CONTENT AND LANGUAGE INTEGRATED LEARNING (CLIL) IN KAZAKHSTAN: CASE STUDIES OF FIVE TEACHERS AT A NAZARBAYEV INTELLECTUAL SCHOOL (NIS)

Abstract

The purpose of this multiple case study of NIS teachers was to explore, and gain a better understanding of, how they conceptualize CLIL and how they implement CLIL approach, if at all, in teaching content subjects through students` L2 or L3. In this study, I also investigated how CLIL is defined by NIS policy makers and communicated to teachers. The participants of the study were purposefully selected and included five teachers of one NIS who provide subject content instruction through students` L2 (Russian or Kazakh) or L3 (English). Two representatives of NIS administration, who were involved in the development of the trilingual education policy and the teachers` professional development programs were also part of this study. This study revealed that the teachers conceptualized CLIL as just using L2 or L3 as a medium of instruction. Interview data indicated that teachers built a boundary between content and language and prioritized content teaching. They did not see their role in explicit language instruction, but in the facilitation of students` language acquisition within their content. Classroom observations showed that participating teachers implemented CLIL strategies incidentally, although they did not always attribute them to CLIL. Policy makers defined CLIL as a core element of trilingual education, although interviews indicated that CLIL pedagogy as a significant component of trilingual education policy planning was missing in the NIS planning. I anticipate that the knowledge generated from this inquiry will contribute to, and uniquely expand, the body of research on CLIL. In particular, this study records the initial planning of CLIL towards a trilingual context, then its ongoing implementation.