Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education - Volume 14, Issue 1, 2026

Abstract

The increasing need for plurilingualism within the latest decades has led many schools to promote an early start to Foreign Language (FL) teaching, in some cases as early as in pre-primary education. Research on pre-primary students to understand FL development in instructed contexts is still scarce. This study examines (1) how English as a FL receptive vocabulary develops over two years in pre-primary education learners, and (2) which internal and external factors influence it. Data were collected from 71 Catalan-Spanish bilingual pre-primary students at three times: T1-September 2019 (Mage = 4;6), T2-September 2020 (Mage = 5;1), and T3-June 2021 (Mage = 5;9). EFL receptive vocabulary was measured with the PPVT-4 (Dunn & Dunn, 2007), and at T1 participants’ parents filled in a background questionnaire. Results showed growth in participants’ lexical abilities from T1-T3. The strongest predictors of lexical development were gender, maternal education level, school, and EFL out-of-school exposure.

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between L1 ability and CLIL in a lower secondary education context in Finland. In the study, 31 participants responded to a verbal fluency task, a picture-naming task and a survey comprising L1 self-evaluation questions. The results were analysed quantitatively in light of additional variables such as socioeconomic status and L1 grades. The CLIL students outperformed the non-CLIL students in the verbal fluency task, whereas the results of the picture-naming task were not suggestive of group-level differences. Additionally, the CLIL students’ picture-naming task results were less reflective of within-group differences than those of the non-CLIL students. This study sheds light on the relationship between CLIL and L1 ability, while highlighting the possible role of CLIL in mitigating the impact of individual differences on L1 ability.

Abstract

The dual focused approach of Content and language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has been adopted across a range of linguistic and geographical regions adding to the complexity and variety of CLIL. The presence of CLIL across different educational communities provides an important opportunity to develop CLIL as a sustainable approach to education if the situated knowledge of CLIL can be harnessed. The comparative study reported here places three cases side-by-side to illustrate how informed discussion can be generated across different educational settings. The particular focus of this study is CLIL teacher education in Finland, England, and Australia. The contribution draws attention to the role of the wider environment in the implementation and development of CLIL, and the value of new insights afforded through a situated approach to theorising CLIL.

Abstract

This study investigates teachers’ and students’ perceptions on diversity-sensitive assessment practices in Spanish primary education bilingual programs. A survey was conducted among teachers (n = 297) and students (n = 2,626) to gather data related to teachers’ use of feedback, differentiated assessment tools, and the provision of extra time during exams to respond to students’ needs. The findings suggest that teachers have a more positive perception of their ability to address heterogeneity in assessment than students, who emphasize the need for enhanced diversity measures. The impact of variables, such as type of teacher, school or bilingual program, on teachers’ attention to diversity in assessment is also analysed.

Abstract

This paper presents primary teachers’ and university-based teacher educators’ experiences of integrating language and content when teaching physical education (PE) through Irish. Two teacher educators, a language specialist and a content specialist collaborated in professional development (PD) with primary teachers in English-medium (n = 2) and Irish-medium immersion schools (n = 2) to teach two units of PE. A design-based research methodology was adopted in two six-week cycles. Qualitative data were collected from: individual interviews and a focus group interview with teachers, teacher educators’ reflective diaries and observation of PE lessons. Successes of the approach were children’s enjoyment and language development supported by the pre-teaching of language. Balancing language and content was found to be challenging for teachers in both linguistic contexts. This study suggests that dual-focused collaborative PD and tailor-made resources are necessary to support generalist teachers in navigating the complexity of integrating language and content in CLIL and immersion contexts.

This article reviews Teacher Development for Content-Based Language Education: International Perspectives9781800410589£ 119.95

This article reviews Teacher Professional Development for the Integration of Content and Language in Higher Education978-1-032-55027-5£ 145.00