The ecology of CLIL teachers in Austria – an ecological perspective on CLIL teachers’ wellbeing

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this article, we will report on an exploratory, qualitative study investigating the professional subjective wellbeing (SWB) of secondary school Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) teachers in Austria from an ecological perspective. The aim is to better understand how the SWB of these teachers is shaped by different levels of their ecology. The implementation and teaching of CLIL is a multifaceted, dynamic process that cannot be viewed in isolation from a multitude of interrelated factors which directly shape teacher SWB. For this reason, we analyze CLIL teachers’ wellbeing, based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory ([2009]. Ecology of Human Development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.). The model was developed based on the analysis of data generated through a series of semi-structured interviews with 16 Austrian teachers, who report on their experiences and perspectives of teaching CLIL. The findings cast light on how CLIL teacher SWB is shaped by a variety of interlacing factors, such as national and institutional policy, societal feedback, student-teacher relationships, and personal conviction. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for CLIL teachers, both personally and professionally, as well as education policy-makers.