An empirical study on the acquisition of content in a CLIL-based chemistry course: A preliminary report

Authors

  • Beata Gregorczyk Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5294/laclil.2012.5.1.2

Keywords:

AICLE, química, enseñanza, aprendizaje de una segunda lengua, pedagogía, efectividad.

Abstract

This article presents the findings of an empirical study on the acquisition of content in a CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) course conducted by the author at a middle school in Radom, Poland. The research involved a group of Polish students who learn chemistry through English as part of their school curriculum. The results of the research support an understanding that using a foreign language as a means of teaching non-linguistic subjects does not impair content acquisition—and may actually improve overall learning processes. The research raises questions about the relationship between a foreign language and conceptual knowledge, as well as about the mechanisms that may compensate for the additional difficulties students may encounter while learning content (such as chemistry) through a foreign language. By way of introduction, the article offers an overview of the literature on the effectiveness of CLIL teaching. This theoretical background leads to the description of the experiment, followed by an analysis of its results. The paper ends with conclusions and some final thoughts relating to the experiment.

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Author Biography

Beata Gregorczyk

Beata Gregorczyk has worked as a teacher at Publiczne Gimnazjum Nr 13 z Odziałami Dwujęzycznymi im. Polskich Noblistów in Radom, Poland since 2010. She completed a Masters and an Engineering Degree in Chemistry at the Technical University of Radom. Later, she received her degree as a teacher, as well as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language qualification, at the Teachers College in Radom. These studies were followed by a BA and then an MA in English Studies at the University of Warsaw. She is currently working as a middle school teacher, teaching English and chemistry through English, and has a strong interest in CLIL approaches.

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Published

2012-04-27

How to Cite

Gregorczyk, B. (2012). An empirical study on the acquisition of content in a CLIL-based chemistry course: A preliminary report. Latin American Journal of Content & Language Integrated Learning, 5(1), 9–32. https://doi.org/10.5294/laclil.2012.5.1.2

Issue

Section

Articles