The Trends of Compulsory Education Reform Policies after 1980s –A Comparative Study of Australia, Japan and Taiwan

[[abstract]]1980年代後，科技的快速發展、網路的衝擊，造成以知識經濟為基礎的全球化時代來臨，各主要國家如英國、美國、澳洲以及日本對於提升國民素質更加重視，以求在21世紀能夠繼續維持競爭力，保有先進國家的地位。因此對於義務教育推出各項改革政策，以確保國民在義務教育階段即具有競爭力。各項政策皆重視學生學習成果的具體表現，導致參與國際學力評鑑的熱潮，其中以TIMSS頗具代表性。 本研究針對1980年代後的澳洲、日本與台灣義務教育改革政策進行研究及比較以了解澳洲、日本與台灣，在1980年代後，義務教育改革中，關於「快樂學習」、「教育均等」與「教育品質」政策之長期趨勢。比較從「減輕學生壓力出發」與「提昇學生學習成就、建立國家標準」的教育改革的不同國家，在關於「快樂學習」、「教育均等」與「教育品質」三項政策與學生在TIMSS1999, 2003及2007等資料庫中呈現出的教師教學方式（教師中心、學生中心）、學習興趣（學生學習數學正向態度的指標，簡記為PATM；學生學習數學自信的指標，簡記為SCM；學生對數學評價的指標，簡記為SVM）、低成就學生（性別、種族、城鄉及社經等）及學習成就的長期趨勢有何異同。本研究的主要結論與建議如下： 一、日本與台灣的教育改革是立足於教育均等，朝向快樂學習；澳洲則是立足於快樂學習，朝向教育均等努力。 二、從澳洲的例子可以看出，依賴外部監控的教育品質政策，並無法達成提升教育品質的目標，且其教育均等有惡化的現象。 三、從日本的例子可以看出，大幅度刪減課程內容與時數，確實讓日本教師的教學活動朝向學生中心教學模式，但學生的學習興趣並未如預期有更正向的反應。同時日本的教育均等有惡化現象，產生教育品質下降，因此日本現階段已對快樂學習採取緊縮的政策。 四、從澳洲的例子，本研究建議學生為中心的教學模式應在師資培育階段培養及實施，不宜採用日本大幅度刪減課程內容與時數的政策推動此教學模式。 五、建議教育主管機關應該針對八年級低社經地位、不常說國語、男生的低成就學生提出改善策略。 六、建議將教科書編輯、審定、選用等流程制?化，以?教科書制?的改進與發展。 七、參考澳洲的教師生涯階梯換證制度推行教師評鑑制度。[[abstract]]Since1980, the rapid development of technology and the impacts from the Internet have brought about an era of globalization which features knowledge economy. In order to maintain competitiveness and the advanced status in the world, major countries, such as the U.K., the U.S., Australia, and Japan, place high emphases on raising their citizen’s quality of education. Therefore, they try to carry out reforms at compulsory education level. They also get involved in the international competency assessments to ensure high levels of students’ performance. One of often-used evaluation is TIMSS. The main idea of my research is to explore the compulsory education in Australia, Japan, and Taiwan after 1980. The study applies three concepts: joyful learning, educational quality and educational equality. The purpose is to examine and compare how the three countries adopt the three concepts in their education reforms. The following are conclusions and suggestions: 1. Educational reforms in Japan and Taiwan, based on the equal opportunities for students, emphasized on student’s joyful learning; while in Australia, based on student’s joyful learning, emphasized on equal opportunities for students. 2. The experience of Australia shows educational quality cannot be achieved by over-relying on external monitoring measures. To make matter worse, educational equality may get worse. 3. The experience of Japan shows, teachers’ teaching styles have become more student-centered as a result of cutting back learning materials and teaching hours. However, the results are not as good as they have expected. Japanese students’ learning interests are getting lower and educational equality is getting worse. 4. Based on the finding of Australia, it is suggested that student-centered teaching approach should be emphasized at the stage of initial teacher training(ITT). 5. The educational authority in Taiwan should take special measures to improve low achieving boys on the 8th grade who are from the low economic status and do not speaking Mandarins often. 6. Textbooks should be edited, inspected, and selected in a systematic way so that we can have a steady and long-termed development in teaching materials. 7. Australian teachers’ career ladder and its close relationship with licensing provide good references for Taiwanese authority which is trying to carry out teacher evaluation mechanism but encounters many difficulties.[[note]]博