A Case Study: Exploring the English Language Learning Environment at Junyi School of Innovation
Chen, Evelyn
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2021-04-04
Abstract
Junyi School of Innovation is a private school located in the rural township of Taitung on the southeast coast of Taiwan. The school is proud to offer a robust English curricular program and hire native English-speaking teachers and international interns to increase students’ access to English language learning opportunities. Conversations with the vice principal indicate that, despite the dynamic English program offerings, the students at Junyi are underperforming on their English proficiency external assessments relative to national averages. The school wants to understand the factors that contribute to its ability to develop English fluency. This challenge allowed us to analyze the experience of learning English at Junyi using Stake’s (1995) qualitative case study approach. Upon exploring students’ perceptions of learning English, corroborated by teacher interviews and classroom observations, the data gathered suggests that Junyi is offering a quality English language learning experience that minimizes students’ language anxiety, fosters enjoyment, and cultivates close relationships that deepen their motivation and confidence to take on the challenges of learning a second language. This capstone study discusses the findings of the case study and offers recommendations for improving students’ English proficiency external scores - without losing the strengths of the Junyi English program.