Student Resistance in an English-Taught Program in Higher Education

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Abstract

This paper presents the forms and motivation behind student resistance through a qualitative case study of students’ experiences in an English-taught program in a Taiwanese university. Student interviews, class observations, and narratives were analyzed based on Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) Constant Comparison Method. The findings revealed limited student resistance in learning English language skills specifically in English classes but greater resistance in learning content via English. The plausible reasons may be a mixture of sociocultural and sociopolitical factors, such as different values attached to pedagogy, English, and investment. This study suggest that students longed for an interactive, culturally responsive, and cognitively challenging pedagogy and that immediate senses of community or positive returns might be more beneficial than imagined community.

Author

• Yi Ping Huang, National Chengchi University