The challenge of implementing CLIL (contend and language integrated learning) in Spain: a higher education example

Abstract

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) consists on a dual-focused approach born in 1994 that covers the simultaneous teaching and learning of a non-language subject and a foreign language. In this approach, the same importance has to be paid to content and language and students are supposed to achieve a good competence in both of them. CLIL in Spain emerged from the demand for an effective approach that could be used for Foreign Language Teaching (FLT) and attempted to overcome population linguistic problems in the English language. Despite its recent success, CLIL is an innovative approach and that is why it has to be assessed before its efficient implementation over the mainstream education system. The present paper aims at analysing the difficulties and attitudes towards CLIL when teachers and students experience it. First of all, the definition of CLIL and its development at both the international and national levels will be overviewed. The next section deepens on the difficulties which practitioners and learners usually encounter during the teaching and learning of the FL through CLIL. These aspects are followed by their attitudes and feelings towards this new approach, since attitude has an important effect on learning. Once the already existing research on the topic is presented, an example of a course at Universitat Jaume I (Castellón, Spain) addressed to students and lectures that will go through a CLIL process will be explained. Finally, the results of a study conducted in the course will be presented and analysed. The findings will show that more training on the approach is necessary and that both teachers and students share a positive attitude towards CLIL.