CLIL experiences in secondary and tertiary education

← 6 | 7 →

DO COYLE

University of Aberdeen

Introduction

Research into Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and related contexts where language medium learning is being developed, has exponentially increased throughout the last decade as integrated approaches to learning become increasingly established and adapted across a wide range of contexts. Whilst a specific emphasis on content or language has been developed according to the demands of contextual variables, nonetheless the complexities of integrating both content learning – which may range from thematic studies to subject disciplines – and language learning – which takes into account the increasingly multilingual nature of learners – are emerging. Indeed the challenges of creating and sustaining high quality ‘climates for learning’ across all sectors of education are demanding urgent attention to be paid to monitoring classroom practices over a longer period of time. Moreover greater involvement of all key stakeholders needs to be taken into account if the nature and impact of integrated learning is to be more widely understood.

Thus, as CLIL research enters a more ‘confident’ and mature phase of development, issues are emerging from a broader range of more longitudinal studies, drawing on a wider range of fields of inquiry and using more empirical data which indicate the challenges ahead. Further studies are also being conducted which gather rich qualitative data from key stakeholders to inform practices and pedagogic understanding.

It is against this backdrop that this volume clearly documenting research into CLIL and EMI (English-medium instruction) settings in specific regions of Spain is welcome and timely. A range of researchers rise to the challenge of providing deeper understanding and interpretations of key issues in ways which enable readers – whatever their context – to ← 7 | 8 → adapt the approaches and ideas to inform their own practices. The nature of integration underpins each chapter and each study in creative, relevant ways at different levels. Bringing together educationalists, linguists and subject specialists provides a shared context for surfacing deeply held beliefs and providing clearer pathways for closer understanding and adaptations to define, refine and support integrated learning. Moreover, integrating theoretical perspectives and research methods is also a feature of the volume which not only informs classroom practices but also goes further into the motivations which operationalize and underpin current drives towards internationalization in universities. The studies in each of the eight chapters in the volume are usefully built on an in-depth critical review of research in the field which enables the reader to carefully position the research and the challenging questions posed.

The volume is divided into two parts: the first focuses on secondary education in CLIL contexts; the second explores university settings. Each chapter presents research studies which pose challenging questions and provide readers with suggestions and possibilities for exploring these challenges further in other contexts dealing with: the level of subject matter learning; in-depth attitudinal data from a range of teachers in one school towards the challenges of developing CLIL; integrating co-operative learning principles into CLIL environments; the impact of more technology-enabled classroom environments on the motivation of learners.

In Chapter one, Villar focuses on the increasing concern that less attention has been paid to monitoring the level and quality of subject learning in CLIL classrooms. Indeed one of the most complex challenges facing CLIL teachers is how to achieve a balance between conceptual development and linguistic competence whilst ensuring that integration leads to enhanced learning. Drawing on evidence selected from over twelve empirical studies across Europe, in the majority of cases (11/12) the impact on subject attainment, when learning through the medium of another language, is either neutral or positive in comparison with non-CLIL experiences. Villar usefully identifies three key drivers which need to be addressed across different contexts if effective subject learning is to be sustained: conceptualisation, cooperation and professional development. The first takes into account the specificities of a given ← 8 | 9 → context which influence planning and assessment as well as the goals and outcomes of a CLIL programme, based on a shared understanding of pedagogic approaches. The second requires greater collaboration between subject teachers and language teachers to achieve a balance and create or source appropriate materials and tasks. The third underlines the importance of professional learning and teacher development making more explicit the underlying principles for integrating language-orientation and conceptual development.

In Chapter 2, Martinez provides a window into the attitudes and perceptions of stakeholders in one secondary high school in a monolingual region of Spain over a period of three years. ‘Bridging the gap’ between scientific and ‘real world’ classroom experiences, the qualitative study tracks changes in teacher attitudes as the CLIL experience develops in the case study school. Insights into the motivating factors or otherwise of nine teachers and their head teacher (school manager) are documented through discussions based on end-of-year reflections. Three key focussed prompts are used to guide the discussions: identification of the benefits and strengths of CLIL, analysis of the needs, concerns and difficulties faced, and suggestions for ways to improve. The study refreshingly puts teacher motivation at the core if CLIL is to be sustained and notes that potential shifts in motivation over time, as in this case, need not only to be monitored but to be addressed. This case study provides a very clear example of how developing and supporting a CLIL professional community at individual school level is essential for sustaining high quality CLIL classrooms.

Sierra’s investigation into co-operative project work in CLIL in Chapter 3 involves building on what is known about different pedagogic approaches by bringing them together to inform practices in one state high school. With an emphasis on co-operative learning principles and drawing on alternative pedagogic approaches including content-based instruction, task-based learning and teaching and project work, an in-depth study into the effects of interactive learning on learner motivation in a CLIL context is analysed. Incorporating the overarching principles of co-operative learning including both formative and summative assessment, an approach to learning is evaluated to discover how tasks designed to promote participation and integrate the development of cognitive and ← 9 | 10 → linguistic skills, can support learner independence and personal growth in such a way as to impact on the motivation of the participants. Focussing on one specific subject area (Music) and using data gathered through questionnaires, 443 student evaluations of their CLIL experience were collated. The results confirm that students enjoyed participating in co-operative project work and felt motivated by the challenges it posed. The study provides details of much needed alternative approaches to peer and teacher assessment and the negotiation required between teachers and learners to create appropriate conditions for co-operative learning including learner strategies and teacher scaffolding. In essence the study maps out the transition from transmission to transformative pedagogic approaches which carry with them challenges and changes in classroom practices by both teachers and learners. The detail of the study provides a useful template for how other teacher/researchers can ‘dig deep’ into individual school contexts in a supportive and motivating way.

The apparent disconnect between the assumed digital identity of our learners and their learning experiences in school are investigated in the context of a ‘weak’ CLIL setting. Using a distinction between ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ CLIL along a continuum from emphasising subject matter to prioritising language development, weak CLIL environments focus on developing language competence through thematic studies. It is against this backdrop that Kopinska’s two year longitudinal study in Chapter 4 investigates the impact of a more technology-oriented approach to CLIL on learner motivation in one high school using Dörnyei’s Motivation Self System. Tracking the shift of an EFL class towards a CLIL approach with 147 students through questionnaires, the study revealed that greater use of technology (e.g. web searches to develop information gathering skills, blogs for writing skills and PowerPoints for oral presentations) in addition to the more usual writing of essays, had a positive impact on the learners. However, this positive attitude diminished over time as would be expected once the novelty effect wanes. It was also noted that the L2 experience in a more CLIL-based approach appeared to influence ‘ideal self’ whilst focussing on the ‘ought to’ self. Overall there was a positive reporting of CLIL offering more opportunities for interactive pedagogies where technologies were integrated to support the development of a range of both language skills and learner strategies. ← 10 | 11 →

There is an acknowledged paucity of research into CLIL/EMI challenges in tertiary contexts. Yet as the drive towards internationalization constantly requires more universities to be providing alternative languages as the medium of instruction, the impact this has on the quality of learning and the appropriate pedagogies to be adopted remains hidden. The focus in Part two of the volume which highlights current research into CLIL/EMI settings in universities, provides an imperative context for discussion and a much needed trigger for further study. Each chapter provides examples of approaches to research with practical tools which can be used and adapted by practitioners to inform their practices anywhere highlight: issues of teacher motivation relating to the move towards internationalization in universities which implicate under-researched and ‘hidden’ changes to pedagogies; self-evaluation tools for enhancing the quality of teacher education programmes based on professional learning communities; the ‘how’ and the ‘what’ of pedagogic imperatives seeking to enhance CLIL programmes; and finally a critical review of translanguaging.

Doiz and Lasagabaster bring into the open the pressures on university staff to embrace the internationalization agenda across their programmes which has resulted in a rapid increase in EMI across many European countries. Whilst studies into university teacher attitudes to these changes are well documented, there has been little research into the motivation of teachers to implement EMI courses. Building on an in-depth analysis of the construct of motivation and adaptations of Kubanyiova’s Language Teacher Motivational Self, the study in Chapter 5 creates an analytical framework EMI Teacher Motivational Self to investigate the nature of EMI as a motivational drive to sustain and develop change over a period of time. This qualitative study involved 13 university teachers working on a range of EMI programmes in three departments – engineering, economics and communication. Data were collected through discussion groups. The focus of the discussions centred on unravelling the EMI teachers’ own motivations driven by ‘ideal’ and ‘ought to’ self and the experience of teaching EMI programmes. The key emergent drivers in this study are identified as vision, challenge, personal investment, expectations, feared consequences, teacher experience, EMI students and the role of the institution. When matching ← 11 | 12 → these against Dörnyei et al.’s five Directed Motivational Current components (vision, salient and facilitative structures, participant ownership, and perceived behaviour control), the study notes that these drivers also fully satisfy four of the five components and partially satisfy the other two. Hence in studying the interaction of EMI and teacher motivation, the study concludes overwhelmingly that the ‘ideal self’ is central to how teachers are motivated to embrace new developments and that EMI can be seen as a driver for potential sustained change.