Abstract
The research investigates the effects of two learning contexts, content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and traditional learning (non-CLIL), upon content-specific outcomes, an aspect less explored than language-specific achievements in CLIL. Specifically, the study provides an interdisciplinary analysis of English CLIL applied to Physics in Italian high school. Two different levels of student competence are examined: selecting answers for content-specific issues, and content-related argumentative skills, in order to measure how learners comprehend and discuss content. The comparison between CLIL and non-CLIL classes in pretest, posttest and delayed posttest accounts for content assimilation and retention. Findings show that CLIL students significantly outperform non-CLIL students in both levels of competence in posttest and even more so in delayed posttest, a difference which emerges in terms of mean and coefficient of variation. Furthermore, feedback questionnaires display enhanced motivation, a well recognised influential benefit of CLIL in language-specific learning. Such results have pedagogical implications and may contribute to a better understanding of the correlation between language, content and motivation in CLIL.
Highlights
Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) may be defined as a dual-focused educational approach that combines language and content by using an additional, usually foreign, language as medium of instruction for disciplinary content (Coyle, Hood, Marsh 2010).1 In recent years CLIL programmes have burgeoned all around the world
The results indicated that CLIL contributed to a better content comprehension and to an increase in motivation, especially in students with a great interest in English
The research intended to add a piece to the puzzle of understanding overall learning processes taking place in CLIL, by analysing the effects of CLIL upon content-specific outcomes and the role played by the factor of motivation
Summary
Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) may be defined as a dual-focused educational approach that combines language and content by using an additional, usually foreign, language as medium of instruction for disciplinary content (Coyle, Hood, Marsh 2010). In recent years CLIL programmes have burgeoned all around the world. Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) may be defined as a dual-focused educational approach that combines language and content by using an additional, usually foreign, language as medium of instruction for disciplinary content (Coyle, Hood, Marsh 2010).. Many European school systems promote CLIL since it is considered a powerful is used with the explicit purpose of including in CLIL those programmes providing specific content instruction through a second language or minority language. Research has so far shed light on benefits of CLIL for learners in language proficiency and motivation (Dalton-Puffer 2011; Dalton-Puffer, Nikula 2015; Roquet, Perez-Vidal 2017), while less attention has been paid to the impact of CLIL upon content-specific learning. Surveys on content-specific learning require an interdisciplinary research group to encompass all necessary expertise in both the discipline and language learning and teaching
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