Symposium 3: Content and Language Integrated Learning

Many studies show positive correlations between content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and the learning of English as a foreign language. However, findings from CLIL research in Sweden do not match those obtained elsewhere. The aim of this article is to show that some explanations for discrepancies in results obtained across CLIL contexts in Europe may be found in nation-specific contextual factors. Four such factors are focused on: policy framework, teacher education, age of implementation, and extramural exposure to English. The article gives an overview of these factors in four European countries: Finland, Germany, Spain, and Sweden. A coordinate system is created using four quadrants: the policy framework factor is paired with amount of research; the age factor is combined with amount of CLIL; the teacher education factor includes pre-service and in-service programs; and extramural English is considered in amount and range. From this coordinate system, nation-specific CLIL profiles emerge. It is argued that such national profiles will serve as an essential theoretical point of departure for comparisons of research results across nations. Furthermore, the profiles will facilitate policy-level discussions on CLIL implementation in individual countries.

Tourist Guiding is a compulsory subject that aims to prepare students to be a prospective Tour Guide (TG) with excellent English mastery, especially speaking. Two-year observation showed that the students have the low ability in speaking skills. They did not speak fluently because they lacked knowledge and vocabulary in tourist guiding. This study was a Classroom Action Research (CAR) which was carried out by implementing Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), as a dual-educational approach that uses additional languages to learn and teach both content and language, in an online Tourist Guiding class. Participated by 28 students, this research followed stages of CAR. Additionally, pre-test and post-test were conducted to investigate students’ different performances before and after CLIL was implemented, while questionnaires were distributed to obtain the data about the students’ voices about CLIL implementation. The findings revealed that the quality of teaching and learning in the Tourist Guiding class improved after the implementation of CLIL. In addition, CLIL could enhance both students’ language skills (especially speaking) and tourist guiding competency. Teachers should both understand the subject content very well and have a very good mastery of English so that CLIL can be implemented successfully.

This research is a systematic review of the implementation of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in language learning across various educational levels from 2018-2023. The method used is a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), analyzing 29 relevant studies identified from an initial 163 articles. The results show that CLIL implementation has been carried out in various countries, with a primary focus on primary, secondary, and tertiary education levels. At the primary school level, studies mostly examined text writing skills and student motivation. At the secondary level, research focused on vocabulary development, application of pedagogical content knowledge, and teachers' perspectives on bilingual programs. Meanwhile, at the tertiary level, studies explored the development of creativity, self-concept, and the integration of ESP in CLIL. Overall, the results indicate that CLIL has a positive impact on students' language abilities and content mastery, but there are still challenges in its implementation, such as the need for teacher support and clear learning objective setting. This study concludes that adequate implementation strategies are necessary to integrate multilingualism in education, considering sufficient support for teachers and specific learning goals for students.

As a result of globalization, the world is constantly changing, people are overwhelmed with information and English is the language that typically serves as lingua franca to learn new content. In recent years, as a direct response to these changes, CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) may be considered the approach in charge of providing suitable answers despite its possible limitations. Innovations, changes, students´ needs, new resources, meaningful content and a communicative perspective are involved in CLIL, a profitable and valuable means to teaching English as a Foreign Language. The main purpose of this work is to encourage EFL teachers to implement this approach, in spite of its constraints. Now the challenge seems to be finding out how this approach will lead us towards the achievement our goal. Keywords: CLIL drawbacks, CLIL implementation, EFL teaching contexts

This study examines the implementation of the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach in English language education, focusing on its effectiveness in enhancing both language proficiency and content comprehension. CLIL, which combines subject matter with language instruction, provides a dual-focused educational framework that supports the development of academic content knowledge while improving language skills. Key aspects of CLIL highlighted in this research include the integration of content and language, the necessity of teacher training and professional development, and the impact on student engagement and learning outcomes. The findings suggest that while CLIL offers significant benefits, such as increased student motivation and improved language skills, it also presents challenges, particularly related to teacher preparedness and resource development. Addressing these challenges through targeted professional development and appropriate resource allocation is essential for the successful implementation of CLIL. The study concludes that CLIL is a promising approach for enhancing English language learning, provided that its implementation is carefully managed and adequately supported.

This paper reports an exploratory sequential mixed-methods and action research study of the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology at a state institution in Florencia (Colombia). The study aimed to explore the implementation of CLIL in a virtual learning environment and its implications for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning during the health emergency caused by COVID-19. The data collection instruments were a single interview, observations, reflective journals, classroom artefacts, and a questionnaire. The findings reveal that the CLIL methodology contributes to English learning. Thus, the results show the significant role of keywords and content vocabulary, contextualized lessons, assignments, and virtual games in fostering the students’ listening skills, oral production, motivation, critical thinking, and development of cultural awareness. Hence, the outcomes demonstrate that the integration of virtual tools benefits the CLIL methodology in the virtual learning environment. Finally, the paper contains evidence supporting the implementation of CLIL, the contributions to EFL learning, and suggestions for further studies.

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has been adopted by many nations as a methodology to reach bilingualism. Nonetheless, the implementation of CLIL in Colombia goes beyond teaching a core area in English. It implies a long process, including multiple factors to achieve success. This article presents a general background of the process of bilingualism in Colombia and how different kinds of institutions approach this governmental policy through a critical reflection. The paper presents the challenges when adopting Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) as a strategy to achieve bilingualism. Four key aspects are described to reach the goal of having a bilingual territory: language learning approach, teacher training, development of materials, and cultural and intercultural competence. It is argued that bilingualism may be achieved in the long term by addressing these four aspects when implementing CLIL.

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is an educational approach that simultaneously teaches a non-language subject and a foreign language, enhancing both content knowledge and language skills. Originating in Europe, CLIL focuses on the 4Cs: content, communication, cognition, and culture, ensuring balanced subject matter and language proficiency. CLIL is distinct from bilingual or immersion education by its integrated approach. The Council of Europe supports CLIL to promote multilingualism and improve curricula quality. This study aims to analyze the foreign experience with CLIL, explore its didactic potential, and evaluate its implementation prospects in Ukraine. CLIL is characterized by integrating subject content with language learning, fostering language development through meaningful contexts, and enhancing cognitive skills like critical thinking and problem-solving. It also promotes cultural awareness and can be adapted to various educational contexts and proficiency levels. It has been defined that effective CLIL implementation requires trained teachers and appropriate materials. The methodology has spread across Europe, with various models tailored to different educational contexts. The Adjunct Model integrates language learning with subject teaching, the Embedded Model fully integrates language and content, and the Dual-Focus Model balances content and language objectives. Successful examples include bilingual schools in Hungary and long-standing practices in Bulgaria. The advantages of CLIL’s implementation have been defined. They include increased motivation, contextual language learning, preparation for a globalized world, and enhanced language proficiency. It also promotes content knowledge alongside language skills, offers international opportunities, and bridges language and content classes. However, challenges include the need for trained teachers, balancing content and language instruction, resource limitations, and large class sizes. Overcoming these challenges involves professional development, collaboration, material development, gradual integration, and using technology. The conclusion has been formulated that CLIL enhances language skills and subject knowledge, transforming educational approaches and improving learning outcomes.

The article deals with a newly implemented method of teaching a foreign language – Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) which has become the trendy approach of bilingual education. CLIL is gaining more importance across Europe and Ukraine in terms of both: the number of educational establishments implementing it and related studies done in this field. The term scaffolding has been overviewed and analysed. An important fact about CLIL is that it combines both language and subject teaching. Students do not just study a foreign language, but use it to study subject related authentic content. The article also deals with such important task as lesson planning process which is of vital importance for the successful development of the class. CLIL has profound methodological implications in terms of planning, teaching strategies and the role of the teacher. CLIL lesson is supposed to require a precise and extensive preparation. Six stages of the effective CLIL planning has been analyzed and researched. Moreover, CLIL planning requires a change of the traditional concepts of lesson planning. The results prove that looking at the issue from a broader perspective brings us to the conclusion that, if there is a proper development of legal and regulatory framework for CLIL implementation in Ukrainian higher educational establishments, there will not be any problems for teachers interested in applying CLIL theoretical basis to the existing experience and realising enormous perspectives this approach yields to the educational system.

This study explores the effectiveness of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in Algerian higher education, aiming to enhance the language and content proficiency of English for specific purposes students. It targets the assessment of both language proficiencies with its constituent levels phonology, morphology, semantics, and syntax. The study focuses in parallel to assess ESP students’ content proficiency considering the Four Cs; Content, Cognition, Communication, and Culture. Using an experimental design with 50 ESP students, the research employed pre-test and post-test assessments alongside structured questionnaires and classroom observations. The findings reveal significant improvements in both language learning and subject-specific knowledge following CLIL implementation. ESP Students demonstrated enhanced critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and effective communication across the Four Cs—content, cognition, communication, and culture. Language proficiency advancements were evident in phonology, morphology, semantics, and syntax, highlighting improved pronunciation, word formation understanding, semantic comprehension, and grammatical accuracy. Despite these gains, challenges surfaced in consistent scaffolding by teachers and students' application of cognitive strategies to avoid direct translation, hindering deeper language processing and complex idea expression. The study recommends ongoing professional development for teachers to refine scaffolding and cognitive strategies, and curriculum enhancements focusing on syntactical complexities and diverse communication tasks tailored to student needs. Addressing these recommendations can optimize CLIL's benefits and provide students with better preparation for global academic and professional demands.

This article substantiates the relevance of multilingual education in alignment with Kyrgyzstan’s national development strategies, which emphasize preparing citizens proficient in multiple languages. The study examines the potential of the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology as an effective approach to achieving these national objectives. The main purpose of this research is to explore the theoretical foundations and practical benefits of CLIL in a multilingual educational environment and to develop recommendations for training future teachers. An action research design was implemented in three cycles, each comprising planning, action, observation, and reflection stages. The participants were students from Jalal-Abad State University, and their language development was monitored throughout the study. The findings demonstrated a notable improvement in Russian language proficiency following the implementation of CLIL and extracurricular language activities: the proportion of students achieving level B1 increased by 14%, and level A1 by 19%. The third measurement confirmed that 38.4% of students reached level A2 and 50% level A1. Overall, the CLIL methodology proved to be a promising and practical tool for improving linguistic, cognitive, and professional competencies, supporting the preparation of competitive specialists for multilingual and international educational contexts

Τhe CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) approach has been proposed as an effective approach for students’ education in the 21st century. Although it was initially proposed for students of higher education, CLIL has become especially attractive for students even in pre-school education. This paper focuses on the importance of CLIL implementation in fostering intercultural competencies among students who are engaged in CLIL programs. More specifically, this paper covers a theoretical review on CLIL and its development, while special emphasis is placed on the position of CLIL in the priorities of the European Council within the context of promoting multilingualism in Europe. CLIL aligns itself with the European Language Policy of improving language learning in its member states and with the EU Commission’s objective of EU citizens’ competence in European languages other than learners’ mother tongue. The paper ends with references to organizations that promote the implementation of CLIL across Europe, while special emphasis is placed upon CLIL in Greek education.

Journal Article What makes CLIL leadership effective? A case study Get access David Soler, David Soler David Soler holds a degree in English Studies from the Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona and two Masters Degrees, one in Teaching English and another in Educational Leadership. He is a secondary education teacher, assistant professor at the Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sport Sciences Blanquerna (Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona), and member of the research group CILCEAL (Interlinguistic and Intercultural Competence in Language Teaching and Learning, http://recerca.blanquerna.edu/plurilingual-translation-learning/?lang=en). He has previously worked as a consultant of educational innovation at ESADE Business School (Barcelona). His main research interests are CLIL, innovation in additional language learning, and educational leadership. Email:DavidSo1@blanquerna.url.edu Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Maria González-Davies, Maria González-Davies Maria González-Davies is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Foreign Languages Department at the Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sport Sciences Blanquerna (Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona). She is also Head of the Research Group CILCEAL. She has worked at the School of Modern Languages (University of Barcelona) and at the University of Vic, where she was Head of the Translation Department. She has authored books and articles, mainly on translation training and on additional language learning. Email:mariagd@blanquerna.url.edu Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Anna Iñesta Anna Iñesta Anna Iñesta is Director of the ESADE Centre for Educational Innovation at ESADE Business and Law School (Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona), where she also held other roles such as Associate Director of the Bachelor of Business Administration or Associate Director of Innovation and Higher Education Area. She holds a BA in English, MA in English Language Teaching & Learning, MA in Multimedia Education, and a PhD in Psychology. Her main areas of research are related to educational innovation and leadership at the course and programme level, and academic writing regulation. Email:ana.inesta@esade.edu Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar ELT Journal, Volume 71, Issue 4, October 2017, Pages 478–490, https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccw093 Published: 30 December 2016 Article history Revision received: 25 October 2016 Published: 30 December 2016

One of the most up-to-date approaches to modern education for acquiring a foreign language through the study of a non-language subject is Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). This approach gives the opportunity to develop a variety of learning strategies, application of innovative teaching methods and techniques, as well as increasing the motivation to learn. On the other hand, this approach provides the opportunity for learners to familiarize and expand their intercultural knowledge and understanding, while improving their skills to communicate in the language, other than their mother tongue. Being an educational approach, based on competences, CLIL is extremely well received by educators in Europe and around the world. One of the best-known models for CLIL implementation is the 4C’s conceptual framework developed by Do Coyle - Content, Communication, Cognition, Culture. Given the specificity of science teaching and in particular chemistry teaching in English, the article proposes to expand the model on the 4C’s frame to 6С’s frame- Content, Communication, Cognition, Culture, Key Competencies, Collaboration. On the basis of this frame, a CLIL lesson planning matrix for teaching chemistry in English was developed.

This research scrutinized the students' perception of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in the teaching and learning process. A qualitative approach as a primary framework was employed with a case study method. Twenty students were involved in this research. The information was gathered through questionnaires and interviews. Of the twenty participants, only three participated in the interview session. The results reveal that most students gave tremendous perceptions of CLIL implementation, understanding the teachers’ instructions, being comfortable at some point in the class, and enriching their vocabulary. The findings of the study are envisioned to bring light to other teachers to reflect and develop themselves. Moreover, the study aimed to contribute to the schools’ policy-making, which means undertaking the CLIL program.