Content-based Instruction Research Articles

CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION: A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH FOR THE EFL CLASSROOM

Content-Based Instruction (CBI) 1 is a justifiably popular method in the ESL/EFL classroom because it combines the improvement of competency in a foreign language with the attainment of knowledge in various subjects that occur in academic curricula across the spectrum of higher education. CBI has two main focuses. One concentrates on imparting knowledge of a particular subject matter with a secondary goal of improving language ability. The other aims primarily at the improvement of communicative competence in the target language. The focus of this paper is on this second aspect. Here learners are first given content that provides a basic overview of a particular subject or current issue. They are then tasked with performing various classroom activities that promote proficiency in the target language through engaging with the subject matter. The great advantage of this format is that, in addition to improving students’ general knowledge about the world, practice in all four major skills is given in the course of a single lesson. Reading is enhanced when students research the topic to be addressed in class. Writing is practiced when students do timed essays, which not only improves their writing but also simulates writing done for language assessment tests such as the TOEFL and IELTS. Opportunities to improve listening and speaking come when students engage classmates in discussions about the topics addressed in class. This paper gives practical examples of how to implement such lessons in the EFL classroom as CBI continues to become more relevant now and into the future. Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.20319/pijtel.2018.23.6377 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

The Role of School Leaders in Teacher Leadership Development

In rural eastern North Carolina, the rapid growth of English Learners (ELs) unintentionally makes mainstream classrooms sheltered instruction classrooms. Sheltered instruction is content-based instruction (CBI) where ELs acquire language while learning content. In addition to ELs, this region has a high number of Standard English Learners (SELs). SELs are native English speakers whose dialects are nonstandard and whose home languages differ structurally from academic English. A yearlong professional development used sheltered instruction to focus on academic language proficiency. A local university, two principals and 14 teachers partnered and participated in this weekly professional development. Data were analyzed using Guskey’s (2000) framework for evaluating professional development. Findings indicated that when sheltered instruction was implemented with fidelity, teachers’ perception of the principal changed from a manager to an instructional leader, content teachers became teacher leaders, instruction focused on academic language proficiency; and there was evidence of academic growth for low achieveing students.

Developing Thinking Skills in Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language at Primary School

Developing skillful thinking contribute to young language learners’ language skills (Goh & Taib, 2006) and is a fundamental goal in educating school children in general (Hu et al., 2011) and in teaching English to young learners in particular (G. Ellis & Brewster, 2014). Fostering thinking skills develops school children’s cognitive abilities and leads to positive curricular outcomes (Higgins, Hall, Baumfield, & Moseley, 2005). However, despite the role of thinking skills in second language learning and teachers’ interest in thinking skills at the level of primary school (Alwadai, 2014; Gashan, 2015), the practice of teaching thinking skills at primary school is still lacking (Anyachebelu, 2012; Polat, 2015; Rodrigues, 2006). There is only modest contribution of the teachers’ practices to teaching thinking skills (Sardare & Saad, 2013) and there is a dire need for further work on primary students’ synthesis, analysis, and interpretation skills (Pilten, 2010). In addition, teachers of English language require practical ideas to improve students’ thinking skills (Adams, 2013) especially in the ESL/EFL contexts. Through a rigorous review of previous research on fostering thinking skills and provides a series of strategies or techniques, namely Content-Based Instruction, Task-Based Language Teaching Approach, English Literature, and Mental Modelling in Reading Comprehension, the authors argue that these strategies or techniques can be used for teaching or embedding thinking skills in the context of English as a Second/Foreign Language for young learners at primary school.

The Development of Voice Onset Time (VOT) in a Content-Based Instruction University Program by Japanese Learners of English: A Longitudinal Study

Dans une étude longitudinale, l’auteur se demande si l’inscription à un programme de formation basé sur le contenu dans une université japonaise améliore le temps de voisement du /p/, du /t/ et du /k/ en anglais chez les apprenants d’une langue seconde. Les mesures du temps de voisement sont prises au début, au milieu et à la fin de l’année universitaire et soumises à une analyse acoustique. Des améliorations significatives du temps de voisement sont observées au cours de l’année durant laquelle les étudiants reçoivent environ 300heures de contenu dans le cadre du programme. Toutefois, les résultats montrent aussi que les améliorations du temps de voisement ne sont pas influencées par le volume du contenu en langue seconde livré par des locuteurs natifs. Ces observations semblent indiquer que les apprenants peuvent devenir de meilleurs locuteurs de la langue seconde s’ils sont exposés à cette langue dans le cadre d’un programme de formation basé sur le contenu en phase initiale d’apprentissage, grâce à une exposition précoce et intensive à la langue seconde, peu importe la provenance de l’intrant.

A case study of the L2 development of Mohammad – An Iraqi child who is an immigrant in Australia – considering psychological and social factors that affect the development of his L2

This paper examines the factors that influence the second language development of Mohammed, an Iraqi child who came to Australia as a refugee one year ago. The factors that affect the linguistic development of the target which will be considered in this paper are: similarities and differences between the first language L1 and the second language L2, psychological factors, and social factors. The paper will provide sufficient background information on the learner and draw on a number of language learning theories in the discussion of each factor. The examination of the various factors revealed that the most suitable approach in teaching is content-based instruction in which the target can learn the subject matter content and at the same time develop proficiency in English language. He must also be highly encouraged to speak L2 in and outside school to achieve suitable level of fluency.

PRINCIPLED PRAGMATISM, OR WELL-GROUNDED ECLECTICISM: A NEW PARADIGM IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AT UKRAINIAN TERTIARY SCHOOLS?

The article discusses the ways of introducing Kumaravadivelu’s (2003) principled pragmatism (or well-grounded eclecticism in the terminology of the author of the article) approach into teaching English as a foreign language for professional purposes at tertiary schools in Ukraine. Such pragmatism/eclecticism in the conditions under consideration creates opportunities for adopting different methods of teaching and learning taken from different, often contradictory, methodological approaches, as well as opportunities for uniting those methods into an organic unity, a new single approach contributing to the overall improvement of the teaching/learning process. Interpreting the difference between approaches and methods in accordance with the ideas of Richards and Rogers (1986) and treating methods as practical procedures through which an approach is implemented, the author demonstrates that a novel principled pragmatism/well-grounded eclecticism approach in teaching English at Ukrainian tertiary schools may be developed as the combination of five methods including content-based instruction, interculturalism in language studies, constructivism in language learning achieved through experiential-interactive learning procedures, blended language learning as a balanced organic unity of students’ off-line and online learning experiences and balanced use of communicative learning activities and non-communicative language exercises. The research shows that the listed five methods in their unity not only form a new single approach but also fully meet the ten Kumaravadivelu’s principles making that approach a clear-cut case of principled pragmatism. The concluding part of the article manifests the suggested approach as representing a possible new paradigm in teaching English for professional purposes.

Teacher education and professional development for immersion and content-based instruction

Teacher education and professional development for immersion and content-based instruction

Merging English into Sport in Aerobic Exercise Based on Content-Based Instruction

A research on merging English into Sport in Aerobic Exercise based on Content-Based Instruction (CBI) was conducted related to the need of the aerobics instructor who can lead the class in English especially with the present of Asean Economic Market in the end of 2015. The problem being evaluated in this paper was ―is there any difference influence between CBI learning model and conventional learning model to the aerobics instructor performance in English? The aim of this research is to evaluate the different influence between CBI learning model and conventional learning model to the aerobics instructor performance in English. 20 students of Semarang State University and Wahid Hasyim University were grouped into 2 groups. One is CBI group and the other ones is conventional group. The treatment was conducted for 6 weeks, 12 meetings. The result showed that the significant score for CBI group is 0,005<0, 05, meaning H1 is accepted. Therefore there is a significant difference between those who have been taught using CBI to those who have been taught using conventional learning for the aerobics instructor performance in English.

A transdisciplinary exploration: Reading peace education and teaching English to speakers of other languages through multiple literacies theory

Since the early 1990s peace education has increasingly informed the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). More recently, this transdisciplinary dialogue has found expression in approaches such as peace linguistics, peace sociolinguistics and content-based language instruction that incorporate peace-related content into language learning curricula. In this conceptual article, we aim to contribute towards the transdisciplinary possibilities generated between peace education and TESOL by reading these possibilities through the lens of the multiple literacies theory (MLT). We set out to argue that MLT offer a means to explore the connections between peace education and literacies as entangled with affective, material and discursive practices.

When culture is content: Applications for content-based instruction in the world language classroom

Content-based instruction (CBI) is a pedagogical approach used in the second/other language classroom that commits to addressing both language- and content-learning objectives. Scholars have found that, particularly in the planning stages, teachers struggle with achieving that balance (Donato, 2016; Lyster, 2007). This study examines world language (WL) teachers’ planning for CBI via these research questions: (1) When experienced teachers from traditional WL classroom contexts design CBI unit plans, what do these plans reveal about the pathways they take towards CBI in a traditional WL settings? (2) What broader challenges and opportunities related to using CBI in the traditional WL context are revealed? The data sources in this qualitative lesson analysis study are 36 unit plans developed as the final project for a graduate-level course on CBI in one US institution. The three investigators examined the content–language dichotomy and the academic content-cultural content dichotomy in each lesson and identified patterns. The findings reveal that teachers often chose content that was more cultural than academic in nature, and they were challenged by several aspects of relating the language and content objectives. Implications for researchers, teacher educators, and teachers present a broader discussion of CBI as a viable curricular option in WL classrooms.

Language and Content Outcomes of CLIL and EMI: A Systematic Review

Around the world, language teachers are shifting to content-based instruction (CBI) as a way to teach English, most commonly in the form of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) or English-Medium Instruction (EMI). With the spread of CBI around the world, it is important to understand how this shift in teaching has affected student outcomes. Using a systematic literature review approach, this study examines current literature on the effect of CBI on language and content outcomes. Twenty-five articles met the inclusion criteria for this study and were examined. The results show mixed findings on the effectiveness of CBI on student outcomes, with the majority of studies showing either positive or neutral effects for CBI when compared with non-CBI classrooms. However, the study also reveals multiple methodological issues that cause difficulties for any strong conclusions about CBI to be made. In addition, while CLIL in Spain has received a lot of research attention, other countries remain understudied. Therefore, this study concludes with a call for future research of CBI outcomes that examine a variety of countries and account for the methodological flaws identified.

Teaching Music in English: A Content-Based Instruction Model in Secondary Education

Over the past few years, there has been a growing interest in the teaching and learning of several languages in an attempt to generate multilingual education opportunities, particularly in Europe. In response to the demands of our globalized society, Content-Based Instruction (CBI), which has also been referred to as “immersion and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programs,” emerged as a teaching approach that combines the learning of curricular contents and the communicative competence in the target language. This study was carried out at a public high school set in a Spanish bilingual community, where music is taught through a CLIL approach in English class. The purpose of this paper is to examine how students value their music lessons in English and to check the adequacy of teaching music as a subject in English. To achieve this goal, materials adapted to their level of proficiency and a final questionnaire were designed. Results indicate that students are satisfied with this proposal, since they consider these music lessons to be easier than the regular ones. Not only did they enjoy being exposed to English in these music lessons, but a considerable number of students would also like to take a CLIL program in the near future. Pedagogical implications to this CBI model account for the development of learners’ autonomy, the use of audio-visual aids and further research in bilingual and multilingual regions overseas.

Integrating EFL skills for authentically teaching specific grammar and vocabulary

When a person uses a language in an authentic setting, skills such as speaking, reading, writing and listening are naturally integrated to achieve communicative competence. Therefore, this research is based on the use of a content-based instruction model and the communicative language approach to teach English as a foreign language (EFL). The activities described in this article integrate language skills using communicative activities to learn and practice the present perfect and associated new vocabulary. All the skills were evaluated through qualitative informal assessments and quantitative formal testing to see if the chosen strategies could aid in attaining the goals set by the professor and could allow for authentic learning by the participants. This qualitative and quantitative research used 33 sample students, pre- and post-evaluations of all four skills, and questionnaires about the students’ knowledge of the present perfect post-treatment and the opinions of the students about the types of strategies and educational models used to integrate the four language skills in their classes. These results were then used to find out how these teaching strategies could aid in student teaching-learning. The tools used aided in the results were to find out how to integrate communication skills throughout the lessons in the classroom to allow for a more fluid and in-depth learning experience for the intermediate students that participated in this research done at UNAE, Ecuador.

EFL College Learners’ Attitude toward Flipped Classroom Approach

This study was an attempt to explore how EFL college-level learners perceive flipped learning or flipped classroom approach which would be practiced with Content-Based Instruction (CBI) courses. As an effort to find a way for the CBI learners to be served more effectively in terms of earning content-knowledge and improving L2-using skills, the new approach of flipped learning has been tapped into first of all by looking into their expectations and concerns that they might have if the new approach would be employed in their CBI classroom. The analysis of the data provided by the 159 participants revealed that they did not show clear preference or strong negative attitude toward the new approach. While the young college-level learners appeared technology-savvy, they did not seem confident enough in the new approach mainly due to the on-line component of the flipped classroom approach, which would require more responsibility of their learning. The study also made suggestions on what should be considered if the new approach can be successfully implemented and help the learners earn better learning experience.

A Proposal for a New Curriculum for EFL Education of China: Integrated Content-Based Instruction

A Proposal for a New Curriculum for EFL Education of China: Integrated Content-Based Instruction

FOSTERING AUTONOMOUS LEARNERS OF VOCABULARY ACQUISITION USING CONTENT-BASED ICT METHODS

Purpose: This paper investigated that (1) the effective use of content-based ICT methods of vocabulary acquisition through reading activities, and (2) the encouragement of learner's vocabulary building up autonomous learning. A considerable number of studies have been conducted on vocabulary acquisition in the EFL field in Japan,and researchers advocate vocabulary knowledge is the most important factor contributing to reading comprehension, yet, a firm effective pedagogy has not been established. In fact, university students encounter difficulties in reading comprehension because of their deficiencies in vocabulary knowledge during English reading class.&#x0D; Methodology: The free applications, Quizlet and Kahoot!, were adopted to incorporate language-focused learning while adding some gamification aspects to aid in vocabulary acquisition. The experiment was conducted in a Japanese undergraduate first-year reading class over an 11-week period. Quizlet was used for vocabulary learning prior to the reading class. Students were given multiple-choice vocabulary Cloze tests of new words from the textbook using Kahoot!, a free game-based educational platform.&#x0D; Main Findings: The results of this study indicated that content-based vocabulary instruction using ICT is effective and improves learner’s academic performance in vocabulary acquisition. Moreover, questionnaires were thoroughly reviewed and uncovered that students felt they developed more autonomy and this enhanced their motivation for vocabulary learning.&#x0D; Implications: In view of this study, ICT methods closely related to reading contexts and a variety of applications for vocabulary acquisition and improvement of reading performance should be introduced in EFL classrooms.&#x0D; Originality: This study was conducted in a Japanese undergraduate first-year reading class by author researcher.

Tendency of English Teaching Based on Content-Based Instruction in China

The purpose of this study is to serve as guidance to academics that are starting or currently developing their research within the field of content-based instruction in China. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis on content-based instruction, making use of the National Knowledge Infrastructure database to perform it. The identified articles were analyzed concerning year of publication, citations, topics keywords and authors. This analysis comprises fundamental issues such as (i) the number of studies published per year, (ii) the most cited studies on content-based instruction between 2010 and 2018, (iii) the most frequent words used in the title of Content-based instruction studies in China, and (iv) assessment of studies citing content-based instruction. Results reveal a growth in the number of publications on content-based instruction for the 2010–2014 period. Although, since 2014 this growth has decelerated, the number of publications on this topic remains noteworthy. This study brings tendency of CBI in China for those academics and practitioners attempting to analyze and deepen within this particular field of research. At the same time it provides some insights concerning the future development and progress of content-based instruction in the English teaching.

Analysis on Content-Based Instruction Methods Influencing Student Outcomes in Higher Education

This systematic review examines the current literature on CBI (Content-based Instruction) methods and summarizes the data as it relates to influencing ESL student outcomes in Higher Education. The international tertiary community continues to experience a substantial growth in ESL students, which represent a significant portion of total enrollment. To meet this demand for bilingual education EAP (English for Academic Purpose) programs such as CBI curriculum have been widely adopted as the preferred pedagogical approach to address this growing trend in higher education. Despite this popularity, there is a lack of longitudinal research on the efficacy of CBI courses that link this approach to sustained improvement on student academic achievement scores. The findings reviewed herein suggest a positive sustained relationship between CBI curriculum and increased academic performance post intervention. The results of this investigative effort also support the seminal literature, which indicates the majority of participants consider CBI methods as a suitable pedagogical technique to acquire language and content knowledge, while enhancing long-term academic achievement. This research may inform future practitioners, administrators, and policy makers in the development of ESL programs in the tertiary community.

1997-2017

The project Developing the Language Awareness Approach in the Nordic and Baltic Countries (DELA-NOBA) is inscribed within the development of research about 'Awakening to languages' (AtL). Twenty years have elapsed between the founding Evlang program and DELA-NOBA results. The aim of this article is to cast light on those years. In this paper, the authors analyse the historical development of research projects which led to the present implementation of 'pluralistic approaches' within European educational systems. The contribution will also refer to the dissemination and integration of AtL into curricula and content-based teaching in various European contexts.

Spanish: A Language for Scientific and Technical Communication

Spanish:A Language for Scientific and Technical Communication Oscar A. Pérez Keywords curriculum/currículo, Spanish for the Professions/español para profesiones, Spanish for Science and Technology/español para ciencias y tecnología, Spanish for Specific Purposes/español para fines específicos, technical Spanish/español técnico Response 1 to "Spanish for the Professions and Specific Purposes: Curricular Mainstay" In the last two decades, the demand for a curriculum that reflects the diverse needs of language learners has furthered the growth of SSP (Spanish for Specific Purposes) programs and courses across the United States, especially in areas such as law, business, and medicine (Sánchez-López 2010). And, as suggested in the article at hand, "collaborative curricular opportunities with STEM" are expected to grow in upcoming years, in fact, the expansion to scientific and technological fields was proposed to be the next natural step of SSP curricular offerings almost two decades ago (Branan 1998: 5). However, the question of what form will these collaborations take is critical, in a time where it has been stated that "English is not only the dominant form of international scientific publication and oral communication at conferences and in multinational laboratories—it is almost always the only language of such communication" (Gordin 2015: 293). Although overly generalizing, such a declaration highlights the perception that languages other than English have a peripheral role when it comes to scientific applications, raising questions about the future of Spanish for Science and Technology (SST) education. In this respect, two volumes are key to understand the challenges and prospects of Spanish as a language of scientific communication: El español, lengua para la ciencia y la tecnología (Arias-Salgado Rosby et al. 2009), and the more recent El español, lengua de comunicación científica (García Delgado, Alonso, and Jiménez 2013). Both collections describe the state of the language in contemporary science, drawing attention to the significant number of publications in Spanish, especially in the health sciences and other experimental fields. Furthermore, many authors seem to agree on the important role that Spanish plays, and will continue to play, in the dissemination of scientific and technological knowledge. In addition, it soon becomes clear that when most scholars talk about ciencia, they are discussing a broader domain than that defined by the term "science," which often refers to the physical sciences exclusively (Gordin 2015: 3). As a result, and taking the evolution of Spanish for the Health Professions (SHP) as a model (Hardin 2015), SST offerings in the United States will most likely focus on one or more of the following areas: 1). Technical translation and interpretation, to address the specialized needs of such professionals in an era of digital globalization. 2). Technical communication among peers, to facilitate the flow of knowledge across linguistic borders. 3). Communication of science and technology, to foster scientific literacy and the public dissemination of scientific and technological knowledge. [End Page 102] In terms of pedagogical models that could support such offerings, possible approaches include content-based instruction and languages across the curriculum (Klee and Barnes-Karol 2006), along with project-based (García González and Veiga Díaz 2015) and service-based learning (Sánchez-López 2013), either as part of stand-alone SSP certificates, as proposed in Doyle (2017), or within more general programs. And although colleges and universities are natural settings for this SSP development, one can also expect private-sector initiatives, as more and more scientists, engineers, communicators, and policy makers see the value of SST education. If we are to truly embrace cultural competence in a globalized world, the science and technology domain of language learning cannot be ignored. Oscar A. Pérez Skidmore College WORKS CITED Arias-Salgado Rosby, María José, Montaña Cámara Hurtado, Begoña Granadino Goenechea, José Antonio López Cerezo, Daniel Martín Mayorga, Luis Plaza Gómez, Verónica Vivanco Cervero, eds. (2009). El español, lengua para la ciencia y la tecnología: Presente y perspectivas de futuro. Alcalá de Henares: Instituto Cervantes, Santillana. Print. Google Scholar Branan, A. G. (1998). "Preface: Part I." Spanish and Portuguese for Business and...