The AHP analysis on Quality Evaluation oriented to Bilingual Teaching Practices

Abstract. A number of studies show that bilingual education in private universities is worth studying in recent years, but its feasibility causes many debates at the same time which students are not as superior in both English proficiency and expertise as what we have expected.However, it is undeniable that teaching process of teachers becomes significant influence on students’ learning results. In my research I focus on the comprehensive view and procedures of teaching and set up the index system for evaluation of bilingual teaching process from teachers’ perspective. In addition, I calculate the weighted value of each index at each level by using the root method, and determine the key success factors which affecting the quality of bilingual teaching process. Lastly, taking Oxbridge college as an example, I try to study what types of factors that constitutes conditions and limitations for a successful effect for bilingual teaching and to propose the solutions for improving and self-supervising in bilingual teaching process.

Keywords: Bilingual teaching, Teaching process, Analytic Hierarchy Process, Key Success Factors

1. Introduction

The charm of bilingual education in private university usually represents as the attraction to recruit new students, thus the conversations are always about the effective teaching of bilingual teachers or students’ effective learning in a classroom.

Effective teaching is identified as an integrated process which is hardly divided into a series of steps. Occasionally, learning occurs through an unconscious shift in mental perspective, and sometimes it’s acquired only after a long period to accomplish.[1] The teaching process, in this sense, can be separated into sequential steps.Although there are quite not consistent in views as to the detailed steps, different researchers during the large practices are saying basically the same thing: the teaching process can be described as the four sequential processes, that planning and preparation, communication and application, class exercise, and self-refection.[2]

Among the existing research, much concern is relied on theoretical research according to the problems and solutions in the bilingual teaching as well as the factors for evaluating the quality of bilingual teaching. However, studies of quality evaluation system oriented to bilingual teaching process is not much, especially from the perspective of teachers and even less, there are many needs to fill in the blank spots.

2. Comprehensive evaluation index system and weight

The four steps reflected the academic spirit in the bilingual teaching process which is both scientific and practical. As mentioned above, this study will set up the index system for evaluation of bilingual teachingprocess from teachers’ perspective, namely to study the bilingual teacher’s instruction or performance in curriculum-embedded classroom in private universities.

2.1 Establishing the comprehensive evaluation index system

In this paper, I synthesize the previous researches, through the investigation about 231 bilingual teachers and administrators from 20 private colleges and universities in Yunnan province, and obtain the bilingual teaching process evaluation index system which mainly targets at bilingual teachers in private universities.

Firstly, I compile the initial questionnaire through literature search and analysis, openended questionnaires, interviews and collect questionnaires entries, to acquire 64 indexes in total, of which there are 26 important ones.

Secondly, in order to acquire important indexes which can truly affect the bilingual teaching process, I draw up the questionnaire, 《Comprehensive Evaluation index system oriented to Bilingual Teaching Process》which is based on the conclusion of open questionnaire and former studies. This questionnaire includes 4 second class index and 39 third class index which can comprehensively estimate the quality of teaching process.

Thirdly, this investigation altogether provides questionnaire 232, the actual recovery of 215copies, of which 210 valid questionnaires, for an effective questionnaire returns-ratio is 90.52%.

Lastly, according to statistical analysis about the 39 third class index listed in the questionnaire, there are 15 third class index has been remained and among them. Each index and the hierarchy are shown in Table 1.

2.2 Weight definition of the comprehensive evaluation index

With the comprehensive evaluation index system, I build the following judgment matrix based on consulting and grading from 12 bilingual teaching experts in private universities.

According to the index system B＝（B1，B2，B3，B4）T ,

the weighted values of P is：

WB＝（WB1，WB2，WB3，WB4）T＝（0.484，0.229，0.080，0.207）T， we can calculate the maximum eigenvalue λmax and consistency index CI of the judging matrix AB, then running the software AHP we can get that:

λmax＝4.034，CI＝0.011，RI＝0.900，CR=0.012，CR

So it passes the consistency test.

Similarly,

WB1＝（WC11,WC12,WC13,WC14）T＝（0.463,0.210,0.090,0.237）T，

λmax＝5.004，CI＝0.001，RI＝1.120，CR=0.001，CR

passing the consistency test.

WB2＝（WC21，WC22，WC23）T＝（0.286，0.571，0.143）T，

λmax＝3.000，CI＝0.000，RI＝0.580，CR=0.000，CR

passing the consistency test.

WB3＝（WC31，WC32，WC33，WC34）T＝（0.086，0.265，0.142，0.506）T，

λmax＝4.021，CI＝0.007，RI＝0.900，CR=0.008，CR

passing the consistency test.

WB4＝（WC41，WC42, WC43）T＝（0.540,0.297,0.163）T，

λmax＝3.009，CI＝0.005，RI＝0.580，CR=0.009，CR

passing the consistency test.

Next, I calculate the weighted value of each index at each level by using the root method. The weighting of each affecting factors in the quality comprehensive evaluation are shown in Table 2.

The theory of key success factors (KSF) indicates that 3-6 key factors are usually chosen out and sorted by the total weights from C to P, and the top four of the highest weights will be the key success factors. According to the results of Table 2, the top four of the highest weights are C11，C22，C14，C41, and their weighted values are 0.224，0.131，0.115，0.112. The four total weights are

∑＝0.224+0.131+0.115+0.112＝0.582＞0.5

the total weights ＞0.5

To ensure the internal-consistency of weighs of the key success factors, the weights are normalized for reducing the inequality, thus improving the accuracy of data selection. Particular way is: multiplying each weight by 1/0.582 to make all of them add up to 1.

C11＝0.3849，C22＝0.2251，C41＝0.1976，C42＝0.1924。

Through analysis we can see that C11 selecting instructional goals or objectives, C22 combining specialist knowledge with English expressions, C14 preparation for means, C41correct answer rate are key success factors which affecting the quality of bilingual teaching process. Meanwhile, C12 designing coherent instruction, C21 teaching methods, C42 students’ initiative, C13 preparation for facilities are the significant factors worth for concern as well.

3. Empirical analysis for Oxbridge College

Oxbridge College, KUST, a college with great reputation of bilingual education in Yunnan province. However, courses of bilingual education here is limited to the economics and management subjects basedon the characteristics of the major. And teachers of bilingual education are all novices whose average ages are under 35, with 1 to 3 years teaching experience, but it is encouraging that the novices are the main force to promote bilingual education and to make a significant influence on the quality of bilingual teaching process.

According to the mark statistics of final examination of 《International Marketing》，involving 201 junior students from 4 classes of marketing and logistics management major, the results are shown below (Table 3):

According to the marks of the examination, the percentage of students who get the excellent marks is 12.9%, and the percentage of good ones is 34.3%, then sum total of the both percentage and get the excellent and good rate is 47.2%. Meanwhile, the vast majorities are concentrated between 70-90, with the proportion of 61%, and it indicates most students can master the knowledge well. Moreover, it should be noted that there are 8.5% of the students failed in the exam, among them, the lowest marks is only 21, and it shows that for the individual student who is weak in English, the bilingual education does not work as well as what educators have expected.

A questionnaire for one of the 4 classes (45 students), suggesting that 53% of students’ score is over 425, that’s moderate level; 78% of the students agree that it is necessary to implement the bilingual education; 63% of the students acknowledge that they has reached a good teaching effect in bilingual education; 72% of the students regard the bilingual education helps them to improve their professional English level, but also discovered that due to lack of basic English skills, some students who present the antagonistic feeling from bilingual education insist that what is unfair to them is that their weak English imped the learning and understanding of the domain expertise.

4. Solution

Based on the Comprehensive Evaluation index system oriented to Bilingual Teaching Process (Table2) and the four key success factors affecting the quality of bilingual teaching process, we thus could draw a solution as the focus, namely to propose the solutions for improving and self-supervising in bilingual teaching process.

Firstly, at the beginning of a class, the bilingual teacher are supposed to write down both overall and staged targets and making certain that they flow in a logical sequence from beginning to end. During the class, teachers are obliged to illustrate the key points which should be highlighted, also to demonstrate the difficulties which should be mastered. More importantly, bilingual teachers are supposed toadjust the language proportion with the proceeding of the class and speak more Chinese the mother tongue in accordance with students’ response.

Secondly, there’s no doubt bilingual teachers should make use of the multi-media teaching and network technique well. During the bilingual teaching process, I mainly observe that case or introduction of some successful enterprise as a sort of supplementary teaching means can stimulate students' learning interest and improve teaching quality. The audio, video, and image have offered abundant and colorful teaching means for bilingual education, which have promoted the quality of bilingual teaching process in private universities.

Thirdly, to improve students’ speaking skills, bilingual teacher should develop verbal responded questions and organize in-class debates. Not only that, teachers should give some effective guidance and hints when encouraging students to answer the question in English just like the key words, key points, significant sentence structure etc.

Fourthly, it is urgently required that the teacher’s training program should be carried out at least twice a year, which is, however, not always the case in private universities such as Oxbridge college, which holds only once, by convention, at the end of each year, which is definitely lag behind the public universities.

Also, the bilingual education program in private universities should be stuck to with a series of scientific and rational evaluation and incentive systems as guarantee. According to the《Regulation of Bilingual Education of Oxbridge Collage, KUST》，the specific grading and requirement are defined as follows (Table 4):

For the aim of encouraging teachers to develop the bilingual curriculums, an incentive system for bilingual teaching according to rating is tentatively implemented, which on the basis of the original salary level, add: A 40RMB/class hour, B 30 RMB /class hour, C 20 RMB /class hour.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, integrating the comprehensive evaluation index system and the solutions for improving and self-supervising in bilingual teaching process, we should gradually explore a practical way to improve the bilingual education in private universities. Though, of course, it is not an easy job to optimize the whole process of bilingual teaching in a short time. Among the weaknesses contributing to this general issue, teacher’s training program takes the priority.

In addition, a suggestion has great significancethat when the assessment of teaching process in programmed, bilingual teachers should be valued in a separate way from subject teachers, and the feasibility of which, however, needs the further investigation.

6. Acknowledgement

The task is part of the research on Effectivity of the Practices in Bilingual Teachingin Yunnan’s Universities: The project of philosophy and social sciences, science Education Project Planning of Yunnan Province 2014.

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