ESP Test Licensing Policies for Junior College Levels in
Taiwan--- A case study
*Paul Juinn-Bing Tan
National Penghu Institute of Technology, Taiwan
Department of Applied
Foreign Languages
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to determine the quality of English teaching and
learning of the junior college students at National Penghu Institute of Technology
(N.P.I.T.). The investigation was based upon the responses of N.P.I.T. students to a
self-designed questionnaire prepared by the researcher. 250 questionnaires were given
to 250 first year and second year junior college students at N.P.I.T.. There were only
233 of the questionnaires answered. The data collection was 93.5 ﹪ percent.
Meanwhile there were 200 pieces (80%) of valid questionnaires as confirmed valid
information. The G.E.P.T. test is being adopted in Taiwan for the evaluation of English
teaching and learning, and it is improving the quality of Technical and Vocational
Education in Taiwan. It is noted that the results of the G.E.P.T. test will provide a very
good mechanism for evaluating the quality of English language instruction so that
when the Ministry of Education wants to make a decision about the licensing policy
of colleges, they can make a decision based on the G.E.P.T. test scores. In this paper,
students’ common opinions about the G.E.P.T. test are reported, and then a case study
is discussed.
Key words: G.E.P.T. (General English Proficiency Test), T.V.E. (Technical and
Vocational Education), licensing policy, teaching evaluation, English teaching
proficiency.
1
Background of the Study
The social background:
Taiwan has proclaimed the framework in working as the center of globalization in
logistics, which is to face the challenges of globalization, and also is a member of
W.T.O. Due to the experience of progressive movements of enlightened policies as a
working Asian pacific operational center. Meanwhile the work of reconstruction for
the new framework has to have special city governmental effort.
The Chen Sui-ben Administration and Taiwan’s people seem to need to
re-consider how to enhance and to organize the private sectors as well as public
offices. City and state governments coordinate professionally to deal with public
policies and international affairs working in unity, as one, to avoid the differentials in
the policy’s applications.
Due to the possibilities of mutual cooperative development and multi-challenges
between cross straits relations (Taiwan and China), gets high priority resulting for the
mainland Chinese officials to realize the importance of training government officials
to be internationalized.
Presently, The Taiwanese government seems to need to hold their own
advantages- (i.e.) excellent human resources, especially human resources of positively
good energy, professional websites and open exchange of democratic experiences to
build up a strong base of international cooperation.
For example, the officials’
consideration should be preparing now in order to extend the foundations of
international training and globalization to the vital parts of city government in the
central –southern Taiwan regions in order to meet the challenges of globalization in
the spot light.
To follow the trends of internationalization and globalization, Taiwan should
2
emphasize the development of language proficiency training and cultivate foreign
language experts to cooperate with the domestic trades, businesses, financial
institutions, service sectors and so forth, and to the development of international
academic interpersonal communication.
Taiwan officially acceded to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2002;
causing domestic industries to be confronted with many tests and competitions. The
educational industry also needs to face this inevitable challenge (2000, Technical and
Vocational Education (T.V.E.), THE White Book of Ministry of Education P.6). T.V.E.
plays an important role in Taiwan’s development. It’s objective is to cultivate experts
at all levels during this economic development. Thus, we should emphasize the
applied development of language proficiency training, cultivate foreign language
experts and fulfill the licensing policy; these not only could help to promote the
quality of experts, but also guarantee their careers and provide broader development.
Being an economic ally powerful country, surrounded by sea, it would hinder
Taiwan’s internationalization if foreign language experts were not cultivated.
Especially since it is mandatory to establish an economic policy by the government to
internationalize and liberalize. In order to promote the national developments quickly,
we should cultivate applied foreign language experts. Therefore, it is necessary for
our educational policy to improve the quality of English teaching and learning, and
fulfill the licensing policy.
3
Statement of the problem
It is of great urgency that we should improve the people's English level, which is
the aim of the national TVE, because of the diverse society and the competitive job
market (Yu-Hui Shih, Mao-Sung Lin, Chuan-Hsiu Hung, Shuo-Kuei Chou; Ming
Chuan University 1999). TVE has been playing an indispensable and important role
in Taiwan's economic development, that most of the talents are cultivated by technical
and vocational schools. TVE needs to be comprehensively examined to fit the
changes of the whole environment and we need to think how to construct a systematic
execution…and so on. We also need to make students as the center of education, and
think over things as we are students. However, now we lack a perfect licensing system
so there are inequities pertaining to their effectiveness.
Departments at N.P.I.T.
Abbreviation Department of
1. AFL………….Applied Foreign Language
2. HM…………. Department of Hospitality management
3. Leisure………Department of Leisure Management
4. STM…………Department of Shipping Transportation and Management
5. MIS………….Department of Information Management
6. CSIE…………Department of Computer Science information Engineering
7. ECE………….Department of Electronic Communication Engineering
8. AQU…………Department of Aquaculture
4
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
The major findings and Suggestions as follows:
Conclusions
A. The current conditions of English teaching
1. In teaching preparation, English teachers in STM generally did not
emphasize the preparation of lessons beforehand, followed by HM.
2. In teaching practices, English teachers in HM generally did not emphasize
the quality of teaching.
3. In teaching evaluation, apart from STM which seldom has tests, about 70
percent of teachers in each department would test the students’ learning
achievements.
4. In teaching improvements, students in HM and AFL are not quite satisfied
with English courses.
5. Besides PDCA, there are about 70 percent of students who hoped that the
school could hold as many English activities and courses as possible. In
addition, the schoolgirls’ percentages of approval were more than the
schoolboys’.
B. The fulfillment of language licensing policy
1. Pertaining to language licenses, most of the students in MIS did not
understand its importance, and it is also worse in practice. Besides, in
AFL, HM, LEISURE, CSIE and ECE, there were about 60 to 80 percent
of students who did not understand the importance of Three-licensing
policy.
5
2. Besides AFL, HM and STM, most of the students at the other five
departments did not participate in taking the language licensing tests. In
addition, there were about 40 percent of teachers who do not provide the
information about English licensing tests in class.
Suggestions
The research Suggestions as follow:
(A) For educators:
First, concerning PDCA, it is generally good at teaching preparation and
teaching practice. However, it still needs to strengthen its’ teaching
evaluation system. We suggest that English teachers should take notice of the
learning conditions of students more and adjust the instructional contents
more flexibly to allow students to absorb more easily.
Second, the educators should make the English courses livelier. In
addition, the school also needs to hold many more English extracurricular
activities to increase students’ interests in learning English. Also, it is easy to
know the importance of English licenses since Taiwan has acceded to WTO.
However, there is still about 60 percent of students who do not understand its
importance. Thus, we suggest that English teachers as well as other
departments should do their best to provide information about licensing tests
in class.
Third , the Ministry of Education, Taiwan should be responsible for
6
producing GEPT licensing policy for the specific skills.
(B) Suggestions for current and future teachers, researchers and
those who love pedagogy:
1. Recruit and channel professionally licensed foreign language
teachers that possess an unselfish desire to help others, love in their hearts,
courage to accept different responsibilities and have an unbiased attitude of
others’ backgrounds and beliefs. The teacher shouldn’t be a clone from the
past, autocratic, materialistic and selfish, just the opposite to prepare young
learners to become responsible citizens for their own future fulfillments, not
facilitators of the past.
2. Teachers ought not be intimidated nor inhibited to collaborate
with researchers as piers and colleagues and visa versa researchers ought not
feel that their position of power is compromised to unbiasedly listen to
teachers’ criticisms as a valid natural resource to reform, transform the
classroom into a place of enjoyment for learners to acquire skills and
attitudes needed for participating in a democratic society. Researchers work
for the students together, cooperatively and not solely for the purpose of the
project.
3. Researchers ought to enlighten corporations, small and large
businesses and government agencies to close the gap between remote
areas, towns, cities, counties provinces and states and countries that it
benefits everybody, socially and economically, not to have a blind eye,
ignoring citizens of remote areas. The citizens everywhere have the same
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needs. Insufficiently educated people stunt the economy’s growth in an
ever increasingly competitive world market. Unable to be productive
members of society, their being denied education for a brighter future
only creates bitterness for those who have a better life. Other social
problems occur from being denied benefits as others such as moral decay,
crime, family abuse, depression, anxiety, increasing uncertainty and
suffering of the young and old. It is imperative pedagogies propagate the
financial attractiveness to develop the remote areas’ human resources for
a brighter future of all citizens, not just those on the top, whose political
platforms often echo for social reforms for education of the young but
heartily just want to get rich quick, ignoring the rest of the society, that
they have been entrusted to serve. Purposely denied brighter futures
ethically and morally is wrong and should not be handled apathetically
nor ignored and tolerated Ethics and morals are to protect children and
adult citizens’ human rights.
4. Promote the fact that remote areas are not hidden areas and those
densely populated areas should be more transparent when appropriating
educational funds allowing every body to participate democratically, not
excluded by the autocratic bureaucracies, nepotistic interests and the self
serving organized corrupt. A country united is a strong country. Open
inquiry is the most important part of an open educational approach that is
accessible for all young learners. Instructors, teachers, facilitators,
practitioners and researchers should promote fresh progressive ideas even
when contrary to exiting biased outdated traditional methodologies existing
in pedagogic education and ethical funding allocations practices.
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10.Website：（1）http://www.gept.org.tw
（2）http://www. edu. tw
Types of English Licenses
Current English Licenses
(Taiwan)
Internal
ECL GEPT
External
CVES
(English
Proficiency
Test)
GRE
TCambridge
IELTS
Cambridge
Main Suite
TOEFL
ITP
TOEFL
TOEIC
ETS
14
TOEIC TSE
GMAT
kin
Appendix III: Modes of Licensing Tests
Comparison sheet of English Licensing Tests in Taiwan
Types
GEPT
TOEIC
Auspices
LTTC
ETS
Chung-Hsin
Ltd. Co.
TOEFL
ETS
IELTS
1.British
Consulates
2. UCLES
GMAT
ETS
1.Listening,
1. Listening
1.Listening
1. Listening
1.Analytic
Reading
2. Reading
2.Reading
2. Reading
Writing
3.Grammar
3. Oral test
2.Measure-
4.Writing
4. Writing
ment of
2.Writing, Oral
Test
(After pass step
PhonePass
American
Ordinate
Co. &
consultativ
e Professor
of Dr.
Brent
Townshend
& Dr. Jared
Bernstein
1. Test of Listening
ETS
3.IDP
Contents
GRE
Subject Speaking
s
Reading
2. Genera
Quantities
l Test
1, then you
3.Language & 3. Writin
could join step
Literature
g
2)
Ways
Unified test
Open up
Unified test
Unified test
Unified test
enterprise-
Unified
Open up
test
enterprise-
training
Time
Twice a year
training
Once a month Mon. to Fri. At least three
rd
(Every level)
Mon. to Fri. & Mon. to
rd
& the 3 Sat. times each
the 3 Sat.
Fri. & the
each month
each month
3rd Sat.
month
No limits
each month
Limits
Limits in
Limits in
Limits in
testing date,
testing date,
numbers of
Limits in
Limits in
Limits in
No limits in
testing date, testing date,
testing date,
testing
location
numbers of
numbers of
numbers of
numbers of
date,
people &
people &
people &
people &
people &
numbers of
location
location
location
location
location
people &
location
Career
Suitability
●
●
╳
╳
╳
╳
●
Oral Test
●
╳
╳
●
╳
╳
●
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