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Future early childhood teachers as EFL learners.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the process and outcomes of incorporating children's books written in English into an English Reading course designed for pre-service early childhood teachers in Taiwan. Based on a sociocultural perspective, the instructor and the students were involved in a cyclical process of designing and re-directing the directions of the course. The results showed that the use of children's books did have positive impacts on the students' motivation and English skills, such as oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to investigate the process and outcomes of incorporating children's books written in English into an English Reading course designed for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) non-traditional college students in Taiwan. In recent years, English learning has become a popular activity in Taiwan. Adults, as well as very young children in early childhood programs, follow this social trend. As a result, preschool and kindergarten teachers are expected to offer some sort of English activities to help young children learn English; teacher education programs in turn are asked to offer relevant training for in-service and pre-service teachers. This kind of training may include workshops that share English teaching strategies or courses that intend to improve in-service and pre-service teachers' English skills. In this article, the experience of an English Reading course offered by a teacher education program to future early childhood teachers will be described.

Overview of the Context

The Program. This undergraduate-level English Reading course was offered to a group of non-traditional college students enrolled in an evening early childhood teacher education program at a university in Southern Taiwan. This early childhood teacher education program was offered to students who held a high-school diploma or equivalent. Students become certified early childhood teachers after successfully completing all required coursework and a full-year...

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