Taiwan's new English proficiency requirement policy: A case study of its impact on the English language curriculum of Taiwan medical universities

To improve university students' English proficiency in Taiwan, one essential action plan in the main themes of the four-year (2005-2008) educational policy enforcement scheme launched by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan in the year 2004 (revised in the year 2005) is to require college and university students to take standardized English proficiency tests. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of the English proficiency requirement policy on the implementation of the English language curriculum for Taiwan medical university students.; This study utilized a multiple-case, holistic case study design employing qualitative methodology. Data collection measures included interviews conducted with medical university administrators and English instructors, and an analysis of English instructors' English course syllabi and selected textbooks.; The findings from this study outline the intended and actual outcomes of the policy, as well as the changes the medical universities made due to the policy. In this case study, participants also offered many opinions and suggestions about the policy implementation. Participants in this study believed that the large-scale, standardized English proficiency tests cannot fit different groups of students' specific purposes and needs of learning English. Some teachers' and students' lack of awareness of this policy diminished the power of tests imposed on students, and this policy failed to help all students improve their English ability. At the conclusion of the dissertation, I discuss the broader implications of this study. Based on participants' suggestions, I also provide recommendations for policymakers when they try to use testing as a means to affect teaching and learning process and improve students' performance.