To provide suggestions and guidelines for Taiwan's curriculum revisions which start in the year 2014, the NAER has undertaken a large scale integrated research project on the learning content of the 12-year compulsory education. This sub-project focused on issues related to the English Curriculum and the Second Foreign Language Curriculum and, aside from reviewing the literature and analyzing the relevant documents, has held meetings in which invited scholars, experienced teachers, and testing professionals shared their opinions and offered their suggestions for curriculum revisions. The following are a few of the main points agreed upon by the participants: Use/function should be given priority in English and second foreign language learning; greater emphasis on learner-centeredness as well as affective factors regarding the content and process of learning; closer links between different learning stages regarding the implementation of the English Curriculum and the Second Foreign Language Curriculum; presentation of teaching material, with key social issues properly incorporated, based on difficulty levels and in a spiral manner; ensuring the acquisition of core competencies among the learners. In sum, this sub-project, in addition to pointing out the major issues and problems concerning the teaching and learning of English and second foreign languages in Taiwan (e.g. the vocabulary size for learners of different stages, insufficient English teaching hours for the vocational track, and difficulty in hiring teachers for implementing second foreign language instruction, among others), has proposed constructive suggestions for curriculum revisions next year.
