CLIL in Context: Profiling Language Abilities

Abstract

This study seeks to investigate the effects of the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach on young EFL learners’ productive and receptive skills in a school located in Barcelona (Catalonia). The school had carefully designed and made provisions for a successful CLIL programme before its implementation. For the purpose of the study, two different groups (N = 50 each) of Catalan/Spanish bilingual learners aged 13–15 were analysed longitudinally over one academic year. One received formal instruction (FI) in English as a foreign language as a school subject, in addition to a Science subject taught with a CLIL approach and in which English was the medium of instruction (experimental group). The other received FI only (control group). Data were elicited both for receptive and productive skills, except speaking, and were statistically analysed quantitatively and also qualitatively using a pretest-posttest design. Results obtained confirm the effectiveness of the CLIL programme, however not in all domains and to the same degree. Concerning receptive skills, the CLIL group improved their reading competence significantly more than the control group, as was expected, but not their listening competence. As for productive skills, our findings show a significant improvement in the case of the CLIL group as the participants’ writing, and accuracy in particular, significantly progressed and so did their general lexico-grammatical abilities. This is in contrast with findings in previous studies.