Limitations

Chapter 5 Conclusion & Policy Implications

5.5 Limitations

The researcher has worked in ESL in Taiwan, Korea and the United States for nearly a decade. Although the research often reflects ideas the researcher does not agree with, the researcher admits a possible bias. The findings are, to the best of the researcher's ability, based on collected data.

Several other limitations apply to this study. Firstly, the population of NESTs in PPIs in Taiwan is unknown. This is due largely to the legal confusion discussed in chapter one. Many NESTs who teach at the preschool level in Taiwan are registered as buxiban teachers; others

work from a student visa and are unregistered as teachers. Some who work at unregistered schools are paid under the table and make visa runs. With this in mind, there is also a chance that many of those working as English teachers in PPIs, are not actually native English speakers.

There is almost certainly a lot of variation. Legal restrictions make it difficult to give an accurate count. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that there are about 3,232 registered NESTs in Taiwan (Lan,2011), but the percentage of this group teaching at any particular level is largely unknown. With this in mind, it is difficult to judge the extent to which this study applies to the total population. This concept extends to assumptions about gender; while ⅓ of the native English speaking population in Taiwan is female, they do not necessarily make up ⅓ of the PPI teachers. The case could be that they are more desirable (as suggested by the literature) but less likely to stay in Taiwan long term (Lan,2011) and make up a higher percentage, or more desirable as suggested by interviewees(Appendix C: Nelson) or less desirable as cited by John and Kyle (Appendix C: John, Kyle). Furthermore perhaps their higher desirability makes it easier for them to find high paying jobs that do not involve legal entanglements and deportation. Again, the population is unknown and we are in the dark territory of assumption.

This study is further limited in its scope and application due to time constraints. Although the majority of Theory of Planned Behavior studies have a follow up study to identify whether behavior intention was followed by actual behavior, this study only surveyed those who have already demonstrated the behavior. This leads to the another limitation.

Apart from one, this study does not address factors that effectively deter people from starting to teach at the preschool level. Based on the experiences of the interviewees it is arguable that teaching in a PPI is based on chance and opportunity (Appendix C: Nelson, Anton, Gregory, Hugo).

It is worth noting that some coding is done at the author's discretion. For example, when trying to provoke a behavioral outcome to teaching in a PPI, questions would be asked as follows: “What are the advantages to teaching kindergarten?” if the respondent says “well it is easy to find work” then the author files the response under perceived behavioral control and rephrases the question.

A final limitation deals with perceptions. Commonly, this study deals with generalities;

child abuse and labor abuse being too such examples. Child abuse to one person may be different than child abuse to another person. The definition mirrors the classic anecdote of pornography

“it's hard to define, but you know it when you see it”. This is evident in the results where incidents range between children being struck with electric fly swatters to children being made to drink too much water. As attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control are understood to be personal interpretations of outcomes, perceptions of certain outcomes are determined by the interviewee.

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Appendix

Appendix A Pilot Survey Responses

Question & Response

Question Please take a moment to tell us what you think about Teaching English in a kindergarten in Taiwan for a school year. There are no right or wrong answers. Please write five to six thoughts on separate lines.

1 1.You have to wake up early. You are a token white person, expected to magically imbue English upon children via entertainment. A distorted version of customer service exists wherein parents are completely capable of influence the "product" (English) that the school is claiming to sell.

2.Pretty safe and relaxing environment. Kids didn't had little to no pressure concerning quizzes or tests A lot of games every day and general fun. Not enough autonomy given to the teacher to construct and manage his/her own curriculum.

3. I think it provides a great opportunity to experience another culture as well as contribute to something separate from yourself. There is much to learn from teaching anywhere, and teaching abroad can help two parties -- students and teachers -- expand their understanding of other cultures simply by exposure to each other. I do think that the depth of teaching that could develop in just a year might be too little to truly benefit either party. I taught for a year in Taiwan and left uncertain of my impact. Teaching should be taken seriously regardless of where it occurs.

4.Most are badly run and not focused on education, Curriculum is highly focused on reading and not hands on education. I have witnessed verb/

physical abuse which was very upsetting.

5.It's a really fun job that is very rewarding! There is a wide gap between management's expectations and reality. It's an experience that has taught me valuable lessons to bring with me to other jobs. The lessons can be somewhat redundant from year to year. There is a lot of work that must be completed in a very small amount of time. I have learned how I want to raise my children in the future because of this experience.

6. It is a very high energy, fun filled job. It Its extremely rewarding, especially when you see students progress from it knowing any English, to six months later when they speak full sentences. It requires a lot of

patience. It is a bit dualistic, as you are setting an example, but

simultaneously breaking the law. It pays very well by Taiwanese standards.

7.An interesting opportunity which is unfortunately based on financial gain

rather than an educational outcome! Wrapped in red tape. So many

confusing and contradictory rules and regulations. Students are expected to all have the same ability and are not streamed on level but age. A lack of discipline often disrupts other students. Too much pressure can be put on teachers by overbearing parents

8.It's a very positive experience teaching young kids English. Kindergarten age children are more impressionable and eager to learn. Teaching

kindergarten allows for a more stable schedule of teaching hours. Younger children really like and appreciate their English teacher, especially if he/she is a patient and dedicated one. Teaching kindergarten requires little preparation and planning.

9. Teaching English at a kindergarten in Taiwan for a school year seems to me to be an experience that is quite variable amongst the people I know, so I'll just speak to my experience. The job for me has been rewarding in many aspects as the age of the students allows for the teacher to really help shape the beliefs and attitudes with which these children will grow. I know we're just supposed to be teaching a language, but oftentimes explanations and classroom management funnel the class into an explanation of the basis of many normative beliefs. The job, for me, has been challenging. I typically don't try to find something that works and hit cruise control, but am constantly thinking of new ways to teach concepts to these kids.

Frustrating. Working with management at my current school, and frankly at every school I've been to, has been frustrating at times. Surprising. I am surprised at times at the ways people choose or circumstances dictate people raise their children.

10.A good opportunity earn make extra income. A generally low risk activity. An occupation that is not particularly stressful. A rewarding experience as a teacher. A reason to wake up early in the morning.

11.Far better than teaching teenagers. Requires a lot of energy I enjoy the morning hours. It's well paying but one year might not be enough as to save well as you'll spend your first few pay cheques getting set up in Taiwan

12.Full filling. Fun. Low pressure.

Question

What do you see as the advantages of teaching English in a kindergarten in Taiwan for one school year?

2 1. The relatively high salary compared to the average local income creates for an enjoyable life. The condensed working hours are stressful but allow for lots of free time to do non-work related activities.

2. It's a good start to teaching English as I had never taught before teaching at the kindergarten. I learned how to teach phonics, basic dialogue, and be

very very patient.

3.As mentioned previously, I think cultural perspective and personal growth for both students and teachers is of huge benefit. Additionally, the teacher gets to become part of a foreign society and even be a functional cog in it. One of the greatest benefits of teaching abroad was it taught me the sense of the other -- as in, *I* became the other. Everyone, especially anyone who is white or privileged, should experience being the minority in a room at some point in life, because it is beneficial to feeling real empathy for minorities back home. In short, character development.

4.Financial benefits.

5.The job is quite easy and the pay is good. It can teach people a lot about how they handle emotionally charged situations

6.There are typically steady hours, the pay is great considering the cost of living, and students at that age generally still like to have fun with English.

7.An insight into a different culture and educational system Learning a new language while teaching another. Confidence building. Financial gain.

8.Teaching kindergarten allows for a more stable schedule of teaching hours. Younger children really like and appreciate their English teacher, especially if he/she is a patient and dedicated one. Teaching kindergarten requires little preparation and planning.

9. The job is not very physically demanding. I've worked lots of labor and service industry jobs previously, and this job is fairly light on the physical work. Lowered expectations seem to be common in this industry. This is likely due to the glut of recent graduates who fill many of the vacancies and for whom actually educating the children of people who are paying them for this service is not exactly a priority of their time in Taiwan. I feel this can, at times, be advantageous. Saving. With such a low cost of living, most kindergarten teachers' salaries are sufficient for them to live

comfortably and save money. Free time. if you are solely teaching kindergarten, that leaves free time enough to pursue many other interests such as studying or skill acquisition. Proximity to Mandarin Chinese. Of course, if you are interested in learning Mandarin Chinese, teaching English can provide you with the income to support yourself as you live in a Mandarin speaking environment.

10.Earning significantly extra money to save/spend each month.

Consistency. The hours are rarely/never changed or scaled back. The income stream is more reliable than tutoring or teaching afternoons. No tax. Adds structure and routine to the morning. I don't sleep in until 11am every day. The class is (usually) well managed and well behaved. Having a competent and pleasant co-teacher to help manage the class and teach/do paperwork. The children are enjoyable to be around and enjoy interacting with the foreign teacher. I get the sense that by teaching the same group every day I am actually having an important impact on their

lives/education development. Not the case with sporadically teaching older groups of students

11.It's far more rewarding than other kinds of teaching as the progress of

the agents is a lot quicker and you're given the opportunity to give the kids a good foundation rather than trying to correct bad habits they have learned previously

12.Connect with children more than elementary Question

What do you see as the disadvantages of teaching English in a kindergarten in Taiwan for one school year?

3 1.The complete lack of standards from an educational standpoint reduce the "teacher" to nothing more than an entertainer. Therefore, you are subject to the whim of the parents (who aren't even present while their child is being taught) and their assumptions about you can lead to affecting

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Chapter 5 Conclusion &amp; Policy Implications