本研究主要目的為探究使用英文繪本教導台灣國小四年紀學童多元文化是否能提升學童對多元文化的學習興趣與認知之成效。師生與生生互動式之課堂討論為本研究主要採取之教學方式。此外，本研究亦探討學童對於以英文繪本學習多元文化活動的看法。本研究之英文課程屬於新北市某一國小的課外活動課程，故學生能夠依照個人意願自由參與。其中，十二位來自該國小不同班級的四年級學生自願加入本課堂活動。本教學實驗由研究者親自授課，學生每週上課次數兩次，每次50分鐘，整體教學活動為期共18週。本研究所採用的教材為三本英文繪本，繪本內容分別描述義大利文化、印度文化及美國文化，所使用的研究工具包含作為前測、後測及第二次後測使用的測驗單、課堂教學觀察記錄單、教師省思記錄單、問卷、以及訪談。所有參與本研究的學童於每一次不同的主題文化教學活動進行前都必須接受前測，且於該主題文化教學活動結束後接受後測，並於三個主題文化的教學活動結束後要求填寫問卷，並進行一對一訪談。研究結果顯示使用英文繪本教導多元文化能顯著提升學童的學習興趣及對多元文化的認識。學童對於以繪本學習多元文化的活動產生很大的興趣並表示願意進階學習不同文化。未來研究可朝向擴大研究對象範圍、增加更多教學時數、使用更多不同之多元文化作品、利用更多確實的相關網路資源以及可採納不同的教學方式作為未來多元文化之教學。最後，本研究期望為教育當局、英語教材設計及編輯者及英文教師，帶來一些啟示。本研究所得的結論如下，運用英文繪本教導多元文化是一種能夠提升學生理解，及學習興趣之有價值的教學活動，應在以英文為外語的國小學習環境中推廣。

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using English picture books to teach multiculturalism on promoting EFL fourth graders’ learning interests, recognition and attitudes toward multicultural learning in Taiwan. Multicultural teaching with discussion-based instruction was used as a teaching method in this study. Furthermore, students’ perspectives toward multicultural teaching activities through English picture books were also examined. The English class focused on the school extracurricular activities and the students could join the class according to their wish. Twelve fourth-grade elementary school students from New Taipei City were willing to join the class. Based on the three targeted cultures, i.e., Italian culture, Indian culture and American culture, three English picture books were used as the teaching materials. The participants received the cultural instruction twice a week for one semester and it took 50 minutes each time. The instruments used in this study included worksheets used as the pretests, the posttests, and the second posttests, in-class observation sheets, reflection journals, a questionnaire and an interview guide. All of the twelve participants were required to take the pretests, and the posttests after the multicultural teaching activities of each targeted culture. After the tests were completed, all of the participants were required to fill out a questionnaire and interviewed individually by the teacher-researcher. The findings of the current study revealed that using English picture books to teach multiculturalism can significantly enhance students’ learning interests and promote recognition toward cultures. Moreover, students showed great interests in English multicultural literature teaching activities and expressed positive willingness for further and advanced multicultural learning. Furthermore, the suggestions of wider subject selection, longer period for the teaching activities, more various cultural topics used for future studies, more authentic on-line resources provided for multicultural teaching activities, and different teaching methods or activities implemented are all valuable to be taken into consideration in further research. Finally, the findings of this study provided implications for education authorities, EFL teaching material designers and editors, and English teachers. In conclusion, multicultural teaching with English picture books is a valuable activity to enhance students’ understanding and learning interests on multiculturalism and should be widely promoted in the elementary EFL classrooms.

References

Albright, L.K. (2002). Bringing to ice maiden to life: Engaging adolescents in
learning through picture book read-alouds in content area. Journal of Adolescent
& Adult Literacy, 45(5), 418-428.
Anati. N. (2010). Teaching through the conflict. In J. Alsup (Ed.), Young adult
literature and adolescent identity across cultures and classrooms: Contexts for theliterary lives of teens. New York: Routledge.
Alsup, J. (2010). Identification, actualization, or education: Why read YAL (Young
Adult Literature)? In J. Alsup (Ed.), Young adult literature and adolescent identity across cultures and classrooms: Contexts for the literary lives of teens. New York: Routledge.
Athanases, S. (1998). Diverse learners, diverse texts: Exploring identity and
difference through literary encounters. Journal of Literacy Research, 30(2),
273-296.
Bailey, K. M. (1992). The processes of innovation in language teacher development:
what, why and how teachers change. In J. Flowerdew, M. Brock, & S. Hsia (Eds.), Perspectives on second language teacher education. Hong Kong: City Polytechnic of Hong Kong, 253-282.
Bainbridge, J. M., Panteleo, S., & Ellis, M. (1999). Multicultural picture books:
Perspectives from Canada. The Social Studies, 183-188.
Banks, J. A. (1994). Introduction to multicultural education. Boston: Allyn and
Bacon.
Banks, J. A. (2004).Multicultural education: Characteristics and goals. In J. A. Banks,
& C. A. M. Banks (Eds.), Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.
Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. A. M. (1993). Multicultural education: Issues and
perspectives. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. A. M. (2004). Multicultural education: Issues and
perspectives. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.
Barry, N. H., & Lechner, J. V. (1995). Pre-service teachers’ attitudes about and
awareness of multicultural teaching and learning. Teaching & Teacher Education, 11(2), 149- 161.
Beach, R. (1995). Constructing cultural models through response to literature. English
Journal, 84(6), 87-94.
Beghetto, R. (2007). Does creativity have a place in classroom discussions?
Prospective teachers’ response preferences. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 2, 1-9
Bennett, C. I. (2007). Comprehensive multicultural education: Theory and practice.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Borko, H., Jacobs, J., Eiteljorg, E., Pittman, M. (2008). Video as a tool for fostering
productive discussions in mathematics professional development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 417-436.
Boud, D. (2000). Sustainable assessment: Rethinking assessment for the learning
society. Studies in Continuing Education, 22(2), 151-167.
Bredo, E. (1994). Reconstructing educational psychology: Situated cognition and
Deweyain pragmatism. Educational Psychologiest, 29(1), 23-25.
Brown, J. D. (2012). The alternatives in language assessment. TESOL Quarterly,
32(4), 653-675.
Butler, J. (1996). Multiculturalism and children literature. Reading Today, 13(3), 7-8.
Butt, K. L., & Pahnos, M. L. (1995).Why we need a multicultural focus on our school.
The Journal of Physical Education, 66, 33-42.
Cadima, J., Leal, T., & Burchinal, M. (2010). The quality of teacher-student
interactions: Associations with first graders’ academic and behavioral students.
Journal of School Psychology, 48, 457-482.
Carrell, P.L. (1983). Some issues in studying the role of schemata, or background knowledge, in second language comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 1, 81-92.
Chang, I. S. (2009). An English teacher’s beliefs and practices about classroom
interaction and questioning: A case study. Master’s Thesis. National Cheng Chi
University.
Chang, J. L. (2012). The study of implementing multicultural picture books into
elementary school teaching practicing. Master’s Thesis. Tung Hai University.
Chen, S. L. (2009). Research on the multicultural literacy and multicultural teaching
practice of the elementary school teachers- multiple-cases study in Northern
Taiwan. Master’s Thesis. National Chung Cheng University.
Chen, C. S. (2011). The effects of picture books on cultural knowledge and English
learning attitude of elementary school students. Master’s Thesis. National
Taipei University of Education.
Cheng, C. W. (2006). A study of the teaching of holiday culture across different
grade Levels in English class in municipal elementary schools in Taipei City.
Master’s Thesis. National Taipei University of Education.
Cullinan, B. E., & Galda, L. (1994). Literature and the child. Orlando: Harcourt Brace
& Company.
Cumming, D. (2006). Letters from around the world: India. London: Cherrytree Books.
Diamond, B. J., & Moore, M. A. (1995). Multicultural literacy: Minoring the reality
of the classroom. New York: Longman.
Dillon, J. T. (1984). Research on questioning and discussion. Educational Leadership,
42(3), 51-56.
Dinham, S. (2008). Powerful teacher feedback. Synergy, 6(2), 35-38.
Dixon, J., Egendoerfer, L., & Clements, T. (2009). Do they really need to raise their
hands? Challenging a traditional social norm in a second grade mathematics
classroom. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25, 1067-1076.
Down, F. S. (1992). Evaluating children’s books portraying Native American and Asians cultures. Childhood Education, 68(4), 219-224.
Dunnett, S. C., Dubin, F., & Lezberg, A. (1986). English language teaching from an
intercultural perspective. In J. M. Valdes (Ed.), Culture bound: bridging the cultural gap in language teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Farris, P., & Fuhler, C. (1994). Developing social studies concepts through picture
books. The Reading Teacher, 47, 380-387.
Fink, L. D. (2003). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning.
(Online) retrieved 4 August, 2012, from
http://www.byu.edu/fc/pages/tchlrnpages/Fink/Fink_Article.doc
Frederick, E. (2004). Culture in society and in educational practices. In J. A. Banks, &
C. A. M. Banks (Eds.), Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.
Gardiner, H, & Kosmitzki, C. (2005). Lives across cultures: Cross-cultural human
development. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Gay, G. (1994). At the essence of learning: Multicultural education. West Lafayette:
IN: Kappa Delta Pi.
Ghosn, K. I. (2002). Four good reasons to use literature in primary school. ELT
Journal, 56(2), 172-178.
Gollnick, D. M., & Chinn. P. C. (1990). Multicultural education in a pluralistic
society. New York: Merrill.
Grabe, M., & Christopherson, K. (2008). Optional student use of online lecture
resources: Resource preferences, performance and lecture attendance. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 1, 1-10.
Graham, M. J. (2000). A picture (book) is worth a thousand words (ERIC Document
Reproduction Service No. ED450343).
Greetz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. New York: Basic Books.
Gronlund, N. E. (1998). Assessment of Student Achievement. MA: Allyn & Bacon
Publishing.
Hani, M. (2009). Picture book biographies for young children: A way to teach multiple perspectives. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37, 219-227.
Harold, W. (2000). How teaching matters: Bringing the classroom back into
discussions of teacher quality (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.
ED447128).
Harris, T. L., & Hodges, R. E. (1981). A dictionary of reading and related terms.
Newark: International Reading Association.
Higgins, J. J. (2002). Multicultural children’s literature: Creating and applying an
evaluation tool in response to the needs of urban educators. New Horizons for
Learning (Online) retrieved 4 August, 2012, from
www.newhorizons.org/strategies/multicultural/higgins.htm./
Hillard, L. L. (1995). Teaching reading. The Reading Teacher, 48(8), 728-730.
Hsu, Y. H. (2007). A study of elementary school teachers' multicultural teaching
beliefs and multicultural teaching effectiveness in Taoyuan. Master’s Thesis. National Taipei University of Education.
Huck, C., Helpler, S., & Hickman, J. (1987). Children’s literature in the elementary
school. Forth Worth: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Kanuka, H., Rourke, L., &Laflamme, E. (2007). The influence of instructional
methods on the quality of online discussion. British Journal and Educational
Technology, 38 (2), 260-271.
Krashen, S. D. (2004). The power of reading: Insights from the research. Portsmouth,
NH: Heinemann.
Kuo, G. H., & Kosmitzki, C. (2005). Lives across cultures: Cross-cultural
human development. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Kuo, N. H. (2010). Depictions of Chinese Americans in young adult literature. In J.
Alsup (Ed.), Young adult literature and adolescent identity across cultures and classrooms: Contexts for the literary lives of teens. New York: Routledge.
Lado, R. (1988). Teaching English across cultures. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Ladson-Billing, G. (1995). Multicultural teacher education: research, practice, and
policy. In J. A. Banks, & C. A. M. Banks (Eds.), Handbook of research on multicultural education. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan.
Larson, B. (2000). Classroom discussion: A method of instruction and a curriculum
outcome. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16(5), 661-677.
Lier, L. (1988). The classroom and the language learner. London: Longman House.
Lin, P. Y. (2011). Teacher questioning and classroom participation in two Taiwanese
junior high school English classrooms. Master’s Thesis. National Chung Cheng
University.
Lin, S. C. (2011). “Let multicultural stories be told ”-An action research of
multicultural teaching using the New Taipei City’s Immigrants multicultural
picture books in lower grade. Master’s Thesis. National Taipei University of
Education.
Loftin, C. (2010). Classroom participation: A student perspective. Teaching and
Learning in Nursing, 5, 119-124.
Lonigan, C.J. (1994). Reading to preschoolers exposed: Is the emperor really naked?
Developmental Review, 14, 303-323.
Lu, Y. W. (2010). Interaction, motivation, and effect. Master’s Thesis. Ming Chuan
University.
Lynch-Brown, C., & Tomlison, C. M. (1993). Essentials of children’s literature.
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Lyster, R. (1998). Recasts, repetition, and ambiguity in L2 classroom discourse.
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 20, 51-81.
Margaret, A. (1995). The Effect of Multicultural Links on Reading and Writing
Performance and Cultural Awareness of Fourth and Fifth Graders. Computers in Human Behavior, 11(3-4), 391-410.
Martin, K. J. (2010). Student attitudes and the teaching and learning of race, culture
and politics. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 530-539.
McGuire, R. L. (1996). Multiculturalism in children’s picture books: An analysis of
insider vs. outsider texts. Journal of Children’s Literature, 22(1), 22-27.
Mckay, S. (1982). Literature in the ESL classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 16(4), 529-536.
Mendoza, J., & Reese, D. (2001). Examining multicultural picture books for the early
childhood classroom: Possibilities and pitfalls. Early Childhood, 3(2), 1-38.
Mohr, K., & Mohr, E. (2007). Extending English-language learners’ classroom
interactions using the Response Protocol. International Reading Association, 440-450.
Morey, A. I., & Kitano, M. (1997). Multicultural course of transformation in higher
education: A broader truth. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Morgan, H. (2009). Picture book biographies for young children: A way to teach
multiple perspectives. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37, 219-227.
Morrow, L. M., & Brittan, R. (2003). The nature of storybook reading in the
elementary school: Current practices. In A. V. Kleek, S.A. Stahl, & E.B. Bauer
(Eds.), On reading books to children: Parents and teachers. Mahwah, NJ:
Erlbaum.
Naimat, G. (2011). Influence of teacher-student interactions on EFL reading
comprehension. European Journal of Social Sciences, 23(4), 672-687.
Nell, V. (1988). Lost in a book: The psychology of reading or pleasure. New Heaven: Yale University Press.
Nickerson, R. S. (1999). Enhancing creativity. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of
human creativity. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Noorizah, N., Idris, A., Rosniah, M. Teo, S. (2010). Teacher’s verbal feedback on
students’ response: A Malaysian ESL classroom discourse analysis. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 7(C), 398-405.
Overbaugh, R. (1995). The efficacy of interactive video for teaching basic classroom management skills to pre-service teacher. Computers in Human Behavior, 11(3-4), 511-527.
Parker, W. C. (2009). Social studies in elementary education. Upper Saddler River,
NJ: Pearson.
Parker, W., & Hess, D. (2001). Teaching with for discussion. Teaching and Teacher
Education, 17, 273-289.
Penfield, J. (1987). ESL: The regular classroom teachers’ perspective. TESOL
Quarterly, 21, 21-39.
Peterson, P. L. (1988). Teachers' and students' cognitional knowledge for classroom
teaching and learning. Educational Researcher, 17, 5-14
Ripski, M., Locasale-Crouch, J., & Decker, L. (2011). Pre-service teachers:
Dispositional traits, emotional states, and quality of teacher-student interactions.
Teacher Education Quarterly, Spring, 77-96.
Robinson, G. L. (1985). Crosscultural understanding. New York: Pergamon Press.
Rohaty, M. M, & Salasiah, H., & Elis, J. H. S. (2011). Cultural awareness among
preschool teachers in Selangor, Malaysia. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 1573-1579.
Root, M. P. (1996). The multiracial experience. London: Sage.
Rosenblatt, L.M. (1995). Literature as exploration. New York: Modern Language Association of America.
Rovai, A. (2001). Online and traditional assessments: What is the difference? Internet and Higher Education, 3, 141-151.
Seeyle, H. N. (1993). Teaching culture: Strategies for intercultural communication.
New York: McGraw-Hill
Senker, C. (2007). Letters around the world: The USA. London: Cherrytree Books.
Shade, B., & New, C. (1993). Cultural influences on learning: Teaching implications.
In J. A. Banks, & C. A. M. Banks (Eds.), Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Shih, S. C. (2012). Learning Interest, Teacher Motivational Style, Classroom
Learning Climate, and Learning Engagement of Junior High Students. Master’s Thesis. Da-Yeh University.
Shikagi, I., & Smith, S. (1997). A cultural sharing model: American buddies for
international studies. International Education Journal, 27(1), 5-21.
Singer, J. Y., & Smith, S. A. (2003). The potential of multicultural literature:
Changing understanding of self and others. Multiple Perspectives, 5(2), 17-23.
Smyth, J. (1992). Teachers’ work and the politics of reflection. American Educational
Research Journal, 29(2), 267-300.
Steele, J. (2006). Acknowledging diversity in the classroom. In L. Darling-Hammond,
J. C. French, & S. P. Garcia-Lopez (Eds.), Learning to teach for social justice. New York: Teachers College.
Stephen, C. D., Fraida, D., Amy, L.(1986). English language teaching from an
intercultural perspective. J. M. Valdes (Ed.), Culture bound: bridging the
cultural gap in language teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Sternberg, R. J., & Grigorenko, E. L. (2004). Successful intelligence in the classroom,
Theory into Practice, 43, 274-280.
Strasser, J., & Seplocha, H. (2007). Using picture books to support young children’s
literacy. Childhood Education, 83, 219-224.
Swe, K., & Fisher, D. (2003). Teacher-student Interactions in science classroom in
Brunei. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 38(2), 21-28.
Tankard, F. (2003). Letters from around the world: Italy. London: Cherrytree Books.
Taxel, J. (1995). Cultural politics and writing for young people. In S. Lehr (Ed.), Battling dragons: Issues and controversy in children’s literature. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Temple, C. A., & Martine, M., Yokota, J., & Naylor, A. (1998). Children’s books in children’s hands: An introduction to their literature. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Thompson, M. K. (2001). A sea of good intentions: Native Americans in books for children. Lion and the Unicorn, 25(3), 353-374.
Thurmond, V., & Wambach, K. (2004). Understanding interaction in distance
education. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance
Learning, 16(6), 169-180.
Torres, M. M. (1998). Understanding the multiracial experience through children’s
literature: A protocol. Doctoral Dissertation. The California School of
Professional Phychology.
Wade, R. C. (2000). Service‐learning for multicultural teaching competency: Insights from the literature for teacher educators. Equity & Excellence in Education, 33 (3), 21-29.
Wagner, E. D. (1994). In support of a functional definition of interaction. The
American Journal of Distance Education, 8(2), 6-8.
Woodward, H. (1998). Reflective journals and portfolios: Learning through assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 23(4), 415-423.
Wyels, C. (2012). Engaging students via in-class worksheets. Channel Islands: Mathematical Association of America Network.
Yu, J. I. (2007). A descriptive study of teaching culture to junior high school
students in EFL classroom. Master’s Thesis. National Yun Lin University of
Science and Technology.