responses about the Factors of Parental Involvement
No Response of participantsParents’ Low English Proficiency Level
2 自己的英文發音不好 (My pronunciation is poor.) 82 能力有限 (My English competence is limited.)
200 家長才是更需要加強英語能力的對象 (Parents are the ones who need to improve their English ability.)
Parents’ lack of time
93 工作太忙 (I am busy with my work.) 206 時間 耐心 (Time and patience) Parents’ attitudes toward English
61 考上好學校 (Important for entering a good school)
220 競爭力和溝通能力 (Competitiveness and communication competence)
292
英文是國際上通用的語言，所以我教導孩子英文是很重要的第二國語 言 (English is a universal language and I tell my child that English is a very important second language. )
Children’s willingness, motivation and achievement
103 視孩子的興趣 (It depends on my child’s motivation in English. )
167 孩子學習有困難時 (When my child has difficulty in learning English, I will help him/her.)
214 若英語成績不佳時 (When my child’s English score is poor, I will help him/her.)
Teaching methods and school policy
211 學校課程不足 (What I have learned in school is not enough for my child.) Environment
17 學習環境不好 (The environment for learning English is not good.)
Discussion
The positive correlation between parental attitudes and parental involvement was proven
in this study. Parents with more positive attitudes towards English learning may get more involved in children’s English education. Parental involvement was not only related to parental attitudes towards English learning but also related to parental expectation. For example, in Pan’s et al. (2006) study of mathematics learning, they concluded that compared to American parents, Chinese parents had higher expectations of children’s academic
performance, which motivated parents to get more involved in children’s learning. In addition, for Chinese parents, their involvement had a direct and considerable impact on Chinese
students’ language learning attitude and motivation (Gao, 2006).
As for parents’ difficulties and problems in assisting in children’s English schoolwork, parents’ low proficiency level and children’s willingness and motivation were two main problems. Due to the significant role of parental involvement in children’s achievement, promoting parents’ English proficiency level may help parents to get involved in their children’s English schoolwork since parental involvement has the potential to shape children’s achievement (Pomerantz et al., 2005).
In Chen’s (2002) study about elementary English teachers’ teaching problems and difficulties, learners’ lack of motivation in English learning was also a problem for elementary English teachers. How to motivate learners was an essential and necessary consideration not only for teachers in school but also for parents in children’s English education.
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS
This study aims to investigate parental attitudes towards English learning, and its correlations with (a) children’s English academic performance, (b) parental expectations of children’s English education and (c) parental involvement in children’s English education. In this chapter, first, the major findings of this study will be summarized, based on the research questions in Chapter One. Secondly, the pedagogical implications for children’s English education in Taiwan will be discussed. Thirdly, the limitations of the study will be presented.
Finally, suggestions for further research will be offered.
5.1 Summary of the Major Findings
The three research questions addressed in Chapter One have been discussed in detail with statistical evidence in Chapter Four. In this section, the major findings of this study are presented and summarized based on the three research questions.
First, as for participants’ background information, parents’ socio-economic status is higher in Da'an District than in Wanhua District. In Wanhua District, nearly half (46.3%) of parents’ socio-economic status is in Level Ⅳ, which is the lowest one and parents in Da'an District have higher percentage of parents’ socio-economic status is Level Ⅰ,Ⅱ, and Ⅲ.
When it comes to parental attitudes towards English learning, in general, parents consider English learning as not being easy except for the skill of reading and memorizing vocabulary.
In addition, parents’ overall feelings about English learning are positive. Parents’ have positive feelings when learning English as a foreign language. To sum up, parents have positive attitudes towards English learning but they do not consider learning English to be not easy.
Second, with regard to the relationship between parental attitudes towards English
learning and children’s English academic performance, the statistical result suggests that there is a positive correlation between parental attitudes towards English learning and children’s English academic performance.
Third, with respect to the correlation of parental attitudes towards English learning with parental expectation of children’s English education, the result shows that there is a positive correlation between parental attitudes towards English learning and parental expectation of children’s English education.
Finally, the last research question deals with the correlation between parental attitudes towards English learning and parental involvement in children’s English education. The findings also suggested that parental attitudes towards English learning are positively correlated with parental involvement in children’s English education.
As for the open-ended questions, according to parents’ English learning experience, the environment to learn English, to practice English or to use English is what parents require most in the process of learning English. In addition, listening, speaking, writing and grammar are the most difficult part for parents to learn. Furthermore, when getting involved in
children’s English education, most parents face the following problems: (a) their own low levels of English proficiency, (b) children’s lack of motivation toward learning English, and (c) a lack of English learning environment for children. For the factors that influence parental involvement in children’s English education, parents’ low English proficiency level, and the lack of time are the main two factors.
5.2 Pedagogical Implications
This study aims at investigating parental attitudes towards English learning and its correlations with children’s English academic performance, parental expectation and parental involvement. Based on the results and findings of this study, pedagogical implications are provided for parents as well as English teachers and authorities.
First, English learning opportunities and access should be provided by government authorities or schools for parents. For parents, although they respond that it is not easy to learn English, they still hold positive attitudes towards English learning. Most parents agree that learning English is fun and brings them a sense of achievement; they like to learn English no matter which district they live in. Parents may have the motivation to learn English but may lack the opportunities; suitable access, environments or financial support to learn English after their graduation from school. In addition, based on parents’ responses to their learning difficulties and problems, parents’ difficulties and problems may reflect the problems of traditional English teaching methods in Taiwan. Since parental attitudes towards English learning affect not only parental expectation and parental involvement but also children’s English achievement, there should be more access and opportunities provided by not only government authorities but also schools for parents to learn English once again. Their English learning experience should be renewed and their English proficiency should be promoted in order to get involved in their children’s English schoolwork.
Second, cooperation between parents and school teachers should be enlisted in children’s English education. Since parental involvement is the most direct and beneficial way to facilitate children’s academic performance, and has the potential to enhance children’s achievement, it is essential to get parents involved in children’s English education. According to parents’ responses to their involvement in children’s English education in this study, some parents complain about the teaching methods, materials and school policy in their children’s schools. Parents may not understand the school policy or teaching materials, so “meaningful involvement” is necessary for parents (Sattes, 1989, p. 38). Sattes (1989) in her study suggests that making parents stay informed of school work and creating “a school-wide system of communication with a newsletter, handbook, and progress report” can make parental involvement more meaningful (p. 39). Sattes (1989) also proposes that providing parents’ appropriate opportunities to instruct their children may enhance the effectiveness of
parental involvement. Parents’ meaningful involvement is more effective for children’s achievement. Likewise, Gao (2006) suggests that for language teachers, developing a teacher-parent partnership or family-school partnership is essential to learners’ language learning, and “parents need to be supported in how to guide and supervise children’s language learning more effectively by teachers” (p. 296). In order to create meaningful involvement for parents, the establishment of teacher-parent partnership should be taken into consideration in children’s English education in Taiwan.
Finally, parents can create opportunities for their own English learning by learning English with their children. According to the results of the study, most parents hold positive attitudes towards English learning but do not think that they have enough competence to assist their children with English schoolwork. Thus, parents have to enhance their English proficiency and try to get involved in children’s English education as well. In Chang’s (2004) study of English gifted students, she suggests that when learning with children, parents’
cognition, comprehension and experience may be helpful for children’s learning. As for parents’ problems with incorrect or native-like pronunciation in this study, parents can use facilities such as electronic dictionary or CD players to facilitate them. In this way, parents and children may both benefit from the learning process.
5.3 Limitations of the Study
This study examines parental attitudes towards English learning, and its correlations with (a) children’s English academic performance, (b) parental expectation of children’s English education, and (c) parental involvement in children’s English education. However, every study has its limitations, and the present study is restricted in the following five aspects.
First, the subject scale is not sufficient enough to generalize the findings to all parents in Taiwan; thus a much larger subject scale should be included. The data are collected and discussed from 300 parents from Wanhua District and Da'an District in order to specify the
discrepancy in socio-economic status. Due to the limited subject population, the results of this study may not be generalized to all the parents in Taipei City or Taiwan, or to all the parents of six graders in Taipei City or Taiwan.
Second, parents’ attitudes towards English learning should be investigated more
holistically. Since the study aims at investigating parents’ affective factors, only the effect of parental attitudes is discussed. The researcher adopts parents’ feelings of ease about English learning and their overall feelings about English learning for data analysis only. However, parental attitudes towards English learning may include cognitive and behavioral domains as well, so discussion of only affective domains in this study may impose limitations on
discussions of parents’ attitudes towards English learning.
Third, both parents’ and children’s perceptions should be included and compared. In this study, parental attitudes toward English learning, parental expectation and parental
involvement are examined from the perception of parents themselves. However, the perception of parents and the perception of children may be different, and the different perception of parental attitudes, parental expectation and parental involvement between parents and children may lead to different results and findings.
Fourth, the design of the open-ended questions in this study is not specific enough. In the open-ended questions, each question contains not only one question; and parents’
responses are hard to classify and separate. For example, in the first open-ended question, parents’ difficulties and assistance-needed are both mentioned in the question; thus when analyzing parents’ responses, it is hard to categorize.
Finally, the data analysis procedures are too simplified in this study. The study aims at investigating the correlations of parental attitudes towards English learning with (a)
children’s English academic performance, (b) parental expectation of and (c) parental involvement in children’s English education and the findings suggest positive but low correlations of parental attitudes with children’s achievement, parental expectation and
parental involvement. Further data analysis should be taken into account when analyzing the relationships of parental attitudes towards English learning with children’s achievement, parental expectation and parental involvement
5.4 Suggestions for Future Research
This study investigates the correlations of parental attitudes towards English learning with children’s English academic performance, parental expectation of children’s English education and parental involvement in children’s English education. Three open-ended questions focus on parents’ difficulties in learning English and parents’ need for resources or assistance when they assist with children’s English work. Based on the results of this study and the implement process of the study, future researchers can take the following suggestions into account.
First, the data are only collected from 300 parents of six graders in Wanhua District and Da'an District. Due to the limited sample population and the discrepancy of parents’
socio-economic status, the findings in this study may not be generalized to all the parents in Taipei City or in Taiwan. Therefore, for future studies, it is recommended that a much larger scale of samples should be collected and the parents of each grade in both urban and rural areas should be recruited. Furthermore, parents’ socio-economic status should be taken into consideration as well. The comparison and contrast between different grades and different areas can be conducted as well.
Second, the study mainly focuses on the quantitative analysis although three open-ended questions are provided to elicit parents’ opinions about their difficulties in learning English and the assistance or resources that they need in the process of instructing children in their English schoolwork. The response from parents are limited and far from detailed. For further studies, qualitative analysis such as interviews with parents about their English learning experience can be conducted in studies in order to elicit more detailed
information of parents’ English learning experience.
information of parents’ English learning experience.