Taiwanese Children’s Attitudes about English as a Foreign Language Learning

Abstract

For children in Taiwan, learning English has sometimes been viewed as a burden because they are required to learn English by either parents or schools. Given that English is officially taught as a subject in elementary schools, children have to study English diligently if they aspire to achieve academic success. Recognizing the need for learning and studying English, little research, nonetheless, has investigated children’s opinions regarding the learning of English language in Taiwan. To fill this gap, this study examined twenty-five Taiwanese fifth graders’ attitudes about learning English at a primary school in Taipei City. Results showed that most Taiwanese children had positive attitudes about learning English. Despite the pressure of learning English, they still agreed with the government’s English learning policy. Suggestions concerning Chinese and English bilingual education practiced in Taiwan are also offered to benefit teachers and educators at the primary school levels.