Issues and trends in science
teacher education in Taiwan
Huann-shyang Lin
National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan
Topics to be addressed
• Brief introduction of Taiwan’s educational
system.
• Critical changes in the past two decades.
• Challenges and critical issues.
How does the educational system
look like ?
Senior
high sch.
Junior
Primary high sch. 15-18
Kinder- sch.
12-15
garten
6-12
4-5
18~
(age)
Compulsory Ed.
Entrance Examination
University
Basic
Competence Test
Junior
high sch.
Senior
high sch.
Academic
Attainment
Testing
Taiwan enrollment rate (6~21-yearold) of school in the past 10 years
Taiwan Enrollment Rates of School
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
(%) 30
97.78
97.81
96.15
96.52
83.34
84.95
98.78
98.19
98.04
93.96
93.53
93.47
87.08
88.21
89.32
97.29
98.23
92.41
93
87.63
88.44
98.02
97.14
99.3
94.09
95.71
96.53
91.31
88.53
90.72
elementary school
57.42
59.83
61.41
senior high school
53.2
University
49.05
45.68
42.51
38.7
33.32
1998
35.43
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
junior high school
2005
2006
2007 (Year)
Taiwan birth rate in the past 10 years
Taiwan No. of Births
350
305
300
283
247
250
271
260
216
(Thousands)
200
No. of Births
204
227
205
204
150
100
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
(Year)
Requirement & Procedures of secondary science
teacher certification
Complete requirement pre-service teacher
education courses:
1. Content Knowledge (CK) : 45 credits at least
2. Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) & Pedagogical
Content Knowledge (PCK) : 26 credits at least
Attend full-time internship with six months
Participate in teacher certification exam (Paper-pencil)
Examination Subjects :
(1)Common : National language ability test & Principle
and system of education
(2)Professional : Teenager development and counseling &
Secondary school curriculum and instruction
Ministry of education
issues certificate of
qualified teachers
Apply teaching job
in local cities
In-service science teacher in secondary education
by age group
4,000
Number of person
3,500
3,000
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
Percent (
)
％
22~29
2005 13.34
30~34
21.45
35~39
21.25
40~44
18.99
45~49
13.96
50~54
7.17
55~59
2.93
60~
0.91
2006
14.82
22.31
20.96
19.36
13.52
6.03
2.12
0.86
2007
13.68
23.19
19.72
19.79
14.23
6.39
2.17
0.83
2008
11.93
23.82
19.25
20.43
14.79
6.58
2.42
0.79
2009
9.80
23.40
19.64
20.84
15.91
7.12
2.44
0.84
In-service science teacher in secondary education
by educational degree
60
53.34
50
50.66
46.03
44.99
Percent (
40
30
％
)
20
10
0
1.61 3.29
0.06 0.02
junior college
bachelor
2008
master
2009
doctor
Certified teachers by certification year
and job placement
12,000
Number of person
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
employed
substitute
unemployed
2005
7,043
2,120
9,563
2006
6,779
2,195
8,587
2007
3,796
2,153
7,370
2008
2,823
1,833
5,021
2009
1,294
1,583
4,505
Critical changes- teacher education
• In 1994, the Law of Teacher Education was
substantially revised.
• Before 1994, all k-12 teachers were educated
through national teachers colleges and normal
universities. The tuition fees of pre-service
teachers were supported by the government.
Their teaching jobs were securely guaranteed.
Only the top 5% of examinees can get into the
teacher education colleges or universities.
Critical changes- Teacher education
• After 1994, the teacher education programs are
open to all universities. All university students
can apply for the pre-service program on their
own expense for the tuition fee. Upon
completing the credit requirement and passing
the certification exam, certified teachers have
to compete for job opportunities.
Critical changes- Curricular reform
• In 2003, the innovation of national curriculum
for compulsory education (grades 1-9)
switched from Subject Matter-based (SM)
curriculum to Integrated and Coordinated (IC)
curriculum.
• The innovation attracted a lot of continuing
concerns, debates, and even criticisms.
Challenges- Professional development
How can in-service science teachers be attracted
for life-long learning of developing their own
professional ability?
(Current status: Low interest for in-service
training; passive for change)
Thank you for your attention!