Language Education Policies in Taiwan Since the 1980s: Ideological Shifts and Curriculum Changes

This chapter examines Taiwan’s language education policy from 1980 to 2023, focusing on its development, implementation, significance, and the ideological debates involved. Utilizing document analysis (Cardno, Educational administration: Theory and practice 24:623–640, 2018), the study reviews policies such as the DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL LANGUAGES ACT and various educational guidelines and textbooks. Taiwan’s language education policies, influenced by government ideology, have seen significant revisions in school curricula, particularly in the inclusion of diverse languages. Since 1993, the primary school curriculum, initially centered on Mandarin, has expanded to include native languages, Taiwanese sign language, and native languages of new immigrants by 2021. English education, prioritized for economic reasons, was introduced in elementary schools in 2000. Overall, Taiwan’s language education policy has evolved from Mandarin unification to embracing linguistic diversity (Tsao, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 20:328–375, 1999) and enhancing English education, shaped by the political landscape and government priorities.