新台灣之子在英文學習上的態度及動機－個案研究

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(1)國立台灣師範大學英語學系碩. 士. 論. 文. Master Thesis Graduate Institute of English National Taiwan Normal University. 新台灣之子在英文學習上的態度及動機－個案研究. English Learning Attitudes and Motivation of the New Taiwanese Children: A Case Study. 指導教授：曾文鐽博士 Advisor: Dr. Wen-Ta Tseng 研究生：林佩儒 Graduate Student: Pei-Ju Lin. 中華民國一百年元月 January, 2011.

(2) 摘要. 態度與動機為英語學習中極為重要的因素，因其與學習者的學習成就有著密不可分的關係。擁有多重語言及文化背景的新台灣之子的人口數正在急速成長中，然而與其相關的英語學習態度及動機的研究卻寥寥無幾。因此，本研究旨在探討新台灣之子在英語學習上的態度和動機。五位來自於公立國中的新台灣之子參與了本研究，並每雙周以觀察方式探究他們在英語學習上的態度和動機，其可能相關的父母因素也列入了本研究的考量中。五位參與者、新住民、及參與者的英語老師在本研究中被訪談，而參與者及新住民也被邀請填寫問卷，參與者的相關資料文件與研究者的反思日誌也被包含在研究結果中，以求建立有信賴性及可靠性的分析及結論。研究結果顯示，新台灣之子在英語學習上的態度和動機不盡相同，雖然他們通常有正面的表現。這些差異可歸因於父母因素：父母的教育背景、經濟狀況、中文程度、觀點、態度、要求、參與度、期望以及協助。父母在新台灣之子的英語學習成就上扮演著極為重要的角色。換言之，父母比其英語老師更為重要。因此，父母應積極參與對新台灣之子的英語學習，以激發他們對英語學習的興趣，提升其學習動機，使其變得更加積極，而順利的達成其學習目標。. 關鍵字：新台灣之子、英語學習、態度、動機 i.

(3) ABSTRACT. Attitudes and motivation are important in the English learning of learners since it is highly related with their academic performance. With the rapid increasing number of the new Taiwanese children who might be a multilingual and might have multicultural background, the related studies about their attitudes and motivation toward English are scant. Therefore, the present study is aimed at investigating attitudes and motivation that the new Taiwanese children have toward English learning. Five new Taiwanese children from a public junior high school participated in the present study and were observed biweekly. Interviews with the participants, a new resident, and the English teachers of the participants were implemented to find out the learning attitudes and motivation of the new Taiwanese children. Questionnaires were implemented to the participants and the new residents. The documentary collection and the researcher’s reflective journals were also included in order to analyze and conclude the findings with credibility and dependability. The results of the present study showed that the new Taiwanese children’s attitudes and motivation toward English learning were varied in each, although they were generally positive. These differences could attribute to the factors of their parents: parents’ educational background, economic status, Mandarin proficiency level, perspectives, attitudes, requirement, participation, expectation, and assistance. The parents play the most important role on the English academic performance of their children. In other words, their parents are more important on their English learning than their English teachers. Therefore, parents should actively participate in ii.

(4) the English learning of their children in order to awaken the interests of their children on English language. Then their children would become more positive and their motivation could be promoted. Finally, the goal of achievement could be successfully achieved.. Key words: the new Taiwanese children, English learning, attitude, motivation.. iii.

(5) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of this thesis is attributed to the assistance and guidance of many people. Without their support, it is impossible to complete this complex work. First of all, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Wen-Ta Tseng, who assisted and inspired me in the life of the career and the process of writing this thesis. He always encouraged me and provided me many insightful comments to solve problems that I encountered. I am sincerely grateful to his tolerance and patience in the process. With his passion on teaching and research, I have learned a lot from his personality and enthusiasm. I am also profoundly grateful to my committee members, Prof. Hsi-chin Chu, and Dr. Ming-chuan Hsieh, who read my thesis carefully and generously provided many enlightened commentaries to me. I really appreciate their professional suggestions on my thesis. I also want to thank Mr. Fan, the English teachers, the participants, and the parents of the participants who participated in this study and shared their experience. Without their help, I would not be able to complete the study. I would like to devote my appreciation to Winnie Wu who generously assisted me on this piece of work and make it better. I thank her for helping me without a moment’s thought. My deepest gratitude goes to my dearest parents for their tolerance and support. They always gave me their greatest love. I also want to thank my dearest brothers, Yuyi and Yihsiang, and my dearest sister, Yuyin. Their love, suggestions, and encouragement gave me strength to keep going. With all your love and support, I can move further and make myself a better person. I love you all! iv.

(6) TABLE OF CONTENTS CHINESE ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. v LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 1.1. Background and Motivation .............................................................................. 1. 1.2. Definition of Terms .......................................................................................... 4. 1.3. Purposes of the Study and Research Questions ................................................... 6. 1.4. The Significance of the Study ............................................................................ 7. 1.5. Organization of the Thesis................................................................................. 7. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................... 9 2.1. The Phenomena of the Increasing Population of the New Residents and Their. Children in Taiwan ....................................................................................................... 9 2.1.1. The Causes of the Increasing New Residents .................................................. 9. 2.1.2. The Number of the Increasing New Residents in Taiwan ............................... 10. 2.1.3. The Increasing New Born Babies from the New Residents in Taiwan............. 14. 2.1.4. The Increasing New Taiwanese Children in Elementary Schools and Junior. High Schools .......................................................................................................... 16 2.1.5. The Nationalities of the New Residents whose Children Studied in Elementary. Schools and Junior High Schools ............................................................................. 20 v.

(7) The Educational Background of the New Residents ...................................... 22. 2.1.6. 2.1.7 The Age of the Newly-Married New Residents in Taiwan ................................. 27 2.1.8. The Common Issues that the New residents Have Faced and Its Influences on. Their Children......................................................................................................... 29 2.2 Research on the Learning Issues of the New Taiwanese Children ............................. 32 2.2.1. Language Development of the New Taiwanese Children ............................... 34. 2.2.2. Learning Issues of the New Taiwanese Children ........................................... 37. 2.3 English Learning Attitude ...................................................................................... 38 2.4 Motivation in English Learning .............................................................................. 39 2.5 The Socio-Educational Model of Second Language Acquisition ............................... 41 CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY ........................................................................ 46 3.1.. Setting and Participants ................................................................................... 46. 3.1.1. General Background Information of the New Taiwanese Children and Their. Family 3.2. ................................................................................................................ 46. Data Collection .............................................................................................. 51. 3.2.1. Questionnaire ............................................................................................. 52. 3.2.2. Class Observations ..................................................................................... 52. 3.2.3. Interview ................................................................................................... 54. 3.2.4. Documentary Collection ............................................................................. 55. 3.2.5. Researcher’s Reflective Journals ................................................................. 55. 3.3. Data Collection Procedure ............................................................................... 56. 3.4 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 59 CHAPTER FOUR FINDINGS ..................................................................................... 62 4.1. Findings of the Five New Taiwanese Children’s Cases...................................... 62 vi.

(8) 4.1.1. Case One -David, the son of the New Resident from China ........................... 62. 4.1.2 Case Two- Janice, the Daughter of the New Resident from Myanmar ................. 75 4.1.3 Case Three- Jacky, the Son of the New Resident from Vietnam ......................... 88 4.1.4. Case Four- Richard, the Son of the New Resident from Indonesia .................. 99. 4.1.5. Case Five- Michael, the Son of the New Resident B from Indonesia ............ 110. 4.2. The Comparison of Responses from the Five New Taiwanese Children’s. Interviews ................................................................................................................ 121 CHAPTER FIVE REFLECTION AND CONCLUSIONS ............................................... 139 5.1 5.1.1. The Reflection of the Researcher ................................................................... 139 The Interaction between the English Teachers and the New Taiwanese Children. in Classroom ......................................................................................................... 147 5.1.2. Other Findings about the New Taiwanese Children and Their Parents .......... 149. 5.2 Conclusion.......................................................................................................... 152 5.3 Pedagogical Implications ..................................................................................... 153 5.4 Limitations of the Study and Recommendations .................................................... 154 APPENDIX A .............................................................................................................. 171 APPENDIX B .............................................................................................................. 173 APPENDIX C .............................................................................................................. 178 APPENDIX D .............................................................................................................. 180 APPENDIX E .............................................................................................................. 182 APPENDIX F .............................................................................................................. 186. vii.

(9) LIST OF TABLES Table 1 The Total Number of the New Residents’ Entries in Taiwan from 1987 to 2010 (MOI) ……………………………………………………………………….….11 Table 2 The Marriage Statistics Classified According to the Gender and the Nationalities of the New Residents, 1998-2009 (MOI, 2009) …………………13 Table 3 The Statistical Data of New Born Babies Classified according to the Nationalities of Their Mothers (MOI, 2010) …………………………………..15 Table 4 The Statistical Data of the New Taiwanese Children who Studied in Elementary Schools and Junior High Schools from 2004 to 2009 (MOE) …………………16 Table 5 The Statistical Data of the Students from Elementary Schools and Junior High Schools Classified according to the Nationalities of Their Mothers (MOE, 2010) ……………………………………………………………………………18 Table 6 The Statistical Data of the Students from Elementary Schools Classified according to the Nationalities of Their Mothers (MOE, 2010) ………………..19 Table 7 The Statistical Data of the Students from Junior High Schools Classified according to the Nationalities of Their Mothers (MOE, 2010) ………………..20 Table 8 The Statistical Data of the New Taiwanese Children’s Mothers Classified according to Their Nationalities (MOE, 2010) ………………………………..22 Table 9 The Educational Backgrounds of the Taiwanese Females from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008)……………………………………………………………………..24 Table 10 The Average of the Educational Backgrounds of the Taiwanese Females from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) ……………………………………………………...24 Table 11 The Educational Backgrounds of Chinese New Residents from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) …………………………………………………………………….25 viii.

(10) Table 12 The Average of the Educational Backgrounds of Chinese New Residents from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008)………………………………………………………25 Table 13 The Educational Backgrounds of New Residents of Southeast Asian Countries from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) ………………………………………………..25 Table 14 The Average of the Educational Backgrounds of New Residents of Southeast Asian Countries from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) ………………………………26 Table 15 The Educational Backgrounds of New Residents of Other Countries from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) ……………………………………………………...26 Table 16 The Average of the Educational Backgrounds of New Residents of Other Countries from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008)…………………………………….. 27 Table 17 The Averages Age of the Newly-Married Taiwanese Females and the Newly-Married New Residents from Year 2004 to 2008 (MOI, 2008)………… 28 Table 18 The Numbers of the Studies on the Issues of the New Taiwanese Children from 2003 to 2008 (Wu & Wu, 2009) ………………………………………….33 Table 19 The Numbers of the Studies on Different Educational Level of the New Taiwanese Children from 2003 to 2008 (Wu & Wu, 2009) ……………………33 Table 20 Background Information of the Participants ……………………………….50 Table 21 Background Information of the Participants’ Parents……………………….50 Table 22 Background Information of the Participants………………………………..51 Table 23 Background Information of the Participants………………………………..51 Table 24 The Self-Perceived English Proficiency Level of David’s Mother…………69 Table 25 The Self-Perceived Mandarin Proficiency Level of David’s Mother ………69 Table 26 David’s Academic Performance in English Subject ………………………..72 Table 27 The Level of David’s English Skills Graded By His English Teacher………73 Table 28 The Rank of David’s English Abilities from the Highest to the Lowest……73 Table 29 The Self-Perceived Mandarin Proficiency Level of Janice’s Mother………82 ix.

(11) Table 30 The Self-Perceived English Proficiency Level of Janice’s Mother…………83 Table 31 Janice’s Academic Performance on English Subject………………………..86 Table 32 The Level of Janice’s English Skills Graded by Her English Teacher……...86 Table 33 The Rank of Janice’s English Abilities from the Highest to the Lowest……86 Table 34 The Self-Perceived English Proficiency Level of Jacky’s Mother………….94 Table 35 The Self-Perceived Mandarin Proficiency Level of Jacky’s Mother……….94 Table 36 Jacky’s Academic Performance on English Subject ……………………….96 Table 37 The Level of Jacky’s English Skills Graded by His English Teacher ………97 Table 38 The Rank of Jacky’s English Abilities from the Highest to the Lowest ……97 Table 39 The Self-Perceived English Proficiency Level of Richard’s Mother ……..104 Table 40 The Self-Perceived Mandarin Proficiency Level of Richard’s Mother ……104 Table 41 Richard’s Grades on English Subject ……………………………………..107 Table 42 The Richard’s English Skill Graded by His English Teacher ……………..107 Table 43 The Rank of Richard’s English Abilities from the Highest to the Lowest ..108 Table 44 The Self-Perceived English Proficiency Level of Michael’s Mother ……..115 Table 45 The Self-Perceived Mandarin Proficiency Level of Michael’s Mother……115 Table 46 Michael’s Academic Performance on English Subject ……………………117 Table 47 The Level of Michael’s English Skills Graded by His English Teacher …..118 Table 48 The Rank of Michael’s English Abilities from the Highest to the Lowest ..118 Table 49 Participants’ Personal Criteria of English Grades…………………………124 Table 50 The Participants’ Participation on the Cram School ………………………137. x.

(12) LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. The four domains on issues of the new Taiwanese children (Wu and Wu, 2009)…………………………..………………………………………………….4 Figure 2. The Total Number of the New Residents’ Entries in Taiwan from 1987 to 2010 (MOI)……………………………………………………………………………11 Figure 3. The Statistical Data of New Born Babies Classified according to the Nationalities of Their Mothers (MOI, 2010)……………………………………15 Figure 4. The Statistical Data of the New Taiwanese Children who Studied in Elementary Schools and Junior High Schools from 2004 to 2009 (MOE)………17 Figure 5. The Statistical Data of the Students from Elementary Schools and Junior High Schools Classified according to the Nationalities of Their Mothers (MOE, 2010)…………………………………………………………………………… 19 Figure 6. The Nationalities of the New Taiwanese Children from Elementary schools and Junior High Schools………………………………………………………...21 Figure 7. The Average of Educational Backgrounds of the Taiwanese Females and the New Residents from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008)………………………………..27 Figure 8. The Averages Age of the Newly-Married Taiwanese Females and the Newly-Married New Residents from Year 2004 to 2008 (MOI, 2008)………….29 Figure 9. The Numbers of the Studies on Different Educational Level of the New Taiwanese Children from 2003 to 2008 (Wu & Wu, 2009)……………………..33 Figure 10. The Percentages of the Language Delay Problem on the New Taiwanese Children from Elementary Schools (MOE, 2005)………………………………35 Figure 11. The Percentages of the Language Delay of the New Taiwanese Children Classified According to Their Mothers’ Mandarin Ability (MOE, 2005)……….36 Figure 12. Socio-Educational Model (Gardner, 2001)………………………………..43 xi.

(13) Figure 13. The procedure of data collection…………………………………………..59 Figure 14. The procedure of data analysis (Miles and Huberman, 1994)…………….61 Figure 15. Richard’s English Mistake on His Student Exercise Book………………109 Figure 16. The New Taiwanese Children’s Attitudes and Motivation toward English Learning and Its Influential Factors……………………………………………141. xii.

(14) CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION This chapter mainly discusses the background and motivation of the present study. The definitions of the key terms used in the present study are defined for further clarification, including the new residents, the new Taiwanese children, Taiwanese children, attitudes, and motivation. The purposes of the present study are also discussed. Finally, the significance of the present study and the organization of the thesis are stated.. 1.1 Background and Motivation Nowadays the globalization has gradually changed the structure of human society. Taiwan, as one of the developing countries, is also influenced and has to face issues of immigration and intermarriage followed by. Due to the policy reformed by the government in 1987, people could across the Taiwan Strait to visit their relatives in China easily. Because of the reformed policies, many Taiwanese males who are unable to find a woman to get married in Taiwan may try to find one from Mainland China. Their also tried to find one from other Southeast Asian countries due to its close location (Lai, 2002; Hsia, 1997). Most of their spouses were from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Kampuchea (Hsiao, 2000; Hsia, 2000). The population of these immigrants has increased rapidly since that period. Due to their huge population, a new group in Taiwanese society is formed and named “The new residents”. The number of the new residents and their children in Taiwanese society has notably increased in recent years. According to the statistical information from Directorate-General of Budge, Accounting and Statistics of Executive Yuan in 1.

(15) February of 2010, the population of the new residents in Taiwan has reached 431,723 people in total. As the result, the number of their offspring (hereafter refer as the new Taiwanese children) has also increased. The statistical data from the Department of Statistics of Ministry of Interior (MOI) in 2009 showed that 8.68% of newborn babies were born by the new residents. Based on the data from the Department of Statistics of Ministry of Education (MOE), there were 155,144 the new Taiwanese children studied in elementary and junior high schools in 2009. Comparing the number of the new Taiwanese children from 2004 to 2009, it has increased from 46,411 to 155,144 which was approximately triplicate. On the contrary, the number of the Taiwanese children who studied in elementary and junior high schools had decreased from 2,794,049 in 2004 to 2,386,904 in 2009 which was 15% less. With the issue of the low birth rate of the Taiwanese children and the rapid increasing number of the new Taiwanese children, it can be predicted that there will be some influences and changes on the social structure, economy, culture, and education in Taiwan since the social structure has gradually changed. Therefore, the issue of their education should be taken into account by all the teachers, scholars and even the government. Due to the differences of language, culture, and educational background, many new residents encounter some problems when they educate their children. Those differences affect the language learning process of their children directly, especially when the children do not have enough and appropriate language input. Liu (2003) claimed that many of the new Taiwanese children tend to have delay of language development. According to the data from the Department of Statistics of MOE in 2005, 8.2% of the new Taiwanese children had this problem. This language issue becomes obvious when they enter schools. Many researchers have pointed out that family plays a significant role in learning performance and learning attitudes of their children (Ting, 1995; Wang, 1981; Li, 1992; Kuan, 2002; Hung, 2004; Chen, 1993; 2.

(16) Chang, 2003; Ku, 1997; Tseng, 2003; Chia, 2003; Tsai, 2001). Since the family is the first environment that children start to learn, it is important to discover how the family factor plays a role to influence the learning of the new Taiwanese children. Other than the Mandarin and Taiwanese languages used by the fathers of the new Taiwanese children, their mother may speak their first language at home. With possible multilingual and multicultural background, their learning situation becomes an issue that requires to be investigated urgently. According to Chen (2002), most of the studies in the last decades mainly concentrated on the issues of the new residents rather then on the new Taiwanese children. However, this does not mean that the new residents’ children do not have difficulty in their learning, nor do they need any assistance. Many learning problems they have encountered are necessarily and urgently to be solved. According Wu and Wu (2009), many researchers are aware of its importance and now dedicate their time to discover the new Taiwanese children’s learning situation in the recent year. Generally, they have investigated the issues in the four domains: family factors, school factors, social factor and personal factor (See Figure 1). In the domain of school factor, many issues have been investigated. Mostly, the topics are related to the interaction between teacher and students, the relationship between the students, learning performance and achievement, and teachers’ perception on the multicultural education. Numerous studies have been made by the researchers to demonstrate the importance of discovering the learning situation of the new Taiwanese children. Nevertheless, issues about attitudes and motivation that the new Taiwanese children have toward English learning have not been addressed yet. Thus, the present study is aimed at investigating attitudes and motivation that the new Taiwanese children have toward English learning, drawing the educational authorities’ attention to establish workable remedial plans which offer necessary assistances to the new Taiwanese 3.

(17) children and, if possible, provide supports and resources to their mothers and families. By doing this, the new Taiwanese children can take advantages of being a multicultural and multilingual people and dedicate to the society.. Family factors. Personal factors. Social factors. School factors. Figure 1. The four domains on issues of the new Taiwanese children (Wu and Wu, 2009). 1.2 Definition of Terms The key terms used in the present study are defined as follows: New Residents According to Huang (2006), Southeast Asian females who got married with Taiwanese men in the early time were called “the foreign bride” by Taiwanese. Then, the MOI modified the name “foreign bride” as “foreign spouse”. Through this, both female and male spouses could be included. However, “foreign spouses” are still considered as “foreigners” who differ from the local people. For such reason, Awakening Foundation held an activity to rename the “foreign spouses” as “new female immigrants” in 2003. Some people might call them as “foreign immigrant” as well. However, these names still imply discrimination. Recently, many people start to 4.

(18) call them “the new residents”, which are commonly accepted since it (1) reduces the meaning of discrimination and (2) implies these people are the new comers. The new residents are the foreign people who have intermarriage relationship with the Taiwanese. They got married with Taiwanese and have or have not possessed the legal rights as a citizen in Taiwan. The term “the new residents” in the present study refers to the Southeast Asian females and Chinese females who got married with Taiwanese men. The New Taiwanese Children The new Taiwanese children refer to the children whose fathers or mothers born in Taiwan and possess the Taiwanese citizenships while the other ones are the foreigners whose origin countries were other countries rather than Taiwan. Generally, one of their parents possesses the nationality of other country before becoming a Taiwanese citizen. In the present study, the new Taiwanese children refer to the children whose fathers are Taiwanese and mothers come from the Southeast Asian countries and China. Taiwanese Children This term in present study refers to the children whose parents both were originally born in Taiwan and possess the Taiwanese citizenships. Attitudes Attitude is “a manner, disposition, feeling, and position with regards to a person or thing. It is a tendency or orientation, especially of the mind” (The Random House Dictionary, 2009). This term refers to the beliefs and thoughts that the new residents’ children have toward English language leaning. Their emotions, feelings, confidence, and intention about English learning are also included in the present study. Motivation Motivation is “the state or condition of being motivated” (Dictionary of the 5.

(19) English Language, 2009). This term in present research refers to the effort and the persistence of learning and attention that the new Taiwanese children have toward English learning.. 1.3 Purposes of the Study and Research Questions English, as an important and influential language in the world, has been included in the curriculum of compulsory education in Taiwan. With the increasing interest about the learning situation of the new Taiwanese children, the learning situation about how the new Taiwanese children learn this global language has not been investigated completely yet. With the multilingual and multicultural background, the new Taiwanese children might be affected without noticing it. Therefore, the present study is aimed at investigating their attitudes and motivation toward language learning, with a focus particularly on English, and its possible influential factors. Since attitudes and motivation toward English language and the other influential factors could affect their learning performance and achievement, their situation should be investigated and analyzed to find the reasons behind it and give possible suggestions and assistance. The research questions of the present study are listed as follows: 1. What attitudes and motivation do the new Taiwanese children have toward the English learning? 2. How do the English teachers of the new Taiwanese children perceive their English learning in general? How well do they know about the English learning situation of the new Taiwanese children? 3. What are the possible family factors that affect the English learning of the new Taiwanese children? How do those factors interrelate to each other on the English learning of the new Taiwanese children? 6.

(20) 1.4 The Significance of the Study Due to the rapid increasing population of the new Taiwanese children, it is necessary that the researchers, scholars, and the government pay attention to them and investigate their learning situation and educational issues. English, as a second or even third language for the new Taiwanese children, might eventually lead them to some different learning situations. However, research which deals with attitudes and motivation that the new Taiwanese children have toward English learning is scant in the literature. This research area still remains unrevealed. Therefore, the present study aims to provide several important aspects. Firstly, the findings would help teachers, parents, scholars, and the government to extend their understanding about the new Taiwanese children’s English learning situation and other possible influential factors relate to their learning. Secondly, possible solution and necessary assistance for the new Taiwanese children are discussed and suggested to improve their English learning attitudes and build confidence on English learning. Thirdly, the findings of the present study can provide a broader and deeper idea about the new Taiwanese children’s English learning attitudes and motivation for the future research.. 1.5 Organization of the Thesis This thesis is consisted of five chapters. In chapter 1, the theoretical background and motivation, purposes, key terms, and the significance of present study are provided. In chapter 2, literature on the new Taiwanese children and related research are analyzed and reviewed. In chapter 3, the methodologies of this study are presented. It includes the research design, background information of the participants, the data collection procedure administered in this study, and the data analysis procedure are delineated. In chapter 4, the findings of the present study are presented. Finally, in chapter 5, the reflection about the findings, a conclusion and pedagogical implications 7.

(21) are offered. Limitations and recommendations are also depicted and offered for further related studies.. 8.

(22) CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW The present study is aimed at investigating attitudes and motivation that the new Taiwanese children have toward English learning. Therefore, this chapter begins with the cause of the increasing population of the new residents and their children. And then it discusses the life issues that the new residents have faced and its effects to their children. The learning issues of their children are mentioned as well. Finally, the previous research concerning the issues of attitudes and motivation about English learning are also discussed.. 2.1 The Phenomena of the Increasing Population of the New Residents and Their Children in Taiwan 2.1.1 The Causes of the Increasing New Residents According to Chang (2007), the increasing number of the new residents in Taiwan could mainly attribute to two factors. Firstly, due to the global capitalism, the international division of labor is nowadays a global tendency. Many labors leave their hometown to seek jobs in other countries to support their family. The people from the Southeast Asian countries are also ones of those. Other than working in other country, intermarriage is one possible way to overcome the economic problem that their family has. This increases the number of the intermarriage between Southeast Asian countries and Taiwan. Secondly, in 1987, the government reformed an important policy for people to visit their relatives in China. In 1988, the government made the activities of attending a funeral and visiting the sick legal for the people come from China. The activities of cultural and academic exchanges were also permitted in 1989. 9.

(23) And the most important, the spouses from China could apply for the Taiwan residence legally in 1992 (Ministry of Economics Affairs, Mainland Affairs Council, and National Immigration Agency). With the reforms of the policies, people can now across the Taiwan Strait easily without interference or troubles. The aforementioned factors were the main reasons of the increasing population of the new residents in Taiwan.. 2.1.2 The Number of the Increasing New Residents in Taiwan The number of the new residents has notably increased each year. According to the statistical information from Directorate-General of Budge, Accounting and Statistics of Executive Yuan in 2010, the population of the new residents in Taiwan is 431,723. There are 144,364 new residents from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Kampuchea, Japan, Korea, and other countries while 287,359 come from China, Hong Kong and Macau. Furthermore, Chinese has the highest number which constitutes 66.56% of the population of the new residents. It is more than a half of the overall population of the new residents. The second highest number is the Vietnamese which is 82,986 in total and constitutes 19.22% of the new residents. The third highest number is Indonesian which is 26,477 in total and constitutes 6.13 % of the new residents (See Table 1 and Figure 2). This huge population of the new residents in Taiwan should not and could not be ignored. Based on the marriage statistics from the Department of Household Registration of the MOI, the number of Taiwanese males was higher than females. It indicated that some Taiwanese males got married with the foreigners. In the comparison of the population of different nationalities, the new residents from China are the largest group, particularly the female ones. It has increased each year and reached its peak, which was 31,652 people in 2003. However, it decreased rapidly to 10,386 in 2004, 10.

(24) which was almost one third of the previous year. In the following years, the numbers were approximately around 10,300 to 14,500. It is still higher than the population of the new residents from other countries. Table 1 The Total Number of the New Residents’ Entries in Taiwan from 1987 to 2010 (MOI) Number. Percentage %. Vietnam. 82,986. 19.22. Indonesia. 26,477. 6.13. Thailand. 8,129. 1.88. The Philippines. 6,726. 1.56. Kampuchea. 4,345. 1.01. Japan. 3,124. 0.72. Korea. 1,005. 0.23. Other Countries. 11,572. 2.68. China. 287,359. 66.56. Total. 431,723. 100. Figure 2. The Total Number of the New Residents’ Entries in Taiwan from 1987 to 2010 (MOI). 11.

(25) The new residents from Southeast Asian countries are also mainly females. Its population was approximately around 16,000 to 17,000 from year 2001 to 2004. In 2005, it decreased rapidly to 10,703. And its numbers were approximately around 5,500 to 6,500 persons in the following years. In the comparison of the numbers of the new residents from China, it is only half of its total number. To conclude, these phenomena could possibly attribute to four factors. Firstly, in 2003, in order to avoid illegal events happened, the MOI prescribed that all the new residents from China and other countries need to have a personal interview. Secondly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs legislated that all the new residents are obligatory to take a personal interview abroad in 2005. Thirdly, in the recent years, many Taiwanese tend to be singles (Wang, 2008). Fourthly, the global economical recession impair the will of getting married (Chu, 2008). Although the number of the new residents has decreased in recent years, the percentage of the new residents in the marriage statistics is still high. In 2008, 14% of the new couples were the intermarriage (See Table 2).. 12.

(26) Table 2 The Marriage Statistics Classified According to the Gender and the Nationalities of the New Residents, 1998-2009 (MOI, 2009) Southeast Year. Gender. Total. Taiwan. China. Asian Countries. 1998. 1999. 2000. 2001. 2002. 2003. 2004. 2005. 2006. 2007. 2008. 2009. Other countries. Male. 145,976. 143,667. 511. Female. 145,976. 125,380. 11,940. Male. 173,209. 170,412. 844. Female. 173,209. 143,743. 16,745. Male. 181,642. 178,520. 846. Female. 181,642. 139,798. 22,782. Male. 170,515. 167,115. 983. 806. 1,611. Female. 170,515. 127,713. 25,814. 16,706. 282. Male. 172,655. 168,289. 1,598. 1,035. 1,733. Female. 172,655. 128,008. 27,308. 17,002. 337. Male. 171,483. 165,482. 3,207. 1,044. 1,750. Female. 171,483. 122,850. 31,784. 16,307. 542. Male. 131,453. 128,277. 405. 921. 1,850. Female. 131,453. 103,319. 10,567. 17,182. 385. Male. 141,140. 138,001. 452. 751. 1,936. Female. 141,140. 115,852. 14,167. 10,703. 418. Male. 142,669. 139,455. 506. 579. 2,129. Female. 142,669. 121,953. 13,900. 6,371. 445. Male. 135,041. 131,900. 551. 452. 2,138. Female. 135,041. 113,482. 14,595. 6,500. 464. Male. 154,866. 151,350. 621. 468. 2,427. Female. 154,866. 136,653. 12,151. 5,541. 521. Male. 92,965. 89,943. 567. 419. 2,036. Female. 92,965. 77,806. 10,394. 4,373. 392. 13.

(27) 2.1.3 The Increasing New Born Babies from the New Residents in Taiwan Due to the huge population of the new residents in Taiwan, the number of the new born babies of the new residents has also been increasing in recent years. The MOE (2008) stated that the birth rate in Taiwan has been greatly decreasing since 1998. However, the huge population of the new residents has moderated the decline of the birthrate in Taiwan. Base on the statistical data of MOI in 2010, it was found that the number of the new born babies of the Taiwanese mothers is decreasing while the ones from the new residents is increasing every year. There are 174,698 of newborn babies from Taiwanese mothers and 16,612 from the new residents. The number of the new born babies of the new residents reached its peak which was 30,833 in 2002. In the following year, the number of the new born babies of the new residents has reached 13.37% in the overall population of the new born babies. Nevertheless, the number of the new born babies of the new residents has slightly decreased since 2004. This might due to the reform of the aforementioned policies in 2003 and 2005. Although the new born babies from the new residents are decreasing, their percentages are still high. The overall number of the new born babies of Taiwanese mothers was 2,537,659 which constituted 89.87% while 278,907 new born babies of the new residents constituted 10.13%. In other words, there were almost one tenth of newborn babies were the babies of the new residents (See Table 3 and Figure 3).. 14.

(28) Table 3 The Statistical Data of New Born Babies Classified according to the Nationalities of Their Mothers (MOI, 2010) Nationalities of the Mothers China and. Year. Total. Taiwan. Percentage. 1998. 271,450. 257,546. 94.88. 13,904. 5.12. 1999. 283,661. 266,505. 93.95. 17,156. 6.05. 2000. 305,312. 282,073. 92.39. 23,239. 7.61. 2001. 260,354. 232,608. 89.34. 27,746. 10.66. 2002. 247,530. 216,697. 87.54. 30,833. 12.46. 2003. 227,070. 196,722. 86.63. 30,348. 13.37. 2004. 216,419. 187,753. 86.75. 28,666. 13.25. 2005. 205,854. 179,345. 87.12. 26,509. 12.88. 2006. 204,459. 180,556. 88.31. 23,903. 11.69. 2007. 204,414. 183,509. 89.77. 20,905. 10.23. 2008. 198,733. 179,647. 90.40. 19,086. 9.60. 2009. 155,541. 174,698. 91.32. 16,612. 8.68. Total. 2,780,797 2,537,659. Other Countries. 89.87 (Average). 278,907. Percentage. 10.13 (Average). . Figure 3. The Statistical Data of New Born Babies Classified according to the Nationalities of Their Mothers (MOI, 2010) 15.

(29) 2.1.4 The Increasing New Taiwanese Children in Elementary Schools and Junior High Schools Due to the increasing new born babies, the number of the new Taiwanese children in elementary school and junior high schools is also raising. According to the data from the MOE (2010), there were 155,144 new Taiwanese children studied in elementary schools and junior high schools. It has rapidly increased in the recent years. The new Taiwanese children who studied in elementary schools have increased from 40,907 in 2004 to 133,112 in 2009 which was triplicate. The quantity of the new Taiwanese children who studied in junior high schools has increased from 5,504 in 2004 to 22,032 in 2009 which was quadruplicate (See Table 4 and Figure 4). To sum up, the population of the new Taiwanese children in the elementary school and junior high school has increased rapidly each year.. Table 4 The Statistical Data of the New Taiwanese Children who Studied in Elementary Schools and Junior High Schools from 2004 to 2009 (MOE) Elementary. Junior High. School. School. 46,411. 40,907. 5,504. 2005. 60,258. 53,334. 6,924. 2006. 80,166. 70,797. 9,369. 2007. 103,587. 90,959. 12,628. 2008. 129,917. 113,182. 16,735. 2009. 155,144. 133,112. 22,032. Year. Total. 2004. 16.

(30) Figure 4. The Statistical Data of the New Taiwanese Children who Studied in Elementary Schools and Junior High Schools from 2004 to 2009 (MOE). According to the statistical data from MOE in 2010, the numbers of the new Taiwanese children from elementary and junior high schools have doubly increased from 46,411 in 2004 to 155,144 in 2009 while the numbers of the Taiwanese children have decreased from 2,794,049 to 2,386,904. In other words, the new Taiwanese children have greatly increased in each year while the Taiwanese children have rapidly decreased (See Table 5 and Figure 5). To examine the number of the elementary students closely, the number has decreased from 1,883,533 in 2004 to 1,593,411 in 2009 which was 15.40% decreased. To describe the data clearly, the number of the Taiwanese children has decreased from 1,842,626 in 2004 to 1,460,302 in 2009. On the contrary, the number of the new Taiwanese children has increased from 40,907 in 2004 to 113,112 in 2009 (See Table 6). The population of junior high school students has the similar phenomenon. The statistical data showed that the number of the new Taiwanese children who studied in junior high schools have greatly increased from 5,504 in 2004 to 22,032 in 2009. It was quadruplicate. On the contrary, the number of the Taiwanese who studied in junior high schools has 17.

(31) decreased from to 951,423 in 2004 to 926,602 in 2009 (See Table 7). To sum up, the number of the new Taiwanese children who studied in elementary and junior high schools has increased rapidly and steadily while the number of the Taiwanese children has decreased steadily in recent years. Table 5 The Statistical Data of the Students from Elementary Schools and Junior High Schools Classified according to the Nationalities of Their Mothers (MOE, 2010) The Students from Elementary Schools and Junior High Schools Taiwanese Children. The New Taiwanese Children. Year. Total. N. %. N. %. 2004. 2,840,460. 2,794,049. 98.37. 46,411. 1.63. 2005. 2,783,149. 2,722,891. 97.83. 60,258. 2.17. 2006. 2,750,737. 2,670,570. 97.09. 80,166. 2.91. 2007. 2,707,139. 2,603,553. 96.17. 103,587. 3.83. 2008. 2,626,279. 2,496,380. 95.06. 129,917. 4.94. 2009. 2,542,048. 2,386,904. 98.37. 155,144. 6.10. 18.

(32) Figure 5. The Statistical Data of the Students from Elementary Schools and Junior High Schools Classified according to the Nationalities of Their Mothers (MOE, 2010) Table 6 The Statistical Data of the Students from Elementary Schools Classified according to the Nationalities of Their Mothers (MOE, 2010) Elementary School Students Taiwanese Children. The New Taiwanese Children. Year. Total. N. %. N. %. 2004. 1,883,533. 1,842,626. 97.83. 40,907. 2.17. 2005. 1,831,913. 1,778,579. 97.09. 53,334. 2.91. 2006. 1,798,393. 1,727,596. 96.06. 70,797. 3.94. 2007. 1,753,951. 1,662,993. 94.81. 90,958. 5.19. 2008. 1,677,309. 1,564,136. 93.25. 113,173. 6.75. 2009. 1,593,414. 1,460,302. 91.65. 133,112. 8.35. 19.

(33) Table 7 The Statistical Data of the Students from Junior High Schools Classified according to the Nationalities of Their Mothers (MOE, 2010) Junior High School Students Taiwanese Children. The New Taiwanese Children. Year. Total. N. %. N. %. 2004. 956,927. 951,423. 99.42. 5,504. 0.58. 2005. 951,236. 944,312. 99.27. 6,924. 0.73. 2006. 952,344. 942,974. 99.02. 9,370. 0.98. 2007. 953,188. 940,560. 98.68. 12,628. 1.32. 2008. 951,976. 935,250. 98.24. 16,726. 1.76. 2009. 948,634. 926,602. 97.68. 22,032. 2.32. 2.1.5 The Nationalities of the New Residents whose Children Studied in Elementary Schools and Junior High Schools The new residents whose children studied in elementary schools and junior high schools came from different countries. According to the data from the MOE in 2010, the majority of parents of the new Taiwanese children came from China. There were 56,087 Chinese who constituted 36.15% of the overall population of the new residents. The Vietnamese came in the second place that constituted 31.57 % with 48,973 persons in total. Indonesian came as the third with 27,678 persons in total and constituted 17.84% (See Figure 6). To examine the data closely, the mothers of the new Taiwanese children from elementary schools were mainly came from China. It constituted 36.44% of its overall population. 34.58% of the new Taiwanese children’s parents were Vietnamese while 16.06% were Indonesians. However, the ranks on junior high schools were slightly different. The population of the new Taiwanese 20.

(34) children’s parents from China were still the highest which with 34.39% in total. The second place was the Indonesians which was 28.59% while the third was the Vietnamese with 13.38% (See Table 8). The orders of the second and third place in the group of junior high school level and the group of elementary schools were reserved. The new residents from China, Vietnam and Indonesia had higher percentages in the population of the mothers of the new Taiwanese children from elementary schools and junior high schools. The new residents of the three countries, China, Vietnam and Indonesia, constituted 85.56% in the overall population.. Figure 6. The Nationalities of the New Taiwanese Children from Elementary schools and Junior High Schools. 21.

(35) Table 8 The Statistical Data of the New Taiwanese Children’s Mothers Classified according to Their Nationalities (MOE, 2010) Total Nationality. Number. %. Elementary School. Junior High School. Number. Number. %. %. China. 56,087. 36.15. 48,511. 36.44. 7,576. 34.39. Vietnam. 48,973. 31.57. 46,026. 34.58. 2,947. 13.38. Indonesia. 27,678. 17.84. 21,380. 16.06. 6,298. 28.59. 5,701. 3.67. 4,099. 3.08. 1,602. 7.27. Thailand. 4,229. 2.73. 3,221. 2.42. 1,008. 4.58. Kampuchea. 3,257. 2.10. 3,183. 2.39. 74. 0.34. Myanmar. 2,469. 1.59. 1,943. 1.46. 526. 2.39. Malaysia. 1,787. 1.15. 1,178. 0.88. 609. 2.76. Japan. 1 064. 0.69. 716. 0.54. 348. 1.58. 685. 0.44. 519. 0.39. 166. 0.75. South Korea. 652. 0.42. 434. 0.33. 218. 0.99. Singapore. 188. 0.12. 129. 0.10. 59. 0.27. Canada. 157. 0.10. 125. 0.09. 32. 0.15. Others. 2,217. 1.43. 1,648. 1.24. 569. 2.58. 155,144. 100.00. 113,122. 100.00. 22,032. 100.00. The Philippines. The United States of America. Total. 2.1.6 The Educational Background of the New Residents Most of the new residents in Taiwan came from the undeveloped and developing countries; therefore, some of them tended to have low educational background. Based on the data of the Department of Statistics of the MOI (2008), the educational backgrounds of the Taiwanese females and the new residents were diverse. First, generally, the educational background of the Taiwanese females was senior high school level from 2001 to 2007. In 2008, the number in the university level became 22.

(36) the highest (See Table 9). To scrutinize the data carefully, the senior high school level was the highest which constituted 35.35% of the overall Taiwanese females. The university level was the second highest which constituted 24.96%. The third was junior college level which constituted 21.67%. The junior high school level came as the fourth which constituted 13.64% while the elementary school level came as the last which constituted 4.37% (See Table 10). Second, the educational background of the Chinese new residents was generally senior high school level in 2001 and 2002; however, the number of the junior high school level became the highest from 2003 to 2008 (See Table 11). To examine the number closely, the junior highs school level was the highest which constituted 36.39% while the senior high school level came as the second which constituted 29.33%. The elementary school level was the third which constituted 17.12%, and the level of junior college and university came as the fourth and fifth which constituted 10.31% and 6.85% respectively (See Table 12). Third, the educational background of the new residents from Southeast Asian countries was mainly senior high school level in 2001 and 2002. However, the number of the junior high school level became the highest from 2003 to 2008 (See Table 13). The number of the junior high school level was the highest with 36.41% in total. The second was senior high school level with 28.8% while the third was elementary school level with 23.83%. The fourth was university level with 5.65% while the last was the junior college level with 5.31% in total (See Table 14). Finally, the educational backgrounds of the new residents from other countries were generally the university level except 2001 and 2003 (See Table 15). The number of the university level was the highest which constituted 54.23%. The second was the senior high school level which constituted 20.93% while the third was the junior high school level which constituted 10.03%. The fourth was the junior college level which constituted 8.39% while the last was elementary school level which constituted 6.42% (See Table 16). To conclude, 23.

(37) the new residents from China and Southeast Asian countries were generally in the level of junior high school while the Taiwanese females were in the senior high school level. The Taiwanese females have higher educational backgrounds than the new residents (See Figure 7).. Table 9 The Educational Backgrounds of the Taiwanese Females from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) Educational 2008. 2007. 2006. 2005. 2004. 2003. 2002. 2001. University. 48,487. 36,257. 36,547. 31,179. 23,498. 24,106. 21,554. 18,472. Junior College. 26,250. 23,344. 27,911. 28,267. 23,588. 28,783. 26,376. 23,888. Senior High School. 40,127. 36,309. 41,625. 41,666. 36,725. 49,752. 47,456. 46,344. Junior High School. 12,938. 12,208. 13,234. 13,351. 12,894. 18,517. 23,322. 24,749. Elementary School. 2,627. 2,445. 3,048. 3,023. 3,141. 6,507. 9,792. 11,520. Background. Table 10 The Average of the Educational Backgrounds of the Taiwanese Females from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) Rank. Educational Background. N. %. 1. Senior High School. 340,004. 35.35. 2. University. 240,100. 24.96. 3. Junior College. 208,407. 21.67. 4. Junior High School. 131,213. 13.64. 5. Elementary School. 42,103. 4.37. 961,827. 100.00. Total. 24.

(38) Table 11 The Educational Backgrounds of Chinese New Residents from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) Educational 2008. 2007. 2006. 2005. 2004. 2003. 2002. 2001. University. 1,435. 1,414. 1,163. 950. 585. 518. 2,377. 1,925. Junior College. 1,195. 1,174. 1,069. 1,041. 720. 1,079. 4,594. 4,721. Senior High School. 3,493. 3,927. 3,699. 3,924. 3,066. 8,192. 8,885. 9,181. Junior High School. 4,349. 5,428. 5,599. 5,595. 5,067. 13,702. 8,030. 7,288. Elementary School. 1,677. 2,060. 2,341. 2,453. 2,408. 7,863. 3,881. 3,223. Background. Table 12 The Average of the Educational Backgrounds of Chinese New Residents from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) Rank. Educational Background. N. 1. Junior High School. 55,058. 36.39. 2. Senior High School. 44,367. 29.33. 3. Elementary School. 25,906. 17.12. 4. Junior College. 15,593. 10.31. 5. University. 10,367. 6.85. 151,291. 100.00. Total. %. Table 13 The Educational Backgrounds of New Residents of Southeast Asian Countries from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) Educational Background University. 2008. 2007. 2006. 2005. 2004. 2003. 2002. 2001. 435. 420. 460. 508. 528. 790. 1,239. 961. 99. 100. 80. 149. 152. 81. 2,297. 2,064. Senior High School. 1,421. 1,691. 1,576. 2,625. 3,570. 3,463. 6,719. 6,178. Junior High School. 1,856. 2,591. 2,280. 4,034. 7,608. 7,472. 4,316. 4,280. Elementary School. 1,504. 2,015. 1,715. 2,911. 5,340. 4,794. 2,175. 2,087. Junior College. 25.

(39) Table 14 The Average of the Educational Backgrounds of New Residents of Southeast Asian Countries from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) Rank. Educational Background. N. 1. Junior High School. 34,437. 36.41. 2. Senior High School. 27,243. 28.80. 3. Elementary School. 22,541. 23.83. 4. University. 5,341. 5.65. 5. Junior College. 5,022. 5.31. 94,584. 100.00. Total. %. Table 15 The Educational Backgrounds of New Residents of Other Countries from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) Educational Background. 2008. 2007. 2006. 2005. 2004. 2003. 2002. 2001. 388. 325. 306. 260. 226. 101. 119. 65. Junior College. 36. 26. 29. 31. 26. 24. 65. 40. Senior High School. 79. 78. 83. 77. 80. 107. 100. 87. Junior High School. 21. 25. 21. 24. 40. 124. 20. 56. Elementary School. 8. 14. 13. 14. 18. 91. 26. 28. University. 26.

(40) Table 16 The Average of the Educational Backgrounds of New Residents of Other Countries from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) Rank. Educational Background. N. 1. University. 1,790. 54.23. 2. Senior High School. 691. 20.93. 3. Junior High School. 331. 10.03. 4. Junior College. 277. 8.39. 5. Elementary School. 212. 6.42. 3,301. 100.00. Total. %. Figure 7. The Average of Educational Backgrounds of the Taiwanese Females and the New Residents from 2001 to 2008 (MOI, 2008). 2.1.7 The Age of the Newly-Married New Residents in Taiwan Based on the statistical data of the MOI (2008), the ages of the newly-married new residents were younger than the Taiwanese females from 2004 to 2008. Firstly, the new residents from the Southeast Asian countries were the youngest population among the newly-married females in Taiwan. With the average age of 24.1 years old, 27.

(41) they were obviously younger than the newly-married women of other nationalities. Secondly, the average age of the newly-married Chinese new residents was 27.8 years old. They were 3.8 years older than the new residents from the Southeast Asian countries. Thirdly, the Taiwanese females got married around 28.1 years old. In addition, their age of getting married has slightly increased each year. Fourthly, the new residents from other countries got married around 28.8 years old. It was slightly older than the average age of the newly-married Taiwanese females (See table 17 and Figure 8).. Table 17 The Averages Age of the Newly-Married Taiwanese Females and the Newly-Married New Residents from Year 2004 to 2008 (MOI, 2008) Year. Taiwan. China. Southeast Asian Countries. 2008. 28.6. 28.3. 25.7. 29.0. 2007. 28.4. 27.9. 24.5. 29.0. 2006. 28.1. 27.1. 24.1. 28.9. 2005. 27.8. 27.7. 23.7. 28.8. 2004. 27.6. 28.2. 22.6. 28.4. Average. 28.1. 27.8. 24.1. 28.8. 28. Other Countries.

(42) Figure 8. The Averages Age of the Newly-Married Taiwanese Females and the Newly-Married New Residents from Year 2004 to 2008 (MOI, 2008). 2.1.8 The Common Issues that the New residents Have Faced and Its Influences on Their Children According to Ishii (1996), the Asian women who married Japanese men encountered the issues of the adaptation of life style and the language in the first five years. The following five years, they encountered the issues of discrimination, inability of educating their children, and educational problems of children (Lin, 2005). Similarly, the new residents in Taiwan might have to face such issues in their life after they get married. The most common issues they have faced in Taiwan are culture differences, low social position and economical status, and language. Since the role of a mother is always very important in the family, the aforementioned problems might affect the new Taiwanese children directly when they occur.. Cultural Shock The cultural shock is one of the common issues that the new residents have faced. The differences of food and taste, the customs, and the life style are the things they 29.

(43) have to overcome after they get married. The new residents are required to learn and understand Taiwanese tradition and life style. Likewise, they are asked to be assimilated to the Taiwanese society (Chiou, 2000; Chen, 2002; Huang & Chang, 2003; Liu, 2003; Yen, 2002). The cultural differences between their origin country and Taiwanese society led to the cultural shock. Moreover, it made them identify themselves as foreigners. Since they did not know which culture and tradition to follow, ways to teach their children consequently became a difficult task (Tsai, 2004). Many of them also felt anxious, along, nervous, regretful and upset since they were far away from their hometown. Since they could not communicate with others properly or assimilate easily (Liu, 2003), such frustration might bring future influence on their family and on their children as well (Chu, 2002; Liu, 2002).. Low Social Position and Economic Status The low social position and low economic status are the problems in the life of the new residents after they get married. Liu (2003) stated that some Taiwanese males who got married with the Chinese new residents tended to be old, had a lower social status and economical situation, or were disabilities. Hsieh (2004) also reported that among them were 0.8% aborigine, 9.1% disabled, 2.1% veterans, 1.5% with low-income. The total was 13.5% in the overall population of the Taiwanese males who got married with the new residents. Due to their special background or situation, most of them could not find a Taiwanese woman to get married with. In order to have their own family and children, they tried to find a foreign woman to get married with. As the result, the matchmaking1 has become a hot job in Taiwan in recent years. According to the MOI (2003), 35.9% of the new residents were introduced by the. 1. Matchmaking is “any process of introducing people for the purpose of marriage” (Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matchmaking) 30.

(44) matchmaking while 46.5% were introduced by the relatives and friends of the new residents. Through the matchmaking, the Taiwanese males could find their ideal wife easily. Because of the desire of having a better living environment and living quality, and recommendation from their relatives or friends, some new residents got married with the Taiwanese males who had problems of low social status (Chang, 2002). Some new residents got married with Taiwanese males due to the economical problem of their family. Therefore, the intermarriage was one of the solutions to solve this problem (Chen, 2002; Change, 2002; Cheng, 2000; Hsia, 2000; Hsiao, 2000; Liu, 2002; Lu, 2001; Hsu, 2003; Tsai, 2001; Wang, 2000; Yang, 2003). Mostly, the men whom they got married with had the low economical status, low educational background, and low social position or disabilities. In addition, their income was often lower than other Taiwanese men. Chung (2003) claimed that income is the main and influential factor to a family. It relates to the quality of life and also quality of education for their children. With the problem of the low income, the new residents could not support their parents as they wish in the beginning. Therefore, they had to find jobs to earn more money to support their family and their parents. In this situation, their children could be influenced psychologically since their parents might not have much time to take care of them. Furthermore, the education of their children was influenced since the family could not provide them with better resources and environment to learn.. Language issue Due to the language differences, learning the Mandarin or even Taiwanese languages becomes an important issue that all the new residents need to confront urgently. Tsai (2004) stated that the language problem is the most significant and influential factor affecting the participation in the society. It is the most difficult and 31.

(45) challenging issue that they need to confront with (Cheng, 2000; 1991; Chu, 2002; Hsia, 2002; Hsiao, 2000; Yen, 2002). Liao (1985) stated that low language ability would lead the immigrants incapable to communicate with others. They feel inferior and become introvert. Imamura (1990) also pointed out that the new residents would not have any assistance in their life if they could not speak the language of that region. Since the new residents come from other countries, Mandarin or even Taiwanese are the languages they have to learn to communicate with the families of their husbands and people in their environment. With low Mandarin ability, they could not communicate with their husbands and local people properly or make friends easily. This situation might lead to some problems on the interpersonal relationships (Cheng, 2000; Hsiao, 2000; Ku & Yo, 2005; Ministry of Interior, 2004; Wu, 2003; Yen, Li & Chu, 2002). Moreover, they might encounter difficulties in finding a job and participating any social activities (Kitano, 2984). Assimilation in Taiwanese society became difficult for them (Hsiao, 2000). Furthermore, it is more difficult when they try to involve in the education of their children. Due to their low Mandarin language abilities, assistance on the learning of their children becomes a difficult task for them (Huang & Chang, 2003). Tsai (2004) asserted that although some new residents have higher educational backgrounds, the language differences still brought them difficulties to help the learning of their children.. 2.2 Research on the Learning Issues of the New Taiwanese Children In recent years, many researchers have started to pay attention to the issues of the new Taiwanese children. According to Wu and Wu (2009), many studies were done since 2003 (See Table 18). The studies on the issues of new Taiwanese children were mainly taken place at the elementary school level. There were 137 studies related to this level while 29 studies were done at cross-level. Moreover, there were 18 studies 32.

(46) done at preschool level while 12 at the junior high school level. In addition, none of the studies were taken place in the senior high school, vocational school, or university level (See table 19 & Figure 9).. Table 18 The Numbers of the Studies on the Issues of the New Taiwanese Children from 2003 to 2008 (Wu & Wu, 2009) Year. 2003. 2004. 2005. 2006. 2007. 2008. Number of Study. 5. 16. 32. 34. 60. 49. Table 19 The Numbers of the Studies on Different Educational Level of the New Taiwanese Children from 2003 to 2008 (Wu & Wu, 2009) Educational level. Preschool. Number of Study. 18. Elementary. Junior High. School. School. 137. 12. Cross-Level 29. Figure 9. The Numbers of the Studies on Different Educational Level of the New Taiwanese Children from 2003 to 2008 (Wu & Wu, 2009). 33.

(47) 2.2.1 Language Development of the New Taiwanese Children Many researchers concluded that the new Taiwanese children tended to have the problems on their learning, particularly on language development. Chung (2005) reported that the new Taiwanese children tended to speak in their mothers’ accent since their mothers were the persons who had the direct contact with them in their environment. The children could easily learn the expression and the intonation of their mothers. Due to this reason, some of the new Taiwanese children have the problem to speak clearly in their childhood (Liao, 2006). For instance, Cheng (2008) stated that the new Taiwanese children whose mothers were Vietnamese tended to have difficulties to recognize Chinese phonetics. Ko (2004) claimed that the new Taiwanese children tended to have lower language ability than the Taiwanese children. Family is the first place where the children learn things from the people and environment surround them. It is an important place for them to learn to assimilate into the environment. According to Yeh (2003), the new Taiwanese children whose mothers came from Europe or United States of America were mostly taken care by the nursery while the ones whose mothers came from Southeast Asian countries and China were mostly taken care by their mothers. Liu (2002) stated that the language proficiency and the academic achievement of the new Taiwanese children could be influenced by the language level of the caretakers. Therefore, parents are the most important persons who directly influence the language ability and the personality of the children (Eisenberg & Mussen, 1989; Lin, 2003). The results of many studies showed that the new Taiwanese children tended to have higher possibility to have language delay (Chen & Chr, 2002). Based on the research done by Kaohsiung Branch of Chang Gung Medical Foundation, 60% of the new Taiwanese children tended to have developmental delay. 5 to 10% of them had language delay (Chen, 34.

(48) 2001). The result of the study done by Taichung Veterans General Hospital in 2002 also showed that 26% of the new Taiwanese children had the developmental delay, particularly in the language aspect. Based on the data of the MOE (2005), 8.2% of the new Taiwanese children who studied in the elementary school had this problem. Such problem was slightly reduced in the groups of higher graders (See Figure 10). Chang (1993) reported that the low language ability could influence the performance and achievement in mathematics subject since the use and the acquisition of a language are relying on the memory, logical thinking, and reorganization in the mental. Therefore, the influence of the language ability level is multi-dimensional.. Figure 10. The Percentages of the Language Delay Problem on the New Taiwanese Children from Elementary Schools (MOE, 2005). According to the MOE (2005), the new Taiwanese children’s language development was related to the Mandarin ability of their mothers. Because of their mothers’ low Mandarin ability, 24.1% of the new Taiwanese children had the language delay problem. The new Taiwanese children whose mothers had excellent 35.

(49) Mandarin ability tended to have low possibility. There were only 4.4% of them had such problem. It was 20% less than the ones whose mothers had low Mandarin ability. (See Figure 11). The new residents who had better Mandarin ability would lower the possibility of the language delay of their children. Likewise, Lin (1989) asserted that the children from the bilingual family tended to have a higher possibility to have language delay. The language delay could mainly attribute to three reasons. First, their parents only provided the daily supplies to their children rather than educating them appropriately. Second, the family of intermarriage tended to use more than two languages from two different language systems. Although this provided an opportunity for the children to learn more than two languages at the same time, this might confuse the children in their learning. Third, the children did not have much experience to do outdoor activities since their parents did not have time to take them out. These could affect their physical and psychological development.. Figure 11. The Percentages of the Language Delay of the New Taiwanese Children Classified According to Their Mothers’ Mandarin Ability (MOE, 2005). 36.

(50) 2.2.2 Learning Issues of the New Taiwanese Children Wu and Wu (2009) stated that the results of many studies showed that the new Taiwanese children had lower academic performance than the Taiwanese children due to the influences of their background of the family and their school (Ho, 2007; Lin, 2003; Weng, 2004; Tsai, 2007; Hsieh, 2004, Chung, 2004). As Na (2007) reported, Colemen (1988) considered that the main variables which influenced the academic performance of a learner were family factor and learner’s personal factor. Nevertheless, according to Plowden Report (1967), the influence of the family on the students is more important than the school. Based on the data of the MOE (2004), the new Taiwanese children tended to have lower grade in mathematics than Mandarin subject. Many researchers consider that the learning of the new Taiwanese children is influenced by the factors of the following: their parents’ language ability (Wang, 2005; Lu, 2004; Lin; 2003; Wu, 2005; Chen, 2003; Chen, 2008; Huang, 2004; Hsueh, 2008; Liu, 2003; Tsai, 2006; Tsai, 2007; Hsieh, 2004), parents’ nationalities (Li, 2007; Lin, 2003; Chen, 2005; Liang 2006; Liao, 2008), parents’ educational backgrounds (Chen, 2007; Li, 2007; Huang, 2007; Lin, 2008;Chen 2008; Huang, 2008), the economic status of their parents (Wang, 2006; Wang, 2008; Na, 2007; Ho, 2008; Huo, 2006, Hsu, 2008; Chen, 2005; Chen, 2007; Chen, 2006; Chen, 2007; Chang, 2007; Chang, 2007; Tsai, 2006; Tsai, 2007; Lu, 2004), the marriage status of parents (Chen, 2003; Yang, 2005; Li, 2007), parents’ conception toward the learning (Lin, 2007, Yu, 2006; Chen, 2005; Chiang, 2005, Liu, 2005; Su, 2006), and parents’ participation at the learning of the new Taiwanese children (Wang, 2005; Wu, 2006; Ko, 2006; Hsu, 2005; Wang, 2005; Liu, 2007; Tsai, 2004; Tsai, 2006; Tsai, 2007). Though the researchers have only taken the aforementioned factors into consideration on the research of different subjects such as mathematics, Mandarin, arts, family reading activity, learning adjustment, academic performance, learning adaptation, learning achievement, 37.