[[alternative]]A Case Study on the Ideal of Taiwan’s Educational White Paper “Towards a Learning Society”- The Action Program 8- for the Propagation of Foreign Language Learning among the General Public

[[abstract]]Under the context of globalization, the concept of lifelong leaning has become such an important aspect of international and national policy discourse. “Towards a Learning Society ” White Paper launched in 1998, is one of the significant educational polices in Taiwan. One of the governments’ approaches to lifelong leaning is the advocacy of learning foreign languages. Along with Taiwan’s entrance into WTO, the argument promoting proficiency in English is becoming an obvious trend in Taiwanese private sector as well. Under such a circumstance, this study aims to explore the meaning of foreign language learning in the context of the contemporary education policy for fostering a learning society. Four questions are proposed for guiding this study: 1. How is the ideal of learning society developed in domestic educational policy? 2. What is the argument for foreign language learning in Taiwan’s educational white paper “Towards a Learning Society”? Additionally, what are the content and government measures in these related programs and plans for propagating foreign language learning among the general public? 3. What are the relations between the policy for fostering learning society, specifically the plans for advocacy of learning foreign languages, and Taiwan’s dedication for internationalization? What are the relations between the government and the private sector? 4. How can government foster learning society and advocate the program and plans for foreign language learning in the future? The method of historical sociology was conducted in this study. First, the study reviewed and analyzed the government publications from 1998 through 2003 including the educational white paper ” Towards a Learning Society”, and the programs, which concern with “ propagating foreign language learning among the general public”. Meanwhile, the researcher interviewed some relevant policy makers, program designers and executives. Finally, the data collected by a multi-method design were triangulated carefully in order to reveal the meaning of foreign languages learning that embedded within the context of learning society. The conclusions of the study are as follows: the emergence of the ideal for fostering a learning society in Taiwan is recommended by the “Executive Yuan’s Council on Educational Reform” in the “Report on Education Reform” in 1996. And the concrete strategies for fostering a learning society are proposed by the educational white paper ” Towards a Learning Society” in 1998. Second, those plans for propagating foreign language learning among the general public designed by the Ministry of Education can be sorted into three models: the instructional model (mainly in English), the achievement-testing model, and the complementary model. Third, the basic principles of those plans are: (1) to upgrade Taiwan’s economic competency in the world market and (2) to inform citizens for the cosmopolitan in order to live with a global village; (3) nevertheless, the ideal and the reality are widely divided. Fourth, central government plays a predominant role in fostering language learning. Furthermore, those plans were classified into two models, which lead to “central government－local government－schools” and “central government－nonprofit organizations”. Based on these conclusions, four directions were highlighted in order to improve the educational policy of lifelong learning in general and to increase the public’s proficiency in foreign languages learning in particular. First, it is necessary to review governments’ approaches to the ideal of lifelong learning constantly. Second, the content of those plans, including the instruction materials for foreign language learning, the target population and the learning opportunities should be examined constantly, in order to ensure its own consistency. Third, the local government should be endowed and have more involved in promoting lifelong learning in the future. Also, the cooperative model supported by the central government, the local government and the private sector should be mould. Fourth, a neutral organization should establish to conduct research and assessment into educational policy.