The Benefits of PASSION Modules on Language Learning for Rural Students: A Case Study of English Language Teaching

I. Introduction

A truly equitable and equitable education is not about all students achieving the same results, but about the opportunity for all students to reach their full learning potential and acquire essential knowledge and skills, regardless of their socio-economic background (OECD, 2023). However, the global socioeconomic status (SES) achievement gap has widened over the past 50 years, especially in countries with rapid increases in school enrolmentChmielewski, 2019）。 The data show that students from disadvantaged and traditionally marginalized groups tend to perform poorly in academic achievement and have higher college dropout rates compared to their general or privileged counterparts (Li & Carroll, 2020; Mpofu, 2015; Vignoles & Powdthavee, 2009）。 These factors stemming from socio-economic status, ethnicity, and social class exclude the career development benefits that students derive from education, leading to exacerbated social inequalities.

Globally, rural areas have a higher chance of falling behind in learning achievement due to objective factors such as politics, economy, and transportation (Bonilla-Mejía et al., 2024; Echazarra & Radinger, 2019; Hartman, 2022; Thomson et al., 2010）。 Although rural teachers are an important strategic asset to shorten the gap in learning achievement, they cannot play a role due to many factors (Burhan et al, 2024). It is more difficult for rural schools to recruit full-time teachers than in urban schools (McKenzie et al., 2014; Nguyen, 2020), and the turnover rate of teachers in rural areas is high (McKenzie et al., 2014; Sharplin, 2014; Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019）。 Rural schools are often taught by new, junior teachers (McKenzie et al., 2014; Panizzon et al., 2009; White et al., 2019; Yan & Li, 2024）。 Due to the small number of posts in schools in general, it is easier to develop broad responsibilities (Parson et al., 2016; Sun &Shi, 2024), such as taking on administrative roles and teaching multiple subjects, makes it difficult for teachers not only to prepare lessons, but also to have high-quality professional support for teaching. It is not easy to form a good community with a small number of teachers in rural areas, and the quality of teaching can be continuously improved through a good co-establishment mechanism.

Another factor influencing the low academic performance of rural students is the lack of motivation to learn (Hardré et al., 2007; Hsu, 2020; Hsu & Chen, 2007）。 Taking English as an example, studies have shown that students in rural schools tend to show lower motivation and lower academic achievement than in urban areas (Lamb et al., 2012). Many students who do not achieve low English proficiency have had unpleasant learning experiences in primary school and feel rejected from learning English (Hu &Hsu, 2000). In the regular classes at the junior high school level, insufficient prior knowledge often leads to learning frustration. Negative emotions that follow, such as anxiety, lack of motivation, or resistance, may accompany their subsequent English learning (e.g., Arnold &Brown, 1999; Dörnyei, 2009）。

Although a number of studies have been established in the past, most of these studies have been conducted for ESL learners (August et al., 2009; August et al., 2014; Amendum et al., 2018; Baker et al., 2016; Calhoon et al., 2007; James, 2014; Linan-Thompson, 2003; McElvain, 2010; Olson et al., 2017; Proctor et al., 2007) or for EFL learners at the college or high school level (Eno, 2019; Ghaithi & Behforouz, 2023; Tawalbeh & Ismail, 2014; Othman & Shuqair, 2013; Siddiqui & Alghamdi, 2017; Zarei & Yasami, 2016), these learners have a long history of accumulating and practicing learning, and the learning content is not suitable for beginner EFL students who rarely use English in their daily lives. When EFL learners lack sufficient learning experience, they are prone to frustration when faced with difficult learning content, which in turn reduces their learning motivation, which is the main challenge of English remedial teaching. In order to effectively remedy EFL beginners, students should be able to diagnose their initial learning ability, and according to the diagnosis results, provide adaptive teaching materials corresponding to their abilities, and assist students with low achievement to make up for their backward progress and smoothly transition back to the learning content of the standard of that year.

On the other hand, in order to assist rural teachers in their unique challenges, various strategies have been adopted by national education units, most commonly through the adaptation of teacher development curricula (HREOC, 2000; White & Kline, 2012) to help teachers train students to be competent in rural education. However, it is limited to providing a framework of knowledge and experience to help rural teachers adapt, and does not involve the provision of systematic on-the-ground teaching resources to ensure quality teaching and learning and alleviate the gap in student achievement. The OECD has organized support measures under the theme of "Overcoming School Failures", arguing that teachers should also be supported in many aspects of teaching and learning, including the use of data and data, the provision of professional learning opportunities, teachers' joint planning of time, and the reduction of school and class sizes (Faubert, 2012).

At present, there is a growing body of research concerned about the gap in learning achievement and teacher professional development in rural areas. To sum up, this study intends to introduce a long-term teaching support system - PASSION teaching module in rural education, and provide teachers with a set of comprehensive support for integrated assessment tools, teaching materials and teaching methods, and teacher training courses, discipline exchanges and other support measures. This study will take English learning as an example to examine the impact of the PASSION teaching module after a three-year field implementation. This study adopted a mixed study to collect two quantitative data, one is to track the progress of English proficiency (vocabulary, grammar and sentence patterns, reading comprehension, listening comprehension) of rural students over a long period of time, in order to test whether the remedial teaching in this study can significantly improve the performance of the participating students in the four English proficiency domains, and the other is to collect the participating students' performance compared with the previous classFor school-age students, the proportion of students who need to be strengthened to test whether they have participated in the English language examination will be lower than that of the previous class of students of the school. In terms of qualitative information, this study will provide an in-depth understanding of the feelings and perceptions of the administrators, teachers and students of the participating schools through individual interviews. These qualitative interview data can be cross-referenced with quantitative findings to provide a more comprehensive perspective on the effectiveness of the curriculum and its actual impact on students' English language proficiency.

II. Literature review

1. Learning achievements in rural areas and non-rural areas

The achievement gap, which is prevalent in education across the globe, is defined as the difference in standardized achievement test scores between different types of students (Ladson-Billings, 2006). ）。 In previous studies, most of the causes of the gap were attributed to socioeconomic status, geographical location, family situation (educational literacy, income, single-parent family, etc.), student behavior motivation, school teaching situation (teaching resources, curriculum selection, teacher quality, dropout situation), etc., but the researchers also pointed out that some traditional and stereotypical observation indicators and causes may not be in line with the real picture of the continuous change of learning achievement gap, and a wider range of factors should be observed at different levels (such as countries, continents, regions, schools, etc.) Lee, 2002）。 Sung et al.(2014) recalled that in the past in United States, Europe, Asia and other countries, education leaders tried to reduce the learning achievement gap through different education policies and programs, but most of them could only prevent the gap from widening, it was difficult to actively narrow the gap, and it was even difficult to evaluate its effectiveness, so it called for educational decision-making based on scientific evidence (Pressley et al., 2004). ）。

Students in rural areas are more likely to have a gap in learning achievement, and the phenomenon of learning achievement gap between urban and rural areas is widespread worldwide (Bonilla-mejía, 2024; Echazarra & Thomas, 2019; Thomson, 2011）。 The 2015 PISA results show that in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, urban students perform higher than rural students31 points, in certain countries such as Bulgaria, China (Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Guangdong), Portugal, etc., the gap is even as high as 80 points. There are also significant differences in educational expectations, with on average, about half of urban school students in OECD countries expect to complete at least a university degree, compared to only 30% of rural school students (Echazarra & Thomas, 2019). ）。 For the formation of the learning achievement gap between urban and rural areas, the main factors from students' school learning experience are 1Teacher mobility (McKenzie et al., 2014; Sharplin, 2014; Zhou, 2015； Zhu et al., 2020）、2.Students are not motivated enough to learn (Awang et al., 2021; Hardré & Reeve, 2003; Hardré, 2008; Kingsford-Smith et al., 2024), and 3The complexities and challenges of implementing differentiated instruction (Smit et al., 2015) (Nawab &Baig, 201; Chouari, 2016）。

2. The gap between English learning achievements in rural areas and non-rural areas

Compared to other subjects, the EFL achievement gap is a more sensitive reflection of inequalities in learning resources between students from different backgrounds. In many fast-developing countries around the world (e.g., Indonesia, Mexico, China, India, etc.), due to geographical location and socio-economic factors, it is not easy to develop a high-quality language learning environment in rural areas, and it is easy for teachers and students in urban areas to learn significantly better than teachers and students in rural areas (Khan et al., 2019). This gap in second language learning achievement will have a profound impact on students' subsequent job search and career development.

Similarly, in Taiwan, it was found that students in rural areas were chronically disadvantaged by their family's socio-economic status and educational resources, and there was a serious bimodal phenomenon (Zhang Wuchang et al., 2004; Chien, 2012）。 Whether in a particular county or city, or even within a class, there is a large gap between students with high and low English proficiency. This may stem from the fact that children are placed by their parents at an early age to receive high-quality tutoring or tutoring. In addition, the proportion of students who do not meet the school-age standard in rural areas is higher than that in urban areas. In terms of the results of the national and junior high school examinations, the proportion of English subjects in the 2022 national secondary school education examination in Taiwan that needs to be strengthened (C grade) is 27.83%, while the national high schools in remote areas of Taitung and Hualien need to be strengthened (Cgrades) to 44% and 52% respectively (National Certificate of Education Examination, 2022). In the school context, the gap in English learning achievement can be attributed to the following reasons:

(1) Shortage of English teachers and limited professional development

In 2018, Taiwan promoted the overall promotion plan of the 2030 bilingual policy (Taiwan Executive Yuan, 2018), according to which bilingual courses were added in schools at all levels, regardless of rural areas or metropolitan areas, to improve the bilingual ability of local students as a whole. As this policy requires a large number of bilingual teachers, the existing manpower dilemma of rural schools is highlighted, and the local governments in rural areas have also increased the number of cross-regional teachersto temporarily alleviate the shortage of teachers. Due to the lack of transportation, local English teachers lack sufficient professional development opportunities to receive timely training on the latest teaching methods or resources. These factors can lead to the quality of teaching not being comparable to that of teachers in metropolitan areas and limiting students' progress in learning English. However, compared with students in urban areas, rural students are more dependent on teachers (Ho, 2022), so how to introduce appropriate systematic support for rural schools to assist in the support system for understaffed, unlicensed, and multidisciplinary teachers to provide quality courses and enhance students' learning engagement is a topic that cannot be delayed at the moment.

(2) Students' motivation for learning English is low

Some studies attribute insufficient English proficiency to low motivation to learn. Motivation for second language learning is seen as the force that pushes learners towards their ideal self (Dörnyei, 2005), and its formation is influenced by the social environment. Many studies also show that the motivation of students in rural areas to learn a second language is significantly lower than that of students in metropolitan areas (Almansour, 2022; Lamb, 2012）。 Gardner et al. (1997) pointed out that learners' foreign language achievement and non-cognitive variables (e.g., foreign language anxiety, self-confidence) are closely related. That said, when low-achieving students often lag behind their peers and lack a sense of fulfillment, they may become more frustrated and unmotivated in class. This vicious cycle, accompanied by knowledge gaps, reluctance to participate, and lack of motivation, can gradually lead to achievement gaps in the language classroom.

Nevertheless, relevant studies have also found that positive learning experience is a powerful factor in improving the learning behavior of rural students. Lamb (2012) found that positive perceptions of English learning experiences were the strongest predictors of learning behaviour and second language proficiency for both rural and metro students. Similarly, in the rural areas of Taiwan, Chang et al(2023) found that teachers' evaluative support was the most relevant predictor of three factors affecting English learning motivation: value, emotion, and willingness to perform. Furthermore, Tsang (2021) explores the complex and dynamic relationship between motivation and expected effort in primary school students' foreign language English learning. Tseng employs a qualitative research approach to understand how social factors, learning experiences, and motivational self-systems influence how hard students work to learn English. The study found that participants' learning experiences play a critical and complex role in moderating expected effort, so the authors suggest that teachers should create learning experiences and opportunities that motivate students.

There is a lack of differentiated English teaching for rural students

In addition to the rural-urban and rural areas, the bimodal phenomenon also tends to exist within the classroom, dealing with mixed-ability students, so teachers must be able to use effective differentiated teaching strategies, such as: Cooperative learning and peer mentoring in heterogeneous groups (Hsu & Chen, 2007). In addition, due to the high proportion of students in rural areas who need to be strengthened, teachers need to have remedial teaching knowledge that is different from conventional teaching (Chen &Yu, 2016). However, when on-site teachers lack teaching experience, it often leads to the failure of students' needs-centered teaching plans to be properly developed, which directly affects students' learning outcomes.

3. Taiwan EFL remedial teaching problems

In terms of school-wide remedial instruction programs, the challenge of the bimodal phenomenon is often met with learning support programmes to help disadvantaged students rebuild their foundations (National and Early Childhood Education Administration, Ministry of Education, 2022). Although the overall learning support system is well planned, there are still limitations in dealing with the gap in English as a foreign language achievement of students in rural areas (as mentioned above).

(1) There is a lack of systematic teaching materials that connect "pinyin, vocabulary and grammatical sentence patterns".

Existing studies or lesson plans still focus on single language skills, focusing on pinyin (Zhang, 2017) and vocabulary (Fisser et al., 2013; Hung et al., 2015) or grammar (Lo et al., 2004), there is a lack of textbooks that systematically connect "pinyin, vocabulary and grammatical sentence patterns". However, in the process of language comprehension, there are interactions and synergies between different skills. For example, good phonics skills help to fluently extract the pronunciation of words (Ehri et al., 2001), while vocabulary automation frees up more cognitive resources to focus on the grammatical structure of sentences (Dekeyser, 1997). ）。 Although there is solid evidence of the interaction between pinyin, vocabulary and syntax in language comprehension and development (e.g., French & Brien, 2008; Jeon & Yamashita, 2014), but these findings are still rarely applied to the development of teaching materials. Therefore, if the English learning materials can be systematically arranged and concatenated with pinyin, vocabulary and grammatical sentence patterns, students can first become proficient in relevant vocabulary and sentencesThe phonics method, combined with the practice of the target grammar and sentence patterns, will help to maximize the development of students' basic English skills in the limited classroom time.

(2) Lack of classroom activities to enhance language engagement.

Despite advances in technology, computer-assisted modalities have been shown to increase students' engagement in language learning (e.g., Lo et al., 2004), but they are not a substitute for the influence of social interactions. Studies have shown that there is a strong and direct correlation between EFL teachers' use of motivational teaching strategies in the classroom and students' motivational behaviors in the classroom (Hsu, 2020), and that group work activities can promote learning outcomes (Hung et al., 2015). According to the "language engagement with anguage model" (Svalberg, 2018), conscious knowledge about language is constructed at the cognitive, affective and social levels ( conscious knowledge about language) is an important factor in the development of L2. Although learner engagement is beginning to receive more attention in L2 research, there appears to be a lack of research in the existing literature on applied language engagement for low-achieving students (Svalberg & Askham, 2020).

(3) There are no supporting diagnostic tools to provide teachers with teaching materials for accurate education.

For example, students in the fifth grade are only in the third grade, and the lack of prior knowledge often leads to learning setbacks. At present, diagnostic tests in the Learning Support Program can be used to determine whether students should participate in remedial courses and to assess whether students are progressing, but they are still unable to accurately recommend appropriate teaching materials to improve the efficiency of teacher preparation and learning effectiveness, which can increase the chances of students gaining a successful learning experience.

(4) Lack of systematic bottom-up teacher support and resources.

Under the government-imposed learning support program, teachers can decide how to implement the curriculum based on their professional experience. However, the differences between urban education and rural education are not taken into account in the curriculum design of the current curriculum design of various teacher training universities (Ho Junqing, 2020). Many of the underqualified, cross-regional, and unlicensed teachers serving rural schools have a need to be empowered to support them under heavy workloads (Hsu &Chen, 2007). to maintain high-quality remedial teaching and continuing professional development. On the other hand, Taiwan education institutions hold various teacher workshops, but the transportation consumes a lot of time, which greatly hinders teachers' willingness to participate.

References, research methods

1. Participants

(1) Student participants

The subjects of this study are students from three rural middle schools in Hualien, Taiwan, who enrolled in September 2020 and graduated in June 2023, with a total of 53 students (30 boys) from the three schools20 (12 boys) from school A and 8 (3 boys) from school B25 students from School C (15 boys). Within two months of enrollment, students participate in the English Diagnostic Test (DCEC, see below), and based on the results of the diagnostic test, select students who have not reached school age to participate in the implementation of the PASSION teaching module, resulting in a total of 4122 boys enrolled in the course from September 2020 to June 2023. The list of students who will participate in remedial teaching each semester will be determined based on the diagnosis of that semester. According to the classification and recognition standards for schools in remote areas revised and issued by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan in 2021, school A and school B are remote schools, and school C is a special remote school. In the 112th academic year (2023-2024), the total number of students in schools A, B, and C is 45 each , 30 students, 55 students, the proportion of aboriginal students is 46.67%, 40%, 81.82%, respectively, all three schoolsAlthough these schools are located in the plains, they are not easy to reach, and the distance between public transportation takes at least an hour, and the number of teachers is small and the transportation is inconvenient, so it is difficult to find substitute teachers, so it is difficult for teachers to leave the school to participate in the study, which in turn affects professional growth and teaching effectiveness. In addition, compared with urban students, students from rural areas generally have internal problems such as weak growth background, unfavorable family upbringing, and poor economic conditions of their parents.

(2) Teacher participants

A total of 28 teachers from the three schools participated in the course, and all of them were teachers (including regular, agent, substitute teachers, etc.) who had participated in the PASSION English course study. A total of 14 teachers have taught, 9 teachers have taught in B, and 5 teachers have taught in C.

In addition to the teachers and students who participated in the course, the principals and directors of the three rural schools in Hualien also participated in personal interviews. From 2020 to 2023, 1 interview will be conducted in the second semester of each academic year, a total of 3 interviews, with a total of 6 principals, 4 directors, 17 teachers, 51 students, a total of 98 interviews.

2. Research design

In this study, a convergent design (Creswell & Clark, 2018) was used in a hybrid approach to basic designs, which included quantification and qualitative at similar timesData collection and analysis, followed by integrated analysis. Quantitative research adopts a one-group pretest posttest design in a pre-experimental design）。 This study analysed the results of four DCEC sub-tests taken by students participating in the PASSION English course at six time points during the course period. To test whether there is a gradual upward trend in the four DCEC sub-tests (vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension and listening comprehension). The respondents who participated in the qualitative study were all principals, directors, teachers and students from three rural schools in Hualien County that implemented PASSION English teaching. In this study, grounded theory was used to collect and analyze data (Corbin & Strauss, 2007), to collect feedback on assessment tools, teaching tools, teaching effectiveness, etc., and to analyze and extract the perceptions and attitudes related to the theme. to verify the effectiveness of this study.

3. PASSION Teaching Module - Take English as an example

In order to improve the basic academic performance of low-achieving students in rural areas, this study proposed an integrated PASSION teaching module (Project of Adaptive Screening, Streaming, and Instruction for Omni-directional Nurturing), and according to the reasons for the low achievement of students in the above-mentioned rural areas and the shortcomings of the existing supporting facilities, the development of Bahasa Reading, English andThe remedial teaching module of mathematics develops teaching materials, teaching methods, diagnostic tests, and teacher development courses suitable for remedial teaching in rural schools. In this study, we will take English as an example to illustrate the key features and functions of the module after the integration, followed by the development of teaching materials, diagnostic tests and teacher development courses. Since 2016, this PASSION module has been supported by the National Education Administration of the Ministry of Education of Taiwan and funded with financial supportTaiwan Normal University has carried out R&D and application, and has so far implemented it in 65 schools.

(1) The characteristics of the PASSION teaching module

1.Develop structured English teaching materials and consistent teaching procedures

In this program, structured textbooks are developed: the content of each lesson is coherent from pinyin, basic vocabulary to grammar and sentence patterns. This kind of textbook design allows students to use the rules of words or pinyin that have already been taught in previous activities or regular lessons when learning grammar and sentence patterns, so as to support students to master various basic English skills in a step-by-step manner, and at the same time form a consistent teaching process.

2.Create teaching and learning activities that promote language engagement and mastery of learning content

In order to increase learning input, the teaching activities are student-oriented and activity-oriented, replacing the traditional teaching method of teachers, and a reward system is set up to encourage students to actively participate in activity learning. This program creates a learning environment that fosters cognitive, social, and emotional engagement (Svalberg, 2009), with four types of teaching tasks in the form of games: visual games, physical games, fast-paced games, and brain gamesFamiliarize students with prior vocabulary knowledge.

3.The learning diagnostic tool is used to assist in the screening and triage of students as the basis for adaptive teaching

In order to accurately diagnose the learning needs of rural or low-achieving students, to list students' learning blind spots, and as a reference for real-time teaching intervention, the English Language (DCEC) diagnostic test is provided, which can effectively overcome the problems of insufficient efficiency of existing assessment tools in diagnosing students' vertical ability (i.e., ability years) and insufficient accuracy in diagnosing students' horizontal ability (i.e., lack of ability in each year). This module is based on the diagnostic results as a reference for class placement to assist teachers in accurate teaching.

4.Strengthen the quality of teaching with PASSION teacher training

In view of the fact that teachers are the key to improving students' academic ability, and low-achievers have their own unique learning needs, teachers should construct appropriate teaching models according to their characteristics in class management and teaching strategies. Therefore, through the following measures: through the organization of empowerment studies, senior consultant teachers are invited to observe the classes intensively, understand the class situation on the spot, and give professional advice and teaching feedback such as teaching skills and class management in a timely manner, so as to improve the effectiveness of the classroom.

(2) Teaching methods of PASSION English textbooks

1. English textbooks

Since the English subjects of the three rural schools in Hualien use different versions of textbooks, the PASSION English textbooks are designed and edited for different versions of textbooks, so that teachers can choose and use them according to the textbook versions of their schools.

Regardless of the textbook version, the PASSION English textbook contains 8 units (Lessons) per semester, with a total of 16 units per academic year. Each unit consists of four teaching units: two simplified English conversation units, one simplified reading material unit, and one review unit, and each lesson is cycled through four units. As a result, 64 teaching units were designed for remedial teaching (64 lessons, 32 weeks) in each academic year. The learning content of each lesson is usually four to six basic vocabulary and one key grammatical sentence pattern, and the level is set to start with the basic vocabulary at the primary school level, as a bridge between the old and new learning materials in the middle school learning stage.

2. English language teaching activities

The PASSION module is based on a principled eclectic view in foreign language teaching (Larsen-Freeman, 2012), combining different foreign language teaching methods, teaching strategies and activity design, and is a standardized teaching process. Each lesson is expected to complete a teaching unit, teaching order, pinyin teaching→ teaching activities→ single word teaching→ teaching activities→ sentence pattern teaching →Teaching activities → reading simplified textbook content and corresponding translations. The learning content and corresponding activities involved in each classroom course are shown in Table X below, and the teacher can flexibly adjust the proportion of strategies according to the actual situation of students, and each task lasts for 5-10 minutes. The exact time depends on the student's mastery. The learning content includes natural pinyin, vocabulary, sentence patterns, etc. In this study, four types of games were used: visual activities, motor activities, racing activities, and brainstorming activities (see Hu et al, 2023 for details) to carry out high-density and high-engagement exercises. Through consistent and systematic teaching procedures and suggested activities, teachers' lesson preparation burden can be reduced and the quality of students' learning can be stabilized.

In terms of classroom assessment, the PASSION programme uses two types of assessments, each at two different time points, in order to promote students' sense of achievement. The first is to give immediate positive encouragement and feedback based on the established reward system. The second assessment method is to organize an exhibition of qualitative achievements in English one month before the end of each academic year. After a full year of PASSION English learning, students will be able to improve the accuracy and fluency of their English communication skills through writing and speaking exercises, and enhance their confidence in English learning by publishing their essay results.

(3) PASSION English Proficiency Diagnostic Test

In order to select and assign appropriate teaching content, the Diagnosis and Certification of English Competency (DCEC) system was used in this study. DCEC analyzes students' English proficiency performance from four aspects: vocabulary test, grammar test, listening test and reading test. All four tests are standardized and have good reliability and validity, as described in the assessment tools below.

(4) PASSION Teacher Development Support Course

1.English Language Teacher Empowerment Learning

Each teacher responsible for teaching the PASSION module receives at least one teacher empowerment study before each semester. The course instructors have rich experience in English teaching and teacher training, and are involved in the development of the PASSION teaching module. The course content includes practical and intellectual aspects, and the practical level is to be familiar with and operate PASSION English teaching materials and teaching methods (such as the above-mentioned course mode), and master the basic interpretation of diagnostic reports. The knowledge level involves the principles of classroom assessment and the design of teaching and learning activities.

2.Intensive observation class

At the end of the Teacher Empowerment Study, senior consultant teachers will be invited to conduct intensive observation classes and subject exchanges. Each teacher will conduct more than one observation class per semester. For space reasons, please refer to Appendix A for the structure of the assessment, which includes curriculum progress, class management, classroom assessment, and instructional activity design. The purpose of this assessment is to provide teachers with detailed teaching details to help them adjust their teaching strategies and class management in real time to optimize the effectiveness of remedial interventions. This feedback is given to the observed teacher immediately after the end of the class. Teachers are expected to modify their teaching methods based on feedback, while also ensuring treatment fidelity

In addition, the teachers who participated in this study and have a background in English teaching focused on whether the language learning environment was actually created, whether the students' language output was sufficient, whether the teaching activities were appropriately linked to students' language learning, and the overall teaching fluency. Teachers who participated in this study and did not have an English teaching background will also help teachers master the relevant knowledge of English learning, such as pinyin rules, in addition to the above key points.

Fourth, the assessment tool

(1) Diagnosis and Certification of English Competency (DCEC).

DCEC consists of four parts: vocabulary test, grammar test, listening test and reading test, which analyze students' English ability performance from four aspects. In addition to assisting in the screening and triage of students (mentioned above), the results of this test were also used to examine the effectiveness of English remedial teaching in this study. The validity study showed that grade 9 students had a high positive correlation with their English scores on the four tests (rs = .67). ~.79), which can accurately measure the vocabulary, grammar, listening, and reading skills of EFL learners, respectively. For spatial reasons, please refer to the essay Hu and Hu for the following instructions for the listening test, vocabulary test, grammar test, and reading testHsuU (2020) and Hu et al. (2022). 。

　　
The DCEC Listening Proficiency Test is designed to measure students' English listening comprehension ability and is developed in accordance with the "Performance Standards and Proficiency Indicators for English Listening Comprehension" in the Chinese Key Learning Area of the National Primary and Secondary School Curriculum Syllabus and the National Secondary School Student Learning Achievement Assessment Standards. The test draws on the Common European Framework of Reference for Language Learning, Teaching and Assessment (CEFR), second language proficiency theory and the comprehension concept of current international assessments such as PIRLS, PISA and NAEP。 The DCEC listening test consists of five main aspects: responding to classroom and everyday language, understanding the main idea of the topic, understanding specific or partial information, interpreting the content, and interpreting the speaker's attitude. These aspects echo the English listening comprehension standards at home and abroad to ensure the scientific and authoritative content of the test, and the test score ranges from 0-250 points.

　　
The reliability and validity of the DCEC listening ability test reached a high level in different grades. In terms of reliability, the consistency reliability of test scores was .72, .70 and .74 in grades 7 to 9, respectively, indicating that the test had good internal consistency. The correlation validity analysis showed that the correlation coefficients between the DCEC listening test scores and students' in-school English scores (converted to z-scores) were .61 and .74 in grades 7 to 9, respectivelyand.67; The correlation coefficient with the English score of the National Certificate of Education Examination is .70, indicating that the DCEC listening test can accurately reflect the English listening ability of students.

(2) Comprehensive Assessment Program for junior high school students English Assessment

The National Secondary Education Examination is an important standardized test for high school and higher vocational education in Taiwan (Chao &Sung, 2023; Chao, Sung, & Tseng, 2024), about 210,000 junior high school graduates participate each year. This test is designed to assess students' English proficiency and academic achievement, and consists of two main parts: reading and listening. The test questions are designed according to the 12-year national basic education syllabus, covering the language learning areas and English proficiency indicators in the middle school.

The design of the English test questions of the National Secondary School Education Examination strictly follows the development process of standardized tests, and a question bank for each subject has been established. These question banks have been developed through a rigorous process of question equalization to ensure that the questions are of the same difficulty and have sufficient reliability and validity for each year. The Education Examination adopts a criterion-referenced test, which presents candidates' results on three levels: A (proficient), B (basic) and C (to be strengthened). Its meaning is as follows (Center for Research and Development of Psychological and Educational Testing, National Taiwan Normal University, 2014):

　　
1. Proficient: It means that the candidate is proficient in the knowledge and ability learned in the middle school stage of the subject.

　　
2. Foundation: It means that the candidate has the basic academic ability of the subject.

　　
3. To be strengthened: Indicates that the candidate does not have the basic academic ability of the subject at the secondary level.

The use of grades instead of traditional scale scores can provide more specific information about candidates' ability performance characteristics, so that candidates can have a clearer understanding of their learning achievements (Song Yaoting, Zhou Yetai, Zeng Finland, 2014). After the examination in May every year, the standard is set by Yes/No Angoff (Tseng et al., 2015; Tseng et al., 2017), after three rounds of discussion among professionals such as university professors, junior high school teachers, and test experts, they jointly confirmed the number of cut-points/questions for each subject of the examination. The results are not only widely used to monitor students' academic performance, but also provide important feedback on the quality of teaching and learning for teachers, schools and education authorities. The questions of the annual education examination have common questions, which can be equalized according to the results of the common questions, so the results can be used to compare academic ability between different years.

5. Research process

The PASSION English course lasts for six semesters, as shown in Figure 2 below. During this period, a total of three periods (each 45 minutes) will be taught in two weeks, and the class time will be determined by the school where the class is held, and most classes will be held in the eighth and ninth periods. This study collects quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate the teaching effectiveness of teachers and students' learning after the introduction of the PASSION teaching module and long-term teacher support

(1) Six English Diagnostic Tests (DCEC), screening streams, and participation in the National Secondary Education Examination

After admission in September 2020, the first English Diagnostic Test (DCEC) will be provided to review students' English academic performance in the pre-test and screen out students who need remedial teaching. During the class teaching period of the PASSION teaching module, one English diagnostic test will be administered within one and a half months before the end of each semester until January 2023, for a total of six diagnostic test results (2020.09、2021.01、2021.06、2022.01、2022.06、2023.01）。 The first five tests were conducted in a group at the school's computer lab, and the order of the tests was fixed as a vocabulary test, a grammar test, a listening test, and a reading test, which took about 135 minutes in total (3). lessons). In particular, it should be noted that the sixth test could not be tested in the computer classroom of the school due to factors such as the replacement of equipment in the local school, and the test students could only take the test at home with mobile phones or tablets, and there was no teacher monitoring, so the quality of the test was different from the first five times. In the future, according to the test results, the Academic Affairs Office of the school will identify students who have not reached the school age standard, and they will be divided into different levels of teaching materials and methods, and receive remedial teaching for that semester. In addition to continuously tracking students' academic development and identifying students' learning blind spots, the test results also build a database of students' academic ability. Finally, the participating students will participate in the CCEE in May 2023, and the results of the CETC will be provided by three rural schools in Hualien one month after the results are announced.

(2) Qualitative data collection for the three interviews

In this study, an interview was conducted in the second semester of each academic year, using semi-structured interviews, to ask teachers and students who participated in the PASSION English course their feedback and suggestions on each part of the PASSION teaching module. Before each interview, the researcher drafts developmental questions and gives the interviewee an outline of the interview the week before the interview, giving the participants ample time to think and answer. The structure of the interview syllabus is based on the program of the PASSION teaching module, and the corresponding topics are adjusted according to the identity of the interviewees, as shown in Appendix B. Each interview lasts approximately 40 minutes, and all interviews are recorded and transcribed verbatim to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the interview materials. The interviewers were two researchers from the Center for Mental Testing of National Taiwan Normal University, who have relevant backgrounds, are familiar with the operation mode of PASSION English courses, and have experience in many individual interviews and group interviews. In each interview, the interviewer identifies the descriptions related to the PASSION teaching module and codes similar statements.

Figure 1: The time points of quantitative and qualitative data collection during the teaching intervention

IV. Research Results

1. DCEC performance

(1) Vocabulary test

Table 5 presents the results of the DCEC vocabulary test taken by students participating in the PASSION English course at six time points. It can be seen that the average score of the subjects in January 2023 was the highest in January 2023 at 70.31, and in September 2020The monthly average is 22.18; The standard deviation of 73.5 in January 2023 was the highest, indicating that this time was the most dispersed compared to the other results, in 2020The standard deviation of 11.98 in September was the lowest, indicating that this time was the most concentrated compared to other times. In January 2023, there is a maximum score of 234 points, and the minimum value of each test is 2 points. There was a significant difference in the variation analysis of DCEC vocabulary scores at six time points, F (5, 26) = 10.8, p < .001. Furthermore, the differences between the six DCEC vocabulary scores were observed by post-hoc comparison, and the results are shown in Table 5.

(2) Grammar test

Table 6 presents the results of the DCEC grammar test taken by students participating in the PASSION English course at six time points. It can be seen that the average score of the subjects was 98.18 in June 2022 and the highest in September 2020The monthly average is 50.75; The standard deviation of 66.73 in January 2023 is the highest, indicating that this time is the most dispersed relative to the other results, in 2020The standard deviation of 26.37 in September was the lowest, indicating that the score was the most concentrated relative to the other grades. There is a maximum of 229 points in January 2023, except for 2021-01The minimum score for each test outside of the month is 0. There was a significant difference in the variation analysis of DCEC grammatical scores at six time points, F (5, 26) = 5.72, p < .001. The results of further post-hoc comparisons are shown in Table 6.

(3) Listening test

Table 7 presents the results of the DCEC listening test taken by students participating in the PASSION English course at six time points. It can be seen that the average score of the subjects was the highest in 06/2022 (122.79) in 09/2020The lowest monthly average of 69.03; The standard deviation of 76.07 in January 2023 is the highest, indicating that this time is the most dispersed compared to other results, in 2020The standard deviation of 25.35 in September was the lowest, indicating that the score was the most concentrated relative to the other grades. In January 2023 there is a maximum of 248 points and in June 2021 there is a minimum of 0Divide. There was a significant difference in the variation analysis of DCEC hearing scores at six time points, F (5, 26) = 8.17, p < .001. The results of further post-hoc comparisons are shown in Table 7.

(4) Reading test

Table 8 presents the results of the DCEC Reading Test taken by students participating in the PASSION English course at six time points. It can be seen that the average score of the subjects was 108.79 in June 2022 and 09 in 2020The monthly average is 45.42; The standard deviation of 73 was the highest in January 2022, indicating that this time was the most dispersed relative to the other results, in 2020The standard deviation of 26.94 was the lowest in September 09, indicating that this time was the most concentrated compared to other times. It has a maximum of 236 points in January 2023 and a minimum in January 20236 points. There was a significant difference in the variation analysis of DCEC reading scores at six time points, F (5, 26) = 9.01, p < .001. The results of further post-hoc comparisons are shown in Table 8.

2. Performance in the National Secondary School Education Examination

Table 9 presents the results of the participating schools in 2022 and 2023, with 55% of the students in school A to be strengthened in 2023 Significantly lower than the proportion of people to be strengthened in 2022 (89%), ^χ2 = 4.14, p <. 05； In School B, there is no significant difference between the proportion of 63% of students to be strengthened in 2023 and the proportion of 80% of students to be strengthened in 2022χ² = 0.17，p = .68； In School C, there is no significant difference between the proportion of 80% of students to be strengthened in 2023 and the proportion of 90% of students to be strengthened in 2022χ² = 0.37，p = .54； Based on the results of the three schools, the proportion of students to be strengthened in 2023 is 68%, which is significantly lower than the proportion of students to be strengthened in 2022, which is 87%, χ ² = 5.29，p < .05。

Table 9 The results of the English Language Examination of the three schools in 2022 and 2023

3. The results of qualitative interviews between teachers and students

Through the grounded theory approach of Corbin and Strauss (2007), the qualitative interview data of this study were analyzed. The analysis process of spindle coding and selection coding finally establishes five core categories, which are described as follows:

1. Accurate diagnostic tools, play the function of teaching class, and can grasp the current situation of students' ability".

The PASSION English Teaching module provides a high-efficiency diagnostic tool with the characteristics of vertical diagnosis, which can play the function of teaching classes in a timely manner. For example, a teacher from School A (2023/5/29) said, "I think that if I have the ability to divide classes, they will not be so different in class, and then they will be more able to interact with each other when explaining or practicing." In addition, this diagnostic test combines computer aptitude test technology to provide the most appropriate question function according to the test taker's answers, i.e. the director of school C (2021/4/28). "I think this system is very detailed, because doesn't it adjust the questions according to the students' answers? Therefore, some people will do a lot of questions, that is, they must measure their most real level, then I think this is quite good"; The director of School C (2023/6/27) mentioned in the interview that the test results are effective in assisting the follow-up differentiated teaching, he said, "The diagnosis is that if the teacher can know where his point is in advance, then I can let itIf he runs faster, then I can make a better difference, then I just need to focus on the students who are lagging behind, and then improve their strength, and as for those who are good, because the teaching materials are very rich and rich, we can let him keep running."

2. Simple and systematic teaching materials, teachers can quickly familiarize themselves with teaching procedures and teaching methods, reduce the burden of lesson preparation for teachers with shallow qualifications and cross domains, and improve teaching effectiveness."

Due to the frequent turnover of teachers in rural areas, teachers often encounter difficulties in recruiting teachers, and after many recruitments, the hired teachers often do not have qualified teaching certificates, or even do not have expertise in the field of recruitment. For example, the principal of School A (2023/6/28) said, "There are actually two parts to the empowerment part, one is that the existing teachers already know how to enter the classIn the part of going to class, the second one for new teachers will be more one, that is, to make sure that even if they are not undergraduates, but when they make arrangements for some similar subjects, they will be able to grasp some brief points, but there will be a little time for them to digest. Another example is the director of school A (2023/6/26), who said, "Because PASSION will let non-undergraduate students teach, but how to teach, then I really am." I think it's right, at the beginning, we can increase our ability to study and give the teacher some weapons, and then the teacher can implement this thing, let them do that and learn like this, and then they can apply this teaching method to their own teaching, because it must be like this, so that we can carry out differentiated teaching in groups, and we can also let non-undergraduate students or even people from outside the school come in and we teach like this." The teacher of School B (2023/4/19) also said: "Because the first one is empowerment learning, even if a new teacher comes, he actually knows how to operate, and then he also uses this in the classroom, a fixed model, and students can be familiar with it, so it will notBecause it is said that the turnover rate is high when the teacher is changed, it is possible, you know, the new teacher is too, and the class is also like this."

In addition to systematic teaching procedures, simplified teaching materials and corresponding teaching aids, such as picture cards, can reduce the burden of lesson preparation for teachers in rural areas, and then give full play to the effectiveness of teaching. For example, the principal of school A (2023/6/28) said: "He actually provided the teacher with a simplified teaching material, and then looked at the learning status of the teacher and students, and made a fine-tuning, but in fact, he didn't fine-tune too much, probably to that extent, that secondIt's because of this simplified textbook that teachers can do it under the professional framework, which actually saves a lot of effort." The director of School C (2023/6/27) also said, "The teacher's part, it seems that because you provide these teaching materials, they don't need to spend a long time to prepare for the preparation of the lessonThey are very easy to learn, and the students seem to like it, because after all, it is a remedy, so it is not more difficult, and the children seem to be happy to learn, which is a better direction I think we see in our school." Teacher 1 of School C (2021/4/13) mentioned that the teaching materials and teaching methods can effectively improve the quality of the curriculum and reduce the burden, he said"The characteristics of the textbook, I think the textbook is a tool, the focus is on the design of the lesson plan, your lesson plan design is actually full of fun to learn, because there will be games to drive, then I think the students are still enjoying this part, that is, they are interested in learning English. And then for the textbook, because you have that flash card, and I think that flash card is very easy to use, that is, you can read the text, and then you can also use that image mnemonics, so I think this part is quite good, because if we have to prepare it ourselves, it will take a lot of time." In addition, Teacher 2 of School C (2023/5/6) shared his observations on how teaching materials can improve learning effectiveness, saying, "When we were doing this in Section 8, we were doing thisAt PASSION, I think that students with low achievements are more daring to answer, or it may be because there are fewer classmates, so there are more opportunities for them, and then this topic is also simple, so if the teacher who takes this textbook actually applies the content provided on it, just follow this step, I think students with low achievements can at least complete it80%, and then the low-achieving student is also more likely to become more accomplished in the eighth lesson, and then the other way around, it's in the general class, and he will know more and say, "Hey, this part of the teacher has talked about in the eighth period, so he may be more impressed, maybe he can't answer after the general lesson, but at least he can keep up."

3. "A highly motivating and activity-based teaching method can enhance students' participation, motivation and effectiveness in learning".

The PASSION English teaching module combines a large number of activities design, uses appropriate teaching aids, and leads rural teachers to implement it in the classroom through teacher empowerment study, which greatly improves students' learning motivation and effectiveness. For example, Teacher 1 of School B (2021/4/19) said, "I think it is very useful to use the teaching methods that I have learned in the Empowerment Study. And then there's the game, because the students just like to play it, and they don't get tired of it." The teacher also pointed out that the activity can attract students' attention and trigger participation, he said"The mode of operation of the class, the pattern is more clear, and then, I think for the students, the fixed way of teaching, they are more familiar with it, and then they don't feel that it is said very quickly, this is a difficult thing, because I know that the teacher is like this, he plays games and then words and sentences like this, and then they can have a sense of accomplishment! It's just from playing a game, and then it's simple, clear and clear to teach the class." Another example is that Teacher 2 of School B (2023/5/29) pointed out his observations on students"At least in this grounded course, the student is very active in participating in these activities, and then reciting words and practicing this sentence pattern, and he doesn't see that he has given up. Yes, I think that's at least that, I think it's more gratifying to pull, if you don't see it, I don't know what their grades are, but at least I will see them, and I still want to be happy to learn in English class. In addition, Teacher 1 of School A (2023/5/29) said that teaching style will also have an impact on students' learning strategies, and mentioned in the interview, "I think it myselfThe picture card is very easy to use, because children, like when we first practiced that word, children will rely on that picture card. Even they're quite accustomed to using that picture card to review words at the beginning of class."

Students who participated in the course also said that the gamification and activity-based classroom format can not only increase the level of participation, but also improve the learning motivation, and even take the initiative to learn English words in order to gain an advantage in the game, such as student 1 of school C (2023/5/30)."They all teach in a game-based way, so they don't have a dull atmosphere and don't want to sleep. If we put the PASSION class method into the normal class mode, more people will want to listen to it, and they will no longer sleep on their stomachs." ； Student 2 of School C (2023/5/30) also said, "The English teacher will bring some...…There are certain games that just say you want to...…Pick the word card and read it out in English, then spell it,....…Loved it,....…It just doesn't make the English course so rigid, it's fun." Students' memories of the classroom show that the learning environment created motivates them to engage in language learning. For example, Student 3 of School C (5/30/2023) said, "The teacher will print the handouts for us, um... It's handouts, it's grammar, and then the teacher will teach words in one or two classes, and then start practicing grammar, sometimes playing games, etc…It is a paper filled in Chinese or English words....…It's fun when there is a back. ……It's that sometimes I play games because ......When you play games, you will want to memorize words, because you will play if you have memorized; If you don't memorize it, you won't play"; Student 1 (2022/6/17) also said, "I like the grammar part the most because the teacher uses word cards and some games to let us learn grammar. Let us know more clearly how to memorize the grammar of English"; Student 2 (2022/6/17): "There will be some games to play in the PASSION class. The word game is to have a lot of words, and then you have to find out that there are many letters and spell that word."

4. "Friendly and supportive observation classes that can point out teaching blind spots and provide personalized teaching suggestions".

Due to factors such as a small number of teachers and inconvenient transportation, rural schools often have only one teacher for a single subject, which is not only difficult to form a teacher community, but also easy to fall into the blind spot of their own teaching. The PASSION English Teaching module provides observation support to help improve the quality of teaching and promote the professional development of teachers in rural areas, such as in School A2023/6/28) mentioned in the interview: "The most valuable and closest to the scene of this system of Taiwan Normal University is the matter of class observation and class discussion, because we do not use the so-called mechanism called inspection or inspection, or the mechanism of visit to enter the school. Rather, it makes us feel that when the teachers of these observation classes are about to come to the scene, the teachers can directly know where I can make some adjustments at the first time, and it is a very friendly system. ……I think this is the most helpful ...... for teachers, especially teachers in rural areas, when we have only one teacher in a subject, especially when we need such resourcesHe will not only have the teaching materials, the teaching materials must be taught by someone to accompany them, this is in response to the lecture observation just mentioned, that is, the introduction at the same time, so that the teaching materials can complement each other, know how the teaching materials can be taught correctly, this matter is actually for us, in fact, it has a great impact, and the situation of rural primary schools is particularly helpful"; Director A of School C (2023/6/27) made an observation of the teacher's help in the observation class, saying"And after they come in, they are happy to share any problems with us, and they are really meticulous in their observations, including talking to the teacher after the class observation, they can understand who is better and who is worse in this class, where the teacher's focus is, and what can be improved"; In addition, Teacher 1 of School C (2021/4/13) who was observed said "Because we will have blind spots in class, we will not know whether the student is suitable for your current teaching method, sometimes the order of the class, just rely on a teacher who is present, the method of managing order at that time, whether it is suitable or not, you may not know, if the teacher is watching from behind, then he can tell you afterwards, how your class should be managed, and then your class method, whether the student has any way to adapt or absorb, in fact, he can see it very clearly from the side, And then for this part, teaching methods, class management and give suggestions in this part, then I think it is very useful to make adjustments later."

5. "Comprehensive teaching modules and support models bring a sense of accomplishment to teachers and students in rural areas".

The long-term and perfect teaching support system has a very positive help for the teaching development of rural schools. For example, the director of school A (2023/6/26) said, "The whole diagnosis and analysis of the students, and the teacher's general education, for example, will send senior teachers or principals to the school to observe the lesson, and then the lesson observation is completedI really think it's for a lot of students in that country, and in these three aspects, they are very low in learning and have no sense of achievement, because this plan gives them a sense of accomplishment and a sense of achievement. 」。 In addition, he also affirmed the long-term effect of model introduction remedial teaching: "The teaching method of PASSION in the eighth section has also been working for many years, and then the teacher is how to give to students of different levels, this has actually been influencing, and then I think the past three years are counted, and this year's result is a very good one, one for us A." The school, and also to give the University of Normal Education an incentive", and mentioned the substantial support for frontline teachers' teaching: "PASSION is a system that will provide a lot of support, because I really feel that the teachers in the countryside are really tired, and then honestly I invite them to the eighth session, and it is also a thousand please, please, please But I also know that teachers are very tired, but I think PASSION is a support for teachers, we teachers are very tired, but rural students need such a plan, in order to support their learning, so it is the lesser of two evils, then we have a lot of teaching resources for teachers, so that you will not be at a loss, you have to do everything yourself".； Another example is the director of school B, A (2024/6/5), who said, "Actually, if I go outside and have a conversation with other school directors, I will recommend PASSIONBecause I think this system will take care of the teacher, and then the part of the study in the front will take care of the teacher, and the latter part will also take care of the teacher, and the teacher will be able to teach, which will of course be very helpful to the students."

V. Discussion

Teacher turnover and low learning motivation in rural areas are the main reasons for the achievement gap of rural students. In order to solve this problem, this study introduced a long-term teaching support system for rural schools, namely the PASSION teaching module (English as an example), to test whether the system is effective enough to promote teachers' professional growth, improve students' learning effectiveness and motivation, and improve the overall quality of English teaching from the perspective of academic ability diagnosis, provision of adaptive teaching materials, and support for teachers' professional growth.

In order to test the impact of the PASSION teaching module, a convergent design was adopted in this study. The main results showed that during the three-year intervention of the PASSION English teaching module, the scores of the six vocabulary tests and the scores of the first five grammar tests, listening tests and reading tests showed an upward trend. In addition, compared with the proportion of students to be strengthened in the previous National Secondary School Education Examination, the proportion of students to be strengthened in the three participating schools in this study was found to be significantly reduced. According to the observations and feelings of different interview participants on the implementation of the plan, it can be summarized into five themes (core categories): Diagnostic tools to help differentiated teaching, teachers quickly grasp systematic teaching materials, students are willing to participate in classroom activities, teachers get personalized feedback from observing and discussing classes, teachers and students get a sense of achievement, This result supports the implementation of the program. From the interviews between the executive and the teachers, it was revealed that they were aware of the substantial help brought by the Teacher Development Programme (Observation and Discussion Lesson), such as reducing the burden of lesson preparation; The results can be quantified by the students' interviews showing their love and dedication to learning through activity-based courses.

This study has two contributions to the field of remedial teaching in English: First, the previous established programs were usually limited to specific aspects, such as helping pre-service teachers adapt to teacher training programs in rural schools (White & Kline, 2012). ), teaching strategies to help develop learners' specific language skills (Zhang, 2017; Hung et al., 2015; Lo et al. 2004), developing cognitive or learning strategies (Abu-Rabia, 2013; Tawalbeh & Ismail, 2014), and the creation of gamified environments to enhance learning motivation (Fisser et al., 2013; Hung et al., 2015; Liao et al., 2024）。 Although these programs demonstrate the key aspects of English remedial teaching, they do not comprehensively address the problem of low academic performance of students in rural areas. Therefore, this study created an integrated PASSION teaching module to complement the shortcomings of previous solutions, linking diagnostic tests, teaching materials and teacher teaching support courses, and introduced them into schoolsThe effectiveness of the learning support programme in improving students' English proficiency was confirmed in this study.

Second, previous studies of remedial EFL teaching with primary and secondary school students (school-aged) often had limited teaching time. This study is the first three-year longitudinal teaching study to test the effect of long-term and systematic remedial teaching programs in rural schoolsReference value, so the proposed PASSION teaching module can be used as a reference model for practitioners, researchers, curriculum designers and policy makers. The proposed remediation plan can serve as a reference model for practitioners, researchers, curriculum designers, and policymakers.

Based on the results, this study puts forward the following specific suggestions for narrowing the gap in teaching achievement in rural areas:

　　
1. The introduction of a long-term teaching support system for rural areas is a necessary and effective measure: rural schools are limited by socio-economic, geographical and other factors, resulting in a lack of resources, although in recent years because of the implementation of the regulations on the development of school education in remote areas, there have been specific improvements in hardware equipment, but the lack of human resources, especially professional teachers, and subsequent logistical teaching support, etc., is also quite insufficient. If we can ensure that rural schools can obtain long-term support from relevant teaching and professional resources, the quality of rural education will be significantly improved.

　　
2. Systematic teaching materials can improve the dilemma of high turnover rate of teachers in rural areas: It is difficult for teachers in rural areas to stay in rural areas for a long time to teach due to factors such as personal career development and planning, so considering the current situation of high teacher turnover, if systematic teaching materials and teaching methods can be provided, so that every new teacher, regardless of seniority, unlicensed or interdisciplinary skills, can quickly get started, and also reduce the performance of students due to factors such as teacher style and textbook changes, which affect learning effectiveness.

　　
3. Accurate and effective academic ability database can assist in the planning and implementation of teaching strategies: The academic ability diagnosis system used in this study can quickly, effectively and accurately grasp the current situation of students' academic ability, and can provide corresponding teaching strategies according to students' academic performance, including screening and triage, providing adaptive teaching, etc. It will help to fundamentally improve the academic effectiveness of students.

While the evidence provided in this study is reliable, there are some limitations. First of all, because this study adopts a one-group pretest posttest design, it is susceptible to sample loss and temporary accidents. Future researchers could consider adding a control group and comparing the post-test performance of students who received the PASSION module significantly better than those who did not receive the PASSION module. Second, this study did not measure and compare students' motivational variables, such as their motivation and engagement. Further research can use appropriate tools to measure motivational variables and conduct a coherent examination of the causal relationship between EFL students' English academic performance and motivation.