Viewing CLIL through the eyes of former pupils: insights into foreign language and intercultural attitudes

ABSTRACT

This article examines the long-term effects of CLIL on former pupils’ foreign language and intercultural attitudes. The 24 participants, who received English-medium CLIL for nine years in the 1990s, were interviewed and the data analyzed using thematic analysis. The participants generally felt that CLIL had had a very positive effect on their target language attitudes. However, many considered that CLIL had affected negatively on their attitudes towards other foreign languages. The perceptions regarding the effect of CLIL on intercultural attitudes diverged more. The study elucidates the long-standing impact CLIL can have on individuals’ attitudes yielding insights into future CLIL education.

Artikkelissa tarkastellaan CLIL-opetuksen kauaskantoisia vaikutuksia oppilaiden asenteisiin vieraita kieliä sekä kulttuurienvälistä tietoisuutta kohtaan. Tutkimusta varten haastateltiin 24 entistä CLIL-oppilasta, jotka saivat englanninkielistä CLIL-opetusta 1990-luvulla. Haastatteluaineisto analysoitiin laadullisen sisällönanalyysin keinoin teemoittelemalla. Osallistujien mukaan CLIL-opetuksella oli erittäin positiivinen vaikutus heidän asenteisiinsa englannin kieltä kohtaan. Moni kuitenkin koki, että englannin vahva rooli oli vaikuttanut negatiivisesti heidän suhtautumiseensa muihin vieraisiin kieliin. Näkemykset CLIL-opetuksen vaikutuksista kulttuurienväliseen tietoisuuteen puolestaan vaihtelivat enemmän. Tutkimuksen tulokset havainnollistavat millaisia kauaskantoisia vaikutuksia CLIL-opetuksella voi olla yksilöiden asenteisiin.

KEYWORDS:

• CLIL
• foreign language attitudes
• intercultural attitudes
• education
• Finland

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Anssi Roiha is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Language and Communication Studies at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Currently, he works at the International School Utrecht in the Netherlands. His research interests include language education, CLIL, differentiation and intercultural communication.

Mélodine Sommier is an Assistant Professor in Intercultural Communication at the Department of Media and Communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Her main research interests include critical and discursive approaches within the field of intercultural communication, identity issues, anti-racism education, and migration and acculturation processes.

ORCID

Mélodine Sommier http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5398-5320

Notes

1. The background information of the target programme is based on an informal interview with the school’s former teacher as well as old programme brochures. In addition, one of the authors (Author 1) has a personal experience as a pupil in the target CLIL class.

2. The interviews were conducted in Finnish and transcribed verbatim by Author 1. The extracts used in this article were translated into English by Author 1. The quotes are presented in their original language (Finnish) in Appendix 5. The notation (…) indicates a pause in the speech. Words in square brackets are added by the researcher to clarify the context of the utterance.