Bridging bilingual boundaries: Taiwan’s nationwide strategy for EFL transformation

Abstract Taiwan’s nationwide bilingual education initiative aims to integrate English into primary and secondary education while maintaining subject integrity. However, large-scale implementation presents challenges related to administrative constraints, teacher engagement, and balancing content mas...

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Main Authors: I-Shan Jenny Chen, Yeu-Ting Liu, Ryuichi YOROZUYA, Shunsuke UCHINO
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2025-04-01
Series:Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04867-z
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author I-Shan Jenny Chen
Yeu-Ting Liu
Ryuichi YOROZUYA
Shunsuke UCHINO
author_facet I-Shan Jenny Chen
Yeu-Ting Liu
Ryuichi YOROZUYA
Shunsuke UCHINO
author_sort I-Shan Jenny Chen
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Taiwan’s nationwide bilingual education initiative aims to integrate English into primary and secondary education while maintaining subject integrity. However, large-scale implementation presents challenges related to administrative constraints, teacher engagement, and balancing content mastery with language development. This study investigates how Taiwan’s bilingual education model navigates these challenges and adapts strategies for effective implementation. Using a nationwide census-based approach, survey data from over 16,000 participants across diverse regions were analyzed to identify key patterns. The findings reveal that while teacher collaboration between subject specialists and English instructors enhances both linguistic and disciplinary learning, institutional barriers and uneven policy execution hinder progress. Strategies such as the Satellite Collaboration Project and cognitive learning approaches have been employed to address these challenges, yet their effectiveness varies by region and school resources. The study underscores the importance of leveraging nationwide census data to refine policy frameworks and ensure adaptive, evidence-based decision-making. These insights contribute to the broader discourse on bilingual education, offering data-driven perspectives on how large-scale EFL initiatives can navigate systemic obstacles and support effective bilingual instruction in K-12 settings.
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spelling doaj-art-f4ac231e47784c8bacb6190045ab3b512025-08-20T02:10:56ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922025-04-0112111210.1057/s41599-025-04867-zBridging bilingual boundaries: Taiwan’s nationwide strategy for EFL transformationI-Shan Jenny Chen0Yeu-Ting Liu1Ryuichi YOROZUYA2Shunsuke UCHINO3National Taipei University of EducationNational Taiwan Normal UniversityHokkaido University of EducationHokkaido University of EducationAbstract Taiwan’s nationwide bilingual education initiative aims to integrate English into primary and secondary education while maintaining subject integrity. However, large-scale implementation presents challenges related to administrative constraints, teacher engagement, and balancing content mastery with language development. This study investigates how Taiwan’s bilingual education model navigates these challenges and adapts strategies for effective implementation. Using a nationwide census-based approach, survey data from over 16,000 participants across diverse regions were analyzed to identify key patterns. The findings reveal that while teacher collaboration between subject specialists and English instructors enhances both linguistic and disciplinary learning, institutional barriers and uneven policy execution hinder progress. Strategies such as the Satellite Collaboration Project and cognitive learning approaches have been employed to address these challenges, yet their effectiveness varies by region and school resources. The study underscores the importance of leveraging nationwide census data to refine policy frameworks and ensure adaptive, evidence-based decision-making. These insights contribute to the broader discourse on bilingual education, offering data-driven perspectives on how large-scale EFL initiatives can navigate systemic obstacles and support effective bilingual instruction in K-12 settings.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04867-z
spellingShingle I-Shan Jenny Chen
Yeu-Ting Liu
Ryuichi YOROZUYA
Shunsuke UCHINO
Bridging bilingual boundaries: Taiwan’s nationwide strategy for EFL transformation
Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
title Bridging bilingual boundaries: Taiwan’s nationwide strategy for EFL transformation
title_full Bridging bilingual boundaries: Taiwan’s nationwide strategy for EFL transformation
title_fullStr Bridging bilingual boundaries: Taiwan’s nationwide strategy for EFL transformation
title_full_unstemmed Bridging bilingual boundaries: Taiwan’s nationwide strategy for EFL transformation
title_short Bridging bilingual boundaries: Taiwan’s nationwide strategy for EFL transformation
title_sort bridging bilingual boundaries taiwan s nationwide strategy for efl transformation
url https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04867-z
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