Killing Two Birds with One Stone? A Study on Achievement Levels and Affective Factors in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)

Abstract

Despite the burgeoning research evidence on the multifarious effects of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in academia, only limited empirical evidence can be retrieved from the Chinese context. The intent of this study conducted in a Chinese higher education provider was to probe into the effects of CLIL on English proficiency and learning motivation in the College English Teaching context. Characterised by a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, this study involved 60 undergraduates who were categorised into either the High-Group, Medium-Group or Low-Group based on their English proficiency. Data were collected from standardised English language tests and a questionnaire on motivation for English learning. Quantitative analyses involving the running of t-tests and ANOVA mainly indicated that: 1) CLIL had a generally positive effect on the participants’ English proficiency and motivation; 2) the participants from the three subgroups all made significant progress in English proficiency with the low achievers showing increased considerable improvement; 3) CLIL negligibly affected the learners’ positive attitude to language learning; 4) the higher achievers appeared to display stronger motivation towards English learning at the end of the study than those with a relatively lower level of English proficiency. It was concluded that CLIL has the potential to benefit language learners of different levels in both effective learning and affective learning, while a critical attitude should be held to the view that CLIL is the panacea for all with an appeal for more classroom-based research to enrich the performance and affective evidence of CLIL.