Print

Mail

wiki links

'New Children' survey hopes to develop insight

Nearly half of local teachers believe that primary school students from local immigrant families have similar learning levels as those of their peers, the results of a survey released on Monday showed.

Forty-two percent of the 66 teachers responding to the survey said they noticed no differences in the learning levels of students with an immigrant parent, while 23 percent felt the language ability of this group lagged behind that of their local peers.

Another 23 percent said the learning attitude of these students was poor, which, the teachers said, often resulted in a lack of concentration in class.

The survey results were unveiled by Siemens Limited Taiwan.

The survey sought to help improve understanding of the challenges faced by these "New Taiwanese Children," defined as the estimated 200,000 offspring of foreign mothers or fathers from Southeast Asia or China living in Taiwan, to help bridge the learning gap between them and their peers.

Conducted by Siemens Limited Taiwan and the Taipei-based Pearl S. Buck Foundation at seven elementary schools in Taipei City and Taipei County last November, the survey received valid responses from 66 teachers, 153 students with immigrant parents, and 53 students with non-immigrant parents.

Despite the learning difficulties faced by these "New Taiwanese Children," students from both immigrant and non-immigrant parents agreed by huge majorities that the children of immigrants enjoyed participating in group activities in class and playing together after class as much as their peers.

More such group activities in class would provide increased opportunities for students from different backgrounds to communicate with each other, which could improve cooperation and mutual understanding, 90 percent of the teachers surveyed believed.

Another indication that the children of immigrants were widely accepted as part of the group came from the 78.8 percent of local students and 94 percent of the teachers who said the "New Taiwanese Children" would come to them for help if they needed it.

The poll also found that the students had the desire to learn about each other's family and cultural backgrounds.

Ovid Tseng (曾志朗), a former minister of education and the spokesman for the Generation 21 program, said it was essential for today's educators to encourage students to respect different cultures and international views.

"It's the responsibility of society to welcome them, bridging the gaps and differences between them and others, and helping them to integrate," Tseng said.
This story has been viewed 1059 times.