The present study investigates differentiation in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in Finland. Specifically, this combination of a qualitative case study and quantitative survey examines (1) primary teachers' perceptions of differentiation, (2) the differentiation methods specific to CLIL education the teachers use and (3) the challenges of differentiation they identify. The qualitative phase was conducted in a school which offers CLIL education also to pupils with special needs following the principles of inclusive education. The results revealed that the teachers (n = 51) perceived differentiation in somewhat different ways. In general, the teachers differentiated their CLIL education in a fairly versatile manner with various teaching arrangements and methods and focussed on the differentiation of the language. In addition, the teachers' perceptions of differentiation correlated with the differentiation practices they used. The greatest challenges of differentiation involved time, material and physical classroom environment. The study indicates that teachers should be more conscious of the nature of differentiation for it to be more purposeful and systematic. Schools should critically reexamine their structures and for instance co-teaching, class-size reduction or remedial teaching could be used more effectively.
This article examines the long-term effects of CLIL on former pupils' foreign language and intercultural attitudes. The 24 participants, who received English-medium CLIL for nine years in the 1990s, were interviewed and the data analyzed using thematic analysis. The participants generally felt that CLIL had had a very positive effect on their target language attitudes. However, many considered that CLIL had affected negatively on their attitudes towards other foreign languages. The perceptions regarding the effect of CLIL on intercultural attitudes diverged more. The study elucidates the longstanding impact CLIL can have on individuals' attitudes yielding insights into future CLIL education. Artikkelissa tarkastellaan CLIL-opetuksen kauaskantoisia vaikutuksia oppilaiden asenteisiin vieraita kieliä sekä kulttuurienvälistä tietoisuutta kohtaan. Tutkimusta varten haastateltiin 24 entistä CLILoppilasta, jotka saivat englanninkielistä CLIL-opetusta 1990-luvulla. Haastatteluaineisto analysoitiin laadullisen sisällönanalyysin keinoin teemoittelemalla. Osallistujien mukaan CLIL-opetuksella oli erittäin positiivinen vaikutus heidän asenteisiinsa englannin kieltä kohtaan. Moni kuitenkin koki, että englannin vahva rooli oli vaikuttanut negatiivisesti heidän suhtautumiseensa muihin vieraisiin kieliin. Näkemykset CLIL-opetuksen vaikutuksista kulttuurienväliseen tietoisuuteen puolestaan vaihtelivat enemmän. Tutkimuksen tulokset havainnollistavat millaisia kauaskantoisia vaikutuksia CLILopetuksella voi olla yksilöiden asenteisiin.
This article examines teachers' perceptions and experiences of intercultural education. The participants (n = 11) were teachers who work in the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of an International Baccalaureate (IB) school in the Netherlands. The school was chosen as the context for this study due to the emphasis on intercultural understanding in IB education. The data were collected through a closed and open-ended survey in 2019 and complemented by an ethnographical method. The results showed that the teachers mostly drew on culturaldifferentialist approaches in their definition of intercultural education. They considered intercultural education to be important for the pupils' future but felt insecure in implementing it. All teachers reported implementing intercultural education in their teaching at least to some extent, however with some limitations. The teachers focused predominantly on national cultures and traditions to address interculturality in class. Despite the overall trend, a few teachers expressed more critical views on interculturality and expanded their perceptions of it to 'small cultures'. The findings of this study speak to the importance of paying attention to pre-service teacher training to provide teachers with tangible tools to implement a type of intercultural education that departs from solely essentialist views of culture.
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