Primary teachers’ perspectives on CLIL implementation in Mataró

Abstract

CLIL is an innovative approach that is being rapidly implemented in many schools and at different levels across many countries of the world. This is originating some reflections, particularly on the needs and beliefs of teachers who are trying to teach content and language in an integrated way. Teachers’ actions, attitudes, experiences and expectations towards this new approach are important variables to take into account and analyze in order to ensure a successful implementation of Content and Language Integrated Learning practices in a classroom. For this reason, focusing the attention on getting insights from their perspective could facilitate the needs for the further development of this approach. This dissertation reports on a research study which investigated the teachers’ reality related to the implementation of CLIL in a particular context. The context where I have decided to carry out the investigation is the city of Mataró. This study focused on 20 state schools and involved 43 teachers. Some participants were already implementing CLIL in their schools and some were not. The study used a mixed-method (quantitative/qualitative) approach. Questionnaires were used to obtain quantitative and general diagnosis relating to the teachers’ current situation, experiences and opinions related to this topic. Interviews were used with a smaller sample of teachers from a selection of schools that allowed for a more in-depth insight into teachers’ reality and beliefs concerning this approach.