Students’ Perception of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Practice at EASS: Advantages and Drawbacks
Abstract
The implementation of CLIL (content and language integrated learning)
at the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences goes back 10 years and
was already accepted then as it is now as an innovative phenomenon
and effective way of integrating subject knowledge and foreign language
acquisition. CLIL is implemented in order to foster students’ language
learning effectiveness, whilst also teaching them professional vocabulary.
It also helps cut down on learning hours since both a subject and a
language are taught simultaneously. Although CLIL was first introduced
in educational settings as recently as the 1990s, mostly at primary and
secondary school levels, it has in the ensuing years evolved into tertiary
education level as well. The teaching staff has a belief in CLIL, but what
about students’ understanding and beliefs? Thus, this article examines
how the content and language integrated learning practices are accepted
by the students of the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences. The main
findings are made on the basis of a qualitative analysis of the questionnaire
survey conducted by the authors in 2018-2020 at EASS. The study
reveals essential aspects necessary to improve the quality of content and
integrated lessons. The results of the research, relying on the analysis of
student feedback, are presumably of interest to Internal Security education
and other professional higher educational institutions that practice
content and language integrated learning.