| The purpose of this study investigated language pedagogy, instruction, and curriculum within two indigenous schools located in Taiwan through the perspectives of two indigenous teachers. This study also explored the perspectives and the actions of the students on indigenous language use of home, school, and community, the indigenous language, and indigenous language class.; Data collection of this study involved four techniques: (1) classroom observations, (2) interviews, (3) a survey, and (4) site documents that were collected at both schools. Data were analyzed to address the following six research questions: (1) What are the teachers' goals of indigenous language instruction and curriculum? (2) How do the teachers select and design the indigenous language curriculum? (3) How do the teachers teach indigenous language instruction in their classes? (4) How do the teachers evaluate their students' progress in indigenous language instruction and curriculum? (5) What do the teachers think the impact of indigenous language instruction has made upon the home, the school and the community? (6) How do the teachers integrate culturally relevant components into their indigenous language instruction and curriculum?; The analysis of the data revealed 25 major patterns from the six research questions from the perspectives of the teachers that are described next. First, teachers Carnal and Hayung hoped that their students could learn the indigenous language and develop their ethnic pride and self-esteem through indigenous language class. Second, both teachers discussed the teaching content with their students before class began; they selected culturally relevant content; they designed various teaching content according to their students' grade levels. Third, both teachers used several effective methods: involving the community members, incorporating the indigenous language and culture into other subject areas, storytelling, integrating students' real-life experience, playing language games, and providing visual aides to their indigenous language instruction and curriculum. Fourth, both teachers used traditional and non-traditional evaluations to examine their students' progress in learning the indigenous language. Fifth, speaking more indigenous language, having positive attitude toward indigenous language class, and making more efforts to renew the indigenous language and culture were three major impacts indigenous language instruction had made upon the home, the school, and the community. Sixth, both teachers were found to be culturally relevant. In addition, one of the significant findings from the perspectives of the students that were related to the indigenous language class revealed that the indigenous students at those two indigenous schools had positive attitudes toward their indigenous languages and indigenous language class. |
