CLIL in lower secondary school: Uncharted territory

Abstract

This MA thesis investigates the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) method in a lower secondary public school. This thesis has a particular focus on low proficiency students and how they experience the method, and how they could be aided and assisted to be able to master the method. The thesis also provides an overview of the entire class and how the medium-, and high proficiency students perform.

The research is seen in light of exposure to extramural English input and output, and how exposure to extramural English is connected to a higher linguistic proficiency. Further the thesis explains why the CLIL method is relevant for Norwegian adolescents’ English proficiency in light of the contextual situation they are in, as well as how the Norwegian teaching curriculum gives room for this kind of methodology.

The research is a mixed method approach that includes both qualitative and quantitative data. The data was collected through an intervention, observation, a survey, and several interviews, including both the students’ and the teacher’s view.