Content and language integrated learning applied to teaching chemistry : A case study from Eastern Europe

Abstract

Adopting a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach implies a dual-focused education whereby a language other than one’s native tongue is used to learn and teach the content of a given academic discipline in a foreign language. This research is based on using English to teach chemistry to Grade 9 students in one of the outstanding secondary language schools in Bulgaria. Correlation exists between the level of proficiency in this foreign language and the past exposure of the students to that language. Moreover, past and present attitudes towards studying chemistry have been studied. Participants were of the opinion that scientific concepts need to be explained in their native language and that more laboratory- based sessions need to be held, indicating the importance that students attribute to language integration through content learning, a crucial consideration in CLIL. Students are keen to experience alternative forms of classroom practice. Group work, involving the presentation in class of chemistry assignments in English, is not only perceived as an exercise in oral communication skills using a foreign language but also as a creative opportunity to deliver their collective effort in a scientific, innovative manner in a foreign language. This reinforces a consistent drive towards language learning and an urge for scientific literacy. This study supports the significance of a perspective which is less researched in CLIL, namely, language integration through content learning.