The potential of CLIL in the Armenian public school EFL classroom

Abstract

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) has gained popularity and has proven its effectiveness in English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms throughout the world. A copious amount of research has been carried out to investigate the functionality of this approach in the teaching/learning of foreign languages throughout the world. However, there is little evidence of CLIL implementation in the Armenian educational context. The present study adopted an action research approach to evaluate the affordances and limitations of CLIL implementation in a public school in the Armavir region and investigate the attitudes of key stakeholders (9th-grade students and the EFL teacher) towards the methodology. CLIL approach was chosen as a method of instruction to guide the study. The analysis of the data collected through observations, pre- and post-study interviews, and student survey provided insights into the potential of CLIL implementation demonstrating that, despite some drawbacks, CLIL appeared to offer substantial opportunities for developing foreign language competence. The results also revealed the participants’ significantly positive attitudes towards the method. The findings yield important practical implications for CLIL implementation and practice.