Initial Teacher Education of Primary English and CLIL Teachers: An Analysis of the Training Curricula in the Universities of the Madrid Autonomous Community (Spain)

Abstract

The Madrid Autonomous Community (Spain) offers a significant case of extensive bilingual (English) education provision in primary and secondary school, with over 50% of students following a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programme. However, there are doubts about the ability of the current pre-service teacher education provision to meet the demands of the rapid growth of bilingual education in the region. This study analyses the initial teacher education (ITE) of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and CLIL teachers in the Madrid community, by providing a systematic comparison of the 14 Primary Education teacher training degrees offered and, specifically, their EFL specialist itineraries. In particular, it assesses the balance between the development of linguistic and pedagogical competences, the linguistic requirements to enter the EFL track, and the inclusion of dedicated CLIL modules as part of the training curriculum. Results show that there is a great heterogeneity in the design of such programmes, especially regarding the value given to a language improvement component. Furthermore, it was found that the training in CLIL is insufficient, both in the core programmes and in the EFL itinerary. Beyond the Spanish context, the questions raised in this study can offer insight into the effective design of initial teacher education programmes for educational systems that have committed to mainstream bilingual education as a tool for enhancing foreign language competence.