De Bruikbaarheid Van de Content-based Approach in de Nederlandse Context

Abstract

The content-based approach (CBA) to language teaching offers opportunities for language and content teaching in the Netherlands in a wide variety of contexts, varying from elementary school Dutch as L2 to university EFL-teaching. In order to promote the exchange of experiences and research from these different fields, this article proposes Dutch equivalents to key terminology (such as 'sheltered content', 'adjunct'model) as well as a common research focus. In empirical research, thoughtful attention should be paid to the teaching process within content-oriented language teaching. Therefore, characteristics of CBA- curricula and didactic procedures are summarized. It is argued that, in the present phase of development, small-scale case studies with a focus on the teacher and the teaching process are to be preferred over large scale quantitative studies with a focus on learner outcomes. More emphasis should be put on the content learning that takes place simultaneously with language learning.