Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education - Online First

This mixed-methods study explored how Swiss primary school students assigned to three different English attainment levels perceived their learning in CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) along the influential 4Cs framework. The approximately 100 students self-assessed their learning regarding the four relevant aspects of the framework (C-Communication, C-Content, C-Cultures, and C-Cognition) with a specifically designed questionnaire. Additional focus group interviews were conducted with selected students. The findings suggest that the perceptions of C-Communication, C-Content, and C-Cultures were generally positive and did not significantly differ across attainment levels, indicating that all students, regardless of their level of English, perceived learning benefits in these three dimensions. The low-attaining students, however, rated the cognitive activation related to C-Cognition significantly differently. The study underscores the need for differentiated scaffolding to enhance CLIL’s inclusivity and effectiveness.

Within CLIL contexts, one area of vocabulary which has recently been suggested to be of extreme value is Lexical Availability (LA). However, previous research has generally used general prompts rather than those which address subject-specific vocabulary (SSV) and focused largely on quantitative aspects. To this effect, this study uses qualitative tools to analyse the LA of Spanish adolescent CLIL learners using a prompt which is related to the content they have studied: Economy & Money, focusing on the most readily available and non-shared words and word level and frequency. Results reveal clear advantages following exposure to SSV in CLIL, in terms of both level of vocabulary and lexical sophistication. The study supports suggestions that LA is an efficient way to investigate which vocabulary is needed in CLIL, and to assess this vocabulary to ensure students have the necessary language needed to succeed in this context.

Language Learning Mindsets (LLMs) encompass learners’ beliefs concerning language learning and how these beliefs can influence their motivation to embrace challenges to learn better. This study investigates the relationship between LLMs and academic success in a fourth-year medical programme at a public university utilising English Medium Instruction (EMI). Using the Language Mindsets Inventory (LMI), the study evaluates the growth and fixed mindsets of 133 students towards language learning. Academic success is measured through grades obtained in courses delivered in English, as well as preparatory English courses, specifically English for General Purposes (EGP) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Utilising simple linear regression analysis, the study examined the relationship between the dependent variables, namely growth and fixed LLMs, and the predictor variable, academic success in EMI courses. The findings indicate that both growth and fixed LLMs emerged as statistically significant predictors of EMI academic success. This suggests that students with a growth mindset exhibited enhanced academic achievement in EMI contexts. Conversely, a fixed mindset was inversely related to academic success, and notable gender differences emerged in fixed LLMs. The results underscore the importance of educators receiving training on how to address different LLMs among students. This training can help educators encourage the development of growth mindsets in all learners and support students with fixed mindsets. Policymakers should consider the implications of LLMs when developing educational policies. This may include allocating resources for research on effective mindset interventions and incorporating mindset-oriented approaches into educational policies.

This study investigated the roles of gender, English language proficiency, and socioeconomic status (SES) in higher education English Medium Instruction (EMI) academic outcome. 183 Vietnamese business undergraduates participated in the study. Their International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores in all four skills of listening, reading, speaking, and writing were collected as a measure of their English language proficiency. Their EMI course scores were collected as evidence of EMI academic outcome. A survey questionnaire was also delivered to the participants to collect information about their gender and SES. The results showed that English language proficiency, especially speaking and reading skills, significantly predicted EMI academic outcome. Gender did not have a significant relationship with EMI outcome. As for SES factors, after English language proficiency and gender were controlled for, three SES factors were significant predictors of EMI outcome: mother’s occupation (positive effect), father’s occupation (negative effect), and family income (negative effect). Neither father’s nor mother’s level of education showed a significant association with EMI outcome. Implications for EMI pedagogy and policies in higher education will be discussed.

Research on proficiency levels among instructed learners is abundant but still has significant gaps. There is little research with young learners, barely any research comparing different degrees of CLIL intensity, and very few studies considering exposure to extramural English (EE), that is, exposure to English outside of school via informal activities or private lessons. To address these gaps, our study investigates how the intensity of exposure in school and EE impact the reading and listening skills of 219 learners (aged 11–12) of English following high-CLIL (n = 85), low-CLIL (n = 82), and non-CLIL (n = 52) tracks. The results for reading and listening, without considering EE, indicate that the high-CLIL group obtained a significantly higher score in reading, but without significant differences in listening. EE was frequent, particularly among high-CLIL participants, and reading, watching TV, and listening to music positively correlated with scores. Private English lessons were associated with higher scores in the non-CLIL group.