No abstract

This paper describes a research project conducted in collaboration with 10 'pupil co-researchers' (PCRs) and their classes in a secondary school in the Netherlands. The main research tools employed were online and face-to-face group discussions, in which PCRs contributed as consultants, co-designers and assistants. The research proved a learning experience for both the adults and the young people involved and led to the collection of insightful qualitative data. Working collaboratively with pupils, however, presented a number of challenges. Ethical issues such as consent, inclusion and the pressure placed on pupils, and logistical challenges such as the availability of time and resources, were particularly prominent. Perhaps the most valuable challenge, however, was the opportunity that this research presented to the adult researcher to reflect upon the role played by her own assumptions when working with young people.Keywords: students as researchers; inclusive research; bilingual education Introduction Inclusive research with young people in schools has its ups and its downs, its advocates and its critics. This contribution gives a personal account of one example of inclusive research, which involved working together with pupils in the design and implementation of online and face-to-face discussions with their classmates. We subsequently used the qualitative data we obtained through these means to inform the design of a motivation questionnaire, which I administered to pupils at five different schools in a later, non-participatory phase of my doctoral research. The methods and processes of the collaborative phase of this research are described in some detail, as are some of the challenges encountered and the resulting considerations for future work of this kind.We have chosen to write this account in the first person in order to reflect the personal nature of collaborative research. This project afforded an opportunity not only for data collection and for pupil learning, but also for researcher growth. The challenges involved in attempting to share the control over this research with a group of young people, and in balancing assumptions with their input, led to the investment of a significant amount of energy and personal reflection. We believe that this story is therefore better told from a subjective and possibly a more 'human' perspective. This paper is written largely with the singular 'I', not to belittle the contribution and considerable

This paper describes and evaluates an action research project carried out by a teacher in an English comprehensive school, where a class of 13-to 14-year-olds was taught personal, social and health education and German through contentlanguage integrated learning (CLIL) over a six-week period. The purpose of the study was to explore how CLIL would influence both motivation and attainment by giving learners the opportunity (i) to experience language learning with a broader, more applied purpose; (ii) to experience success in TL interactions; and (iii) to use linguistic structures in a more 'natural' context. The findings of the study were mixed with regard to motivation, as pupils struggled to equate their continued lack of confidence after a short period of CLIL with their increased academic success. With regard to attainment, the most able pupils exceeded their previous achievements by at least one National Curriculum level, although little improvement was noted in the levels of the less able pupils. This could be attributed to the short time frame of the study, and the resulting lack of confidence referred to above. This research is also evidence of the developing role of practitioner-research in the academic community, the validity and importance of which is also discussed. Introduction and definition of CLILCLIL or content-language integrated learning is a rapidly expanding concept in language learning in Europe (Smit 2008). It draws on immersion techniques prominent in Canada since the 1960s (Cummins 1998;Cook 2001a), but also on the broad range of approaches to bilingual teaching and learning that have existed across the world for centuries (Coyle 2007). Over recent years, CLIL as a concept has developed a range of different meanings (Lorenzo 2007;Seikkula-Leino 2007;Smit 2008), which can lead to the term being ambiguous. In this study, 'CLIL' is understood to be an approach to teaching and learning that employs a foreign language (FL) as the principle medium of instruction for a content-based subject. Key to the approach referred to here is that equal importance is attributed to the linguistic and the topic-based aspects of instruction (Marsh 2002). This reflects Lorenzo's (2007) view that effective topic-based teaching should strive to teach content as effectively as in a first language (L1) context, while not neglecting the linguistic achievement of learners. CLIL differs from immersion teaching, where the goal is for learners to become equally fluent in both the target language (TL) and their mother tongue (Seikkula-Leino 2007). The goal of CLIL is to produce competent and confident TL users, while at the same time teaching subject content. It is also worth noting that the form of CLIL employed in this project is what Clegg (2003: 89) would refer to as 'language led', in that it was carried out in a languages department rather than in a content subject department. The projectThe aim of this pilot project was to use CLIL to teach personal, social and health education (PSHE) in tandem with German through...

The Netherlands is often held up an example of a ‘success story’ in terms of practices and research regarding the teaching and learning of subject content in a second language (de Graaff & van Wilgenburg, 2015; Pérez-Cañado, 2012). Nearly 30 years after its initial beginnings, bilingual secondary education in the Netherlands continues to thrive and to evolve in fitting with educational demands, as does the research associated with it. This Special Issue includes contributions addressing Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) as a pedagogical approach in the context of bilingual education as a curricular paradigm, both specifically within the Dutch context. The issue contains six research articles from different perspectives, supported by discussions both from an international research standpoint and from the educational field. It is hoped that the publication of this issue will not only indicate a next stage for bilingual education policy and practice, but also give impetus to new areas for research.

This study follows a group of modern foreign languages (MFL) teachers in the Netherlands during a nine-month professional development project around the theme of 'Content in MFL'. The project was initiated following proposals to refocus the MFL curriculum on the basis of integrated learning outcomes for both language proficiency and areas of language-related content in the areas of Language Awareness and Cultural Awareness. The aims of the study were to explore the areas of content that teachers viewed as relevant to their MFL teaching, as well as the extent to which the introduction of MFL-specific content addressed teachers' concerns regarding their practice. Perceived obstacles to the refocused curriculum were also addressed. Findings suggest that cultural content was a more relatable concept than languagerelated content for teachers in this study but also that language proficiency remained their central concern. Implications for the further development of the proposed content-focused curriculum are discussed.

This research focuses on the role of English for engineers in the workplace in Turkey, with the aim of informing engineering programs to better equip prospective engineers with relevant workplace communication skills. To this end, it identifies how engineers perceive the importance of English, how frequently they use it for different tasks, and whether the perceived role and importance of English varies according to the type of company where engineers work. Findings show that English is perceived as relatively unimportant for daily tasks but more important for recruitment and promotion. Additionally, they highlight the importance of receptive skills in comparison to productive skills. Finally, they suggest that the type of company is significantly related to the status of English and how it is used in the workplace. Findings will contribute to engineering course designers in Turkey through detailed profiling of the role of English as perceived by Turkish engineers.

Research into the pedagogies employed by CLIL teachers has been limited to date and, as such, has been identified as a key area in need of further investigation (Pérez-Cañado, 2012; Dalton-Puffer & Smit, 2013). This review uses an elaborated 4Cs Analysis Framework (adapted from Coyle, Hood, & Marsh, 2010; Coyle, 2015a, 2015b) as a basis for analysis of studies of pedagogies implemented by CLIL subject teachers internationally and in Dutch classrooms. This allows us to place the Dutch situation in an international context and to identify avenues for future research and development. The following questions guided the review: (1) What appear to be the most prominent international trends with regard to the implementation of the 4Cs in CLIL subject pedagogies?; and, (2) To what extent do Dutch CLIL subject pedagogies appear to reflect these international trends? Findings about pedagogies reported in the reviewed studies suggest that, in general, studies from the Netherlands stand out compared to international studies in several respects. Specifically, there is evidence of a relatively strong pedagogic focus in the Netherlands on developing students’ intercultural competence. The Dutch studies also stand out, however, for not addressing the role that the L1 can play in CLIL pedagogy. Furthermore, a main finding is that both the Dutch and the international studies reviewed provide little insight into aspects of CLIL pedagogy related to subject-specific culture and into ways in which content and language are integrated.

This study aims to explore to what extent engineering students’ perceptions of the role of English in the workplace are affected by their internship and field of study. Previous research revealed that employers value engineers’ English communication skills highly. However, mismatches between workplace expectations and engineers’ competencies affect engineers’ employability negatively. To explore this topic, a survey and interviews were conducted. Results suggest that neither internship experience nor field of study made any difference in engineering students’ perception of the role of English in the workplace, which led to a potential mismatch between their perceptions and workplace expectations.