Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education - Volume 10, Issue 1, 2022

Abstract

To investigate the impact of meaning-focused content-based instruction (CBI) and language-focused non-CBI, both dealing with compare/contrast language, this study compared Japanese secondary school students’ compare/contrast writing on two topics (i.e., a power generation topic aligned to the CBI and a new topic) in pre-and post-tests. Their writing was analyzed in terms of complexity, accuracy, fluency, and functional adequacy. The results show that the CBI group improved both linguistic and functional aspects of the power generation topic, as well as two functional aspects of the new topic. In contrast, the non-CBI group showed two linguistic changes in the power generation topic, and three linguistic and two functional changes in the general topic writing. Therefore, CBI may not only serve to improve linguistic and functional aspects on the same topic writing but also might draw writers’ attention to functional aspects in a new topic.

Abstract

This article looks at how bilingual students harness previous language experience when learning a new language. Research generally affirms that higher second language proficiency is linked to higher levels of proficiency in subsequent language learning and greater use of previously acquired language skills. In the Irish context, however, the varied nature of acquiring/learning languages and perceptions of linguistic distance potentially hinder students in mobilizing their experience with English and Irish when learning foreign languages at school. The study presented here examines how bilingual language experience can be harnessed through analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from English-medium and Irish-medium secondary school students in Ireland, focusing on how they identify and deploy elements of this experience when learning French via the elaboration of strategies and use of metalinguistic awareness. Beyond measures of proficiency, findings show the need for pedagogical tools that allow students to fully exploit their previous language experience.

Abstract

Prior research has sought to describe how teachers view and approach attention to partner language (PL) development in Spanish immersion settings (Cammarata & Tedick, 2012; Fortune et al., 2008; Lindholm-Leary, 2001; Walker & Tedick, 2000). However, it has not focused specifically on the particularities of two-way immersion (TWI), which is unique for its inclusion of both heritage speakers and second language learners. The current project adds to existing knowledge by using teacher interviews and a survey to report a qualitative case study of three TWI teachers’ beliefs and practices. Data is triangulated through PL student testing and analysis of classroom observations. Results confirm many of the findings of prior research, especially regarding teachers’ perceived need for increased guidance and resources. They also provide insight into how TWI teachers view PL development in the two groups of learners. Implications for teacher training and future research are discussed.

Abstract

Although recent years have seen a growth in studies examining teacher agency, educators working in the primary sector remain a relatively under-researched population. One specific group of teachers in primary education are those who teach Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). In this study, we wanted to understand how CLIL primary teachers’ sense of agency helped them to navigate this professional role, considering factors in their ecologies which supported or inhibited their agency. Based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with six primary school CLIL teachers, this study shows that even though these teachers were initially passionate about CLIL, they all ultimately exercised their agency as teachers in giving up on CLIL due to a limited sense of agency in the particular role as a CLIL educator.

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine local enactment of new curriculum policy, paying special attention to combining the language of instruction in the school (Finnish) and the immersion language (Swedish) in an early total one-way Swedish immersion programme in Finland at a programmatic level. The study combines ethnography with educational language policy by focusing on coordinative and communicative discourses surrounding local immersion curriculum. The participatory observation data consist of 36 hours of audio-recorded curriculum working group meetings with immersion teachers and researchers. The findings showed that the curriculum task assigned to municipalities and cities providing immersion education was extensive. They also revealed how discursively oriented policy research on immersion education opens up new ways to develop immersion education. The actual curriculum decisions implied that the Swedish portion of the immersion programme is multilingual and rich in connections between multiple languages, contesting the common belief of monolingual practices in immersion instruction.

This article reviews Scaffolding Language Development in Immersion and Dual Language Classrooms9780429428319USD 37.56

This article reviews Chinese literacy learning in an immersion program978-3-030-04986-7€ 85 USD 100