Abstrakt
The use of a foreign language in the teaching of a subject has always been an issue in foreign language teaching and learning. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), unlike other approaches to learning foreign languages, has dual-focused goals, emphasizing both academic content and foreign language proficiency since its concentration is on integrating the two. In simple terms, it is an undated approach for simultaneous teaching and learning of academic content and foreign language. It lacks a single design for implementation, which makes it intriguing to examine in various educational settings. Starting from this point, this study aims to reveal the organization behind the CLIL contexts in three different countries: namely, Italy, Spain, and Turkey.
We would like to offer a multidimensional overview of CLIL implementation at an international level about the theoretical and empirical concepts in each country. As for the theoretical concepts, compulsory education systems, teacher training programmes, requirements for CLIL teachers and legislatives in each country were discussed in detail for a better understanding of the differences between the implementation of CLIL. As for the empirical concepts, involvement of directors, professional development and training opportunities of teachers, financial support from the top management, satisfaction level of students and the teachers of the systems and finally academic non-academic results obtained to ensure the success of CLIL practice are to be dealt with through the perceptions of the educational authorities.
Most of the research has been yielded considering students' academic success, their attitudes towards CLIL learning, as well as their motivation and the techniques teachers, use in the classroom. Even though there are perception studies in the area, this research has the characteristics of consisting of all the educational members and their relationship among themselves on a national and international basis. By educational members, the school directors, foreign language teachers, subject matter teachers and students are intended as the participants of this research. A mixed-method design was made use of where surveys were used as quantitative data collection tools and semi-structured interviews were designed for the qualitative data collection process.
The research data show us that there is still a need for teacher training programmes for a better implementation of CLIL practices as well as extra financial support. It also highlights the importance of collaboration between teachers while implementing this interdisciplinary approach.
This research makes use of a mixed-method as a research methodology, which consists of data collection and analysis, as well the integration of findings and formulation of inferences, based on the use of both qualitative and quantitative approaches (Hesse-Biber & Johnson, 2015). It utilizes Convergent Parallel Design QUAN - QUAL }} Findings }} Interpretation model which consists of the simultaneous collection of quantitative and qualitative data with a separate analysis of the data as well as the comparison of the results which then would lead to more confidential research results (Creswell, 2014; Oppermann, 2000).
The target group selection was done with the consideration of the existence of CLIL type of implementation in the related schools in Italy, Spain and Turkey. In Spain, the target group selection was done in the favour of bilingual centres whereas in Turkey and in Italy public and private schools have been contacted.
The data collection instruments for this study were created by a group of professors and researchers in Spain and were supervised by three professors from the University of Granada, Ortega, Hughes, and Madrid (2018). They were implemented in all the regions of Spain while in Italy, in Palermo, Sicily, and in Turkey, in Istanbul.
The research team constructed two instruments: semi-structured interviews and surveys with validated questions by 12 expert project members (Hughes, Ortega-Martín & Madrid, 2018).
Qualitative data collection was managed by semi-structured interviews in Italy and Turkey by the first author of this paper during her doctoral studies. For quantitative data collection, five surveys have been administered to four different groups of respondents, namely; directors, subject matter teachers, foreign language teachers in all the mentioned countries as well as high school students in Italy and Turkey and Spain. In the surveys, the participants were asked to express their opinions and perceptions using a Likert Scale with a blank space left to enable them to clarify their ideas if they desire. These instruments enabled a methodological triangulation and personal data (Aguilar Gavira & Barroso Osuna, 2015) that allow obtaining a multidimensional perspective of the focus of interest of this research (Hughes, Ortega- Martín & Madrid, 2018).
According to the collected data, it is perceived that the management team values the CLIL approach in Spain and of private schools in Turkey. In the case of Italy, there is motivation and commitment but there is a lack of support for training. The reason for that could be also the proficiency level of the teachers in the foreign language. Only 22,6 % of Italian teachers have a C1, while %25,8 of them have a C2 level of proficiency. The ratio is %56 for foreign language teachers with a C2 proficiency level in Turkey and % 31 of the teachers claimed to have a C1. As to Spain the %47, have a C2 level of proficiency. It's obvious that there is a connection between a teacher competence in a foreign language and the implementation of CLIL.
The data clearly show a high degree of satisfaction of the participants with the results of the programs in Spain and in Turkey. The prevalent impression in Italy is that this type of implementation needs to be improved. The directors emphasize that they will require more time and training to fully implement it. They discuss the difficulties they have encountered in implementing CLIL, despite the fact that teachers are required by law to be taught in CLIL practice and to obtain a certificate to do so. However, there are no free training courses available. Because most teachers do not want to be charged for additional burden, they do not attend the course, resulting in the CLIL practice not taking place at these schools where it should be mandated. As a result, even though its implementation is compulsory by law, it ends up being used by the teacher's own initiative in practice.
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