Avenues for Future Research

To recapitulate, the extent of English teaching at the preschool level is unknown. This is due to the varying definitions of schools, the presence of unregistered schools, and the fact that NESTs received their visas through other institutions. Any research seeking to discover the scope of the practice would greatly contribute both to this study and other studies of the ESL market in Taiwan.

An expanded research group would also greatly benefit this study. It is likely that abuses, vary from school to school; as teaching ability varies from teacher to teacher. Future research should also clearly delineate the difference in advantages of ESL is in general and ESL

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at the preschool level. A comparative study between the experiences of private and public schools would also contribute greatly.

In regards to the Theory of Planned Behavior, a more accurate study would likely require interviewing and surveying expatriates who had recently arrived in Taiwan. As this research focused on those who had already taught in a PPI NEST’s perceptions of certain variables likely influenced the results. To elaborate, many interviewees had already normalized their behavior through the subjective norm, and thus had a more realistic expectation towards the legal barriers.

Comparatively new NESTs in the market may not be as influenced by the subjective norm, and this may influence their perceived behavioral control, by either increasing or decreasing the barriers. Likewise, without the process of normalization via their peers, NESTs may demonstrate more clearly, that it is the presence of ESL websites or recruiters that push them into illegal employment. A greater understanding of how these variables manifest themselves in newly arriving expatriates may be advantageous in deterring new comers from engaging in the behavior.

Finally greater understanding is needed in regard to the effect being an expatriate has on respondent’s perception of the subjective norm. As demonstrated, NESTs perceived both support and malign from Taiwanese, but conversely attributed little importance to it. The extent to which this is due to them being foreigners is worth inquiry. There is a possibility that NESTs would not engage in this behavior, if their home society, government, and parents composed a larger portion of their normative referents.

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5. 4 Policy Implications

Internationally, the importance of behavioral science has received abundant attention in regards to its influence on government policy formation. The United Kingdom has created the Behavioral Insights Team (The Behavioral Insights Team, 2016), while president Barack Obama issued the executive order “Using Behavioral Science Insights to Better Serve the American People” (Executive Order, 2015) . The Theory of Planned Behavior has often been used to understand behaviors that governments wish to deter; be it health related (Godin & Kok, 1996) or fraudulent financial reporting (Carpenter & Reimers, 2005). Understanding the factors that form the behavioral intention to teach in PPIs in Taiwan, yields several policy implications.

First, considering that the attitude variable towards working in a PPI is formed through lifestyle conditions (better working hours, proximity to children etc.) meaningful policy change should address life style issues in schools where NESTs can work legally. If the government authorities can create more positive behavioral outcomes to teaching in registered schools, NEST’s attitudes towards seeking PPI employment may change. To elaborate, NESTs choose PPIs because of perceived quality of life differences. Therefore, incremental life style improvements in sanctioned employment could alter the positive behavior outcomes of teaching in a PPI. NESTs may be more inclined to work in buxibans if buxiban employment yielded a better lifestyle.

With this in mind, policy makers should consider enforcing the rights guaranteed by

“Employment Service Act” (2006) in all legally registered schools. As NESTs are often denied paid vacation, sick days, and pensions, they see no comparative benefit to accepting legal work.

If relevant Taiwanese government institutions correctly enforced these standards, the behavioral outcomes of teaching in legal schools could outweigh the benefits of teaching in institutions

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which fall into the ‘legal grey area’. Stricter government enforcement of business, labor, and safety standards has the added benefit of creating greater transparency in both educational and teacher hiring practices; as well as inform parental decision making. Guaranteeing work benefits to NESTs will kill two birds with one stone; teachers will seek legal work, and stay longer. This would require an analysis of the taxation practices of all private schools in Taiwan to guarantee that those working full time are receiving the associated benefits.

As NESTs often used PPI work to supplement earnings from legal buxiban work (See Appendix C: Rachel, Nelson, Kyle, Hugo), increasing the mandatory minimum monthly pay at registered schools could increase the profitability of working legally, and thus affect the variable attitude. NESTs should not necessarily be better compensated per se, but rather that they should be guaranteed more hours in legal institutions. Interviewees implied that they earn between sixty to one hundred thousand NT per month, conversely work permit regulations set their minimum income at around forty thousand (Lan,2011; Appendix C). This implies, as suggested by the literature and interviewees, that tax evasion is endemic and the PPI wages are often misreported (Lan, 2011; Appendix C: Chris, Hugo).

Increasing the mandatory minimum wage for work permits would simultaneous increase the stability and profitability of legally acquired ESL wages, and decreases the need to compensate buxiban hours through PPI employment. Simultaneously, an increase in mandatory minimum hours would decrease the amount of NESTs working under ‘part time’ employment, and thus make it easier to guarantee labor benefits.

Secondly the Taiwanese government and MOE need a clarified public explanation of the regulations surrounding private kindergartens and PPIs in English and Chinese. As many employers neglect to inform NESTs of the legal barriers to teaching in a PPI, legality does not

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factor into NEST’s perceived behavioral control. NESTs in Taiwan are often ignorant of these regulations when lured into working in a PPI. Upon realizing that a legal complication exists, the subjective norm, a NEST’s surrounding peer group, has often already normalized the practice.

Expatriates applying for work permits in Taiwan should be fully informed as to the risk they are taking by teaching in a PPI. There should be greater dissemination of information regarding the legal stipulations surrounding PPIs in Taiwan. Foreign teachers, Taiwanese families, and PPI owners would all benefit from greater legal transparency.

The researcher posits that NESTs should be informed of the legal issues surrounding PPIs upon applying for their work permits. Furthermore, NESTs would benefit from an understanding of why and how it is forbidden. Understanding the potential damage to ‘young learners’ could deter some from teaching in a PPI.

Many of the NESTs interviewed felt that Taiwanese parent’s viewed them as over payed baby sitters. Antithetically, the literature demonstrates that the PPI market is driven by market demand. While, PPIs bridge the gap between government regulation and parental expectation, the greatest remedy to PPIs might lay in bridging the gap between NESTs and Taiwanese parents.

To elaborate, many NESTs, regardless of their ability or lack therein of, believe they are hired based on their race. This idea is reinforced by the advertisements placed on the outside of schools and their interactions with parents. PPIs are keenly aware of the parental demand, and thus the result, as frequently demonstrated, is race based hiring practices.

Furthermore, as NESTs are often hired due to race, they believe their teaching abilities, are viewed as secondary. This both contributes to and derives from the interpretation of apathy on behalf of the parents.

Therefore addressing parental understanding is key to addressing many bad practices

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regarding ESL in Taiwan. The government of Taiwan and the MOE in particular should attempt to educate parents on the business practices of PPIs. Parents should understand the basic spatial requirements of kindergartens and the basic requirements for teachers. The idea that skin color and language ability are not as important as qualification and pedagogy skills should be propagated.

Likewise, parents being aware of the possibility of deception should ask to view documents related to both NNEST’s and NEST’s qualification in order to better inform their decision making processes. They should also be educated on the importance of experience and accreditation. Race should not be considered in the hiring of teachers. Furthermore parents should be informed on how to analyze and interpret diplomas and certifications from foreign countries. Taiwanese parents also need to cultivate a closer relationship with their children’s NESTs.

Honesty and capability should be valued over race and qualification. Parents should make efforts to directly communicate with their NESTs in an attempt to change the perception of apathy. This means the Taiwanese government should encourage parents to speak directly to NESTs in all schools and not through intermediaries (NNESTs or PPI management).

This daunting task could be addressed at the kindergarten voucher application stage. In order to receive government vouchers, parents could be made to attend a class on the potential risks of their decisions, as well as avenues to mitigate those risks. Conversely public service announcements or newsletters could address both the importance of respecting NESTs as well as valuing them not for their race, but rather for their potential expertise.

Another useful measure might be a basic requirement for notarized criminal background checks of all NESTs seeking employment in Taiwan. The Taiwanese government presently

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requires NESTs to have a health examination prior to receiving a permit, but not a criminal check. Mandatory criminal checks could reduce the potential for hiring potentially dangerous NESTs.

Finally, NESTs in PPIs are often fearful that their precarious legal situation makes them powerless in regards to personal and student advocacy. As NESTs working in PPIs are often exposed to various other unlawful activities, be it child abuse, labor abuse, or general safety concerns, the MOE would benefit from a consequence free avenue for reporting abuse.

Removing NESTs from PPIs will help to address labor abuses directed at NESTs but do little towards addressing issues of child abuse and unsafe environments.

To conclude, there is likely no silver bullet for PPI teaching. Therefore the government should take measures to make legal work more appealing. Likewise, The Taiwanese government would do well to educate its populace on the importance and requirements of teachers regardless of their race. Finally greater transparency between all the market actors: the institutions, parents, students, and NESTs, is necessary to help ensure the wellbeing of Taiwanese children.