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.