In the 1990s, more and more students attend exam-oriented buxibans. Class rooms are constantly growing larger in size, equipment constantly improving. Have we entered the age of "recreational cramming"? Why exactly do they attend? Buxiban culture has obviously not gone away. On the contrary, supplementary education courses have become increasingly "diversified." Taking a joint entrance exam is no longer necessary to get into junior high, but there are parents who, wishing to take precautions, worry that standards have fallen in the public middle schools that admit kids without testing. They believe it's still best to bring in an extra teacher to "shore their kids up." Only if they get into a private junior high will they "have a hope of testing into high school." For those lucky lads and lasses who don't have to take such "basic material" as Mandarin, math, and composition, the buxiban market generously offers all kinds of extracurricular curricula in "the arts"-English, rapid math calculation, computers, speed reading, art, music, calligraphy, playing go, swimming, vision enhancement training, and so forth. For nearly any sort of accomplishment that anyone can think of, there's a buxiban that offers it. Besides the professional buxibans spread throughout every neighborhood, Taiwan has even developed a "Buxiban Boulevard" famous far and wide. Nanyang Street, near the Taipei Train Station, is the prime landmark of Taiwan's "cram culture." This street is renowned not only in Taiwan, but also internationally. Not long ago, BBC television reported on math education in Taiwan, and Nanyang street was featured on the program.
Taiwanese society has changed over the years and now it is very common for both parents to work. In these cases the grandparents are important figures in the lives of children in Taiwan. It is very common to see groups of grandparents waiting outside schools and buxibans (bushibans - private before and after school learning institutes). Children run from school to the welcoming embrace of their grandparents where they drop their bookbags, lunch boxes, are various school projects and run home ahead of their grandparents. A common site is of an elderly Taiwanese person walking down the street with a Hello Kitty backpack and a coloring assignment in hand. These young children are doted and often no expense is spared to make sure they have all they need and that they are exposed to every aspect of learning possible. Through media and various education resources these children are afforded every opportunity to learn and explore any area of interest. At present, most kindergartens in Taiwan are run by private operators. In fact, there are two times as many private kindergartens as public ones. There are also 3.4 times as many preschool students in these private institutions as there are in the public ones. Ninety percent of private kindergartens are independently operated, whereas most public kindergartens are affiliated with public elementary schools. Taiwan's kindergartens admit children aged from four to below six years of age to receive one or two years of education. Bilingual pre-schools have become quite common around Taiwan where children are educated in English and Mandarin equally. Oddly enough, it is illegal for a native English speaker to teach in these schools. Having said that, there are a great many bilingual pre-schools and kindergartens that employ native English speakers though they have strict instructions that if the authorities visit the school for an inspection that they are to "run away" or say that they are a "guest". Be careful if you are in this situation and make sure you have a well thought out action plan. This is a great age group to teach and the kids are like little sponges for anything and everything you throw their way.
After graduation from senior or vocational high school, students face still more examinations before being eligible for entrance into post-secondary institutions. They take these exams in July after graduation from high school. At present, there are two types of post-secondary education available. One type is a bachelor degree-granting university or college program. Most of these programs require four years of education, but for dental or medical school, they are six-year and seven-year programs, respectively. The other type of post-secondary education is a two-year junior college program designed specifically for vocational high school graduates. Graduate School and Other Options in Taiwan Generally, institutes of technology recruit students through examinations, with two-year institutes of technology admitting junior college graduates and four-year institutes of technology admitting senior vocational school graduates. A five-year post-bachelor's degree program of Chinese medicine recruits college graduates who have a minimum of four credits in each of the subjects of biology, organic chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Graduate programs usually admit students only after they have passed relevant examinations. Junior college graduates with relevant work experience are also allowed to take part in graduate school entrance exams. Master's degree programs last one to four years. Doctorate programs admit master's degree holders or college graduates majoring in medicine. Such programs require two to seven years.
There are two types of junior colleges, differing in admission requirements. One type is the five-year junior college for junior high graduates, and the other type is the two-year junior college for senior vocational graduates. In Taiwan, there are 61 junior colleges, of which 10 are public and 51 are private. They offer two-year programs entered after high school, and five-year programs entered after ninth grade. In the past, there were also at least ten junior colleges that offered three-year junior college programs, but they have now been completely phased out. Junior colleges usually specialize in one area, such as business, technology, languages, medicine, nursing, journalism, or home economics. Very often the English transcripts of these institutions do not identify themselves as junior colleges, but simply as "colleges" or "institutes" (many people in Taiwan are under the impression that the word college means junior college which can lead to a great deal of confusion, whether discussing U.S. or Taiwan institutions). But the transcripts will show that no bachelor's degree was awarded. In Taiwan, graduates of junior colleges are eligible to transfer to local four-year colleges if successful in passing the transfer examination given by the target school/department. As in the U.S., the level at which they may enter is dependent on their previous coursework, examination results, etc., and is decided by the department they are entering. They are also allowed to enter graduate programs, in spite of not having a bachelor's degree, if they can pass the entrance examination and have had two to three years of work experience. For this reason, perhaps, it is not uncommon for graduates of junior colleges in Taiwan to seek admittance to graduate programs in the U.S., though they are not often successful in obtaining it. However, a few U.S. schools regularly admit graduates of Taiwan junior colleges directly to graduate programs. This practice is usually confined to graduates of well-known junior technical colleges who have outstanding records and high GRE scores and are planning to study computer science or engineering. Usually they also take a "bridge" program to make up deficiencies in undergraduate course work. Junior college graduates who transfer to American universities at the undergraduate level are naturally interested in receiving as much credit as possible for their junior college work. However, it is seldom possible for them to know in advance how many additional credits they will have to complete before they can receive a U.S. bachelor's degree. Some of the junior colleges have "sister school" or articulation agreements with American universities under which the American school/department agrees on the level at which it will accept graduates of specified programs of the Taiwan school/department concerned.
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Adult students in Taiwan are easily the most respectful but they often represent one of the hardest groups to teach. Adult Taiwanese students are often passive and shy, and will speak out only when directly spoken to. It is often difficult to engage classes in debates or discussions for a number of reasons. The first is the level of respect and conservatism expressed and shared among the people of Taiwan that are not familiar with one another. Add to that different age groups and different sexes and you have a challenging situation for teachers. Though these students all realize that in order to grow and develop their skills they need to speak out, they will seldom ask questions or volunteer information. There is a common idiom attached to this phenomenon that goes: "It is like playing a lute to a cow." They listen but it seems to be a futile effort. Adult students are also the most discriminating. They want to get the most bang for their buck so it is critical for schools to ensure they have the best teachers possible. It is really easy for an adult student to simply leave a school and find another if they aren't satisfied with the class or the teacher. This puts a lot of pressure on teachers to perform and do well.
Teenagers in Taiwan are not unlike teenagers in most other countries. Their focus is on pop culture, music, friends and spending mommy and daddy's hard earned money. Their lives revolve around study but their is increased focus on identity and material want. This is often a good way for teachers to connect with their students. If you're teaching this age group it is important that you also "keep up with the times". Attitudes toward teachers are different with this age group as student enter their "rebellious" phase of life where they challenge thoughts and "traditional" ways of thinking. This is why connecting with them on their level is important for progression. Many middle school and high school students will study from 8am-5pm in public schools and will then attend various buxibans in the evenings, often until 8, 9 or 10pm. Life for these students revolves around getting into a good Taiwanese university so getting good grades is critical.
Junior and Senior High School in Taiwan is amazingly stressful for students and teachers. There is incredible pressure to perform well here to score well on tests and get the opportunity to study in some of the "better" universities or colleges in Taiwan. It is not uncommon for students to attempt private schools or cram schools in the mornings, evenings and on weekends to get extra preparation and study to outperform classmates. IN many cases the need to attend these classes is not simply to outperform but rather to "keep up" with their classmates. Parents who do not provide extra schooling for their children are potentially robbing them of the opportunity to "level the playing field" so their child can perform with the same background knowledge that his or her classmates have. Influenced by Chinese tradition, people in Taiwan have placed a high priority on education; thus, competition for higher education is extremely fierce. Taiwan's education system has entered a new phase for these students. In the past the single most important aspect of a student’s life was his or her test scores. The Ministry of Education claims to recognize the need for inspiration, individuality and creativity and is now emphasizing participation, cooperation, attendance, quizzes and assignments, as well as tests in final consideration of grades for students and entrance to university. Although this acknowledgment has been made, after the ninth grade, entrance to the next level of education is determined by examination only, lthough some experimentation is being carried out in Taipei to allow for entrance according to complete academic records instead.
A Taiwanese scholar described Taiwanese university students as "an intelligent but not a diligent crowd". After years of study, once accepted into a university, students have a tendency to focus on extracurricular activities. It is mandatory for all students of any major to study English for two years.
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Education and Students
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