Challenges and Strategies on the Content and Language Integrated Learning Approach (CLIL): A Case Study from the Turkish Context

Abstract

Limited studies investigate the high school teachers’ challenges and ­strategies while teaching science and mathematics in English as the target language through the ­content and ­language integrated learning (CLIL) approach. Hence, this study aimed to ­investigate the ­challenges that science and math teachers encounter and the strategies they employ while fostering students’ development of proficiency in English as the target language in ­physics, ­chemistry, biology, and mathematics courses in the International General Certificate of ­Secondary ­Education (IGCSE) and International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP). The study utilized ­various qualitative tools such as semi-structured interviews, open-ended ­questionnaires, and lesson ­observations to analyze science and math teachers’ strategies and challenges at a case school in eastern Turkey. The study revealed that as part of the CLIL approach, the ­participant teachers indicated various challenges such as a lack of vocabulary repertoire, translation ­problems, and weak foundational knowledge. They used common strategies such as group work ­interactions, interdisciplinary activities, individualized feedback, the promotion of higher-order thinking skills, inquiry-based learning, and reinforcement of language used to deal with these ­challenges. The study presents further implications for good practices and recommendations to resolve ­challenges.

Keywords

• Bilingualism
• content and language integrated learning
• English as a foreign language
• language acquisition
• science and math education in the target language