The effects of CLIL on mathematical content learning: A longitudinal study
Journal Title: Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching - Year 2016, Vol 6, Issue 2
Abstract
Previous research has shown that content and language integrated learning (CLIL), an educational approach that offers content courses through more than one educational language, increases metalinguistic awareness. This improved insight into language structures is supposed to extend beyond the linguistic domain. In the present study, the question whether pupils who learn in a CLIL environment outperform their traditionally schooled peers in mathematics is investigated. In total, 107 pupils entered the study. All participants were in the first year of secondary education at a school in Ostend, in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Thirty-five pupils followed CLIL education in a foreign language (French) and 72 followed traditional education that was given in the native language (Dutch). All participants were tested using a mathematical test at the beginning of the year, after three months, and after ten months. The first measurement of the mathematical scores showed that the two groups did not differ. In accordance with our hypothesis, the CLIL group scored higher than the non-CLIL group after ten months. Surprisingly, an effect was also found after three months. To conclude, CLIL appears to have a positive impact on the mathematical performance of pupils even after a short period of time.
Authors and Affiliations
Jill Surmont, Esli Struys, Maurits Van Den Noort, Piet Van De Craen
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP256576
- DOI 10.14746/ssllt.2016.6.2.7
- Views 103
- Downloads 0
Language aptitude: Desirable trait or acquirable attribute?
The traditional definition of language aptitude sees it as “an individual’s initial state of readiness and capacity for learning a foreign language, and probable facility in doing so given the presence of motivation and...
Researching pronunciation learning strategies: An overview and a critical look
Disparate goals that learners might have in learning second or foreign language pronunciation and the scant classroom time that can be dedicated to teaching this target language subsystem dictate that l...
Enjoyment and anxiety in second language communication: An idiodynamic approach
Emotions are a fleeting experience, sometimes lasting only moments before dissipating. Prior research in SLA has either ignored emotions, underestimated their relevance, or has studied them as a relatively stable individ...
Revising the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI) and testing for factorial invariance
In this study, we revised the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI), a self-report instrument designed to assess students’ awareness of reading strategies when reading school-rela...
Enjoyment as a key to success? Links between e-tandem language learning and tertiary students’ foreign language enjoyment
This paper reports on crossing borders virtually via an e-Tandem scheme and presents the findings of a study, in which students of English from an Austrian university were paired with students of German from the UK and t...