Content and language integrated learning in practice: Exploring pre-service EFL teachers’ beliefs and negotiation of meaning of subject-specific language in Thai secondary classrooms
type: CreativeWork
description: The demand for English in Thailand has been increasing rapidly due to socio-political developments and the continuing growth of the economy. For Thai students, being proficient in English can enhance their education and career opportunities. To develop students’ English proficiency, both state and private schools are allowed to operate different types of bilingual education, including content and language integrated learning (CLIL). However, despite CLIL being implemented in Thailand for a decade, teachers are still grappling with many challenges because of limited understandings of CLIL and a lack of support from stakeholders. One of the challenges is related to the specialist language required for CLIL, which differs from that used in daily communication or general English classes. Teachers’ knowledge of the language and pedagogical approaches that may be used for CLIL could be developed through appropriate training and support, but there is a lack of CLIL research in the Thai context illuminating how teachers manage CLIL language and help students to learn effectively. The present study aimed to gain an insight into pre-service EFL teachers’ language-driven CLIL practices and beliefs about effective CLIL implementation. It adopted a multiple interpretive case study to investigate (1) how pre-service EFL teachers explain subject-specific terms and concepts to students; (2) negotiation of meaning (NoM) strategies that they adopt to address the difficulties in the explanation of subject-specific terms and concepts; and 3) their beliefs associated with effective CLIL implementation. Under these aims, two main research questions and one sub-research question were addressed: 1. How do Thai pre-service EFL teachers explain and negotiate the meaning of subject-specific terms and concepts in CLIL lessons? 1.1 What are the NoM strategies that the pre-service EFL teachers adopted to address difficulties concerning the explanation and students’ comprehension of the subject-s…
abstract: The demand for English in Thailand has been increasing rapidly due to socio-political developments and the continuing growth of the economy. For Thai students, being proficient in English can enhance their education and career opportunities. To develop students’ English proficiency, both state and private schools are allowed to operate different types of bilingual education, including content and language integrated learning (CLIL). However, despite CLIL being implemented in Thailand for a decade, teachers are still grappling with many challenges because of limited understandings of CLIL and a lack of support from stakeholders. One of the challenges is related to the specialist language required for CLIL, which differs from that used in daily communication or general English classes. Teachers’ knowledge of the language and pedagogical approaches that may be used for CLIL could be developed through appropriate training and support, but there is a lack of CLIL research in the Thai context illuminating how teachers manage CLIL language and help students to learn effectively. The present study aimed to gain an insight into pre-service EFL teachers’ language-driven CLIL practices and beliefs about effective CLIL implementation. It adopted a multiple interpretive case study to investigate (1) how pre-service EFL teachers explain subject-specific terms and concepts to students; (2) negotiation of meaning (NoM) strategies that they adopt to address the difficulties in the explanation of subject-specific terms and concepts; and 3) their beliefs associated with effective CLIL implementation. Under these aims, two main research questions and one sub-research question were addressed: 1. How do Thai pre-service EFL teachers explain and negotiate the meaning of subject-specific terms and concepts in CLIL lessons? 1.1 What are the NoM strategies that the pre-service EFL teachers adopted to address difficulties concerning the explanation and students’ comprehension of the subject-s…
author: Tachaiyaphum, Nutthida
keywords: Content and language integrated learning, Negotiation of meaning, Teachers' beliefs, Pre-service EFL teachers, Thailand
license: https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstreams/a3c3e005-3f9b-404e-872b-27976ad860e9/download
date published: 2023
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:57:44Z
provider: University Waikato
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The University of Waikato