Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) : a case study of lecturers' experiences of professional learning for Engineering and English Integrated Learning Program within Vietnamese higher education

  • Thi Tinh Phan

Western Sydney University thesis: Doctoral thesis

Abstract

This research explores Vietnamese lecturers' experiences of professional learning for Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programs (Engineering and English Integrated Learning) within Vietnamese Higher Education. These university lecturers were required to change their textbook-based English language programs to CLIL with an expectation from university management that curriculum changes and development would occur seamlessly without support or training. This research investigates and documents how these lecturers rose to the challenges set by these significant changes to their responsibilities; how they undertook professional learning; how they experienced and practiced their teaching in the newly developed CLIL programs, and which other factors may have influenced their practice (for example, cultural, linguistic, social factors) in the Vietnamese context. This research used a case study design focusing on a group of CLIL lecturers in one Vietnamese University. Data was collected from these participants through interviews, classroom observations and the analysis of curriculum documents they developed. This study used Vygotsky's social cultural theory of learning and teaching to examine CLIL University teachers' pedagogies and professional development, including how these may have been influenced by local language, culture and social activities. Mascolo's person-environment coactive scaffolding theory, Lave and Wenger's community of practice and Coyle's Content, Cognition, Communication, Culture framework were applied as analytical tools for the data analysis. Findings of this study highlight the necessity for the development of CLIL-specific pedagogy and methodology, as well as programs of proper professional development for CLIL lecturers. CLIL or bilingual education cannot be seen as another version of foreign language teaching, requiring those language lecturers to teach another subject unfamiliar to them. If we want to successfully implement CLIL programs, we need to look at CLIL from a holistic pedagogical perspective and provide lecturers with training in both accepted standards of CLIL teaching and in the subject content. The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in the field of CLIL, the impact of which has the potential to inform policy makers responsible for the professional development of future CLIL lecturers.
Date of Award2021
Original languageEnglish

Keywords

  • language arts (higher)
  • correlation with content subjects
  • English language
  • study and teaching (higher)
  • Vietnamese speakers
  • Vietnam

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