EXPLORING VIETNAMESE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCES, AND PERSPECTIVES IN CLIL IMPLEMENTATION

Abstract

In Vietnam, content and language integrated learning (CLIL) has been introduced as an innovative approach to simultaneously develop elementary students’ language skills and academic subject knowledge. This study aims to investigate elementary teachers’ knowledge, experiences, and perspectives on CLIL implementation in Vietnam. Employing a mixed-methods design, this study administered a questionnaire comprising 20 five-point Likert-scale items to 100 teachers in the pilot phase and 183 teachers in the main phase, and conducted individual interviews with six teachers using nine open-ended questions. The findings reveal that although teachers possessed basic insights, relevant experience, and positive perspectives on CLIL (with mean scores exceeding 3.6), they faced several challenges related to professional development, collaboration and administrative support, and disparities in students’ language proficiency. In addition, teachers’ knowledge and experience were positively associated with their perspectives on CLIL (r = .68, p < .001; r = .52, p < .001, respectively), with knowledge emerging as a significant predictor (β = .62, p < .001), and a positive trend was observed between teachers’ language proficiency and their attitudes toward CLIL. Based on the participants’ responses, this study proposes several suggestions concerning training programmes, cooperation, and administrative support to enhance the effectiveness of CLIL implementation in Vietnamese elementary schools.

Keywords: Bilingual education, CLIL implementation, primary school, teacher, Vietnam.

Ethics and Conflict of Interest

This study involved voluntary participation of in-service elementary teachers and did not include any physical or psychological interventions. All procedures were conducted in accordance with research ethics principles and the guidelines. Specifically, participants were invited via email and were clearly informed about the purpose of the study and the confidentiality of their responses. The survey was administered using Google Forms, and participants had the option to provide their email addresses or remain anonymous. All participants were fully informed about the study and provided their informed consent by completing a consent form at the beginning of the Google Form survey. They could proceed to the main questions only after confirming their agreement to participate. In addition, no potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

REFERENCES

Banegas, D. L., Montgomery, P., & Raud, N. (2024). Student-teachers’ understanding of language teaching through the CLIL Language Triptych. Learning and Instruction, 95, 1-9. Article 102044. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.102044

Barrios, E., & Milla Lara, M. (2020). CLIL methodology, materials and resources, and assessment in a monolingual context: An analysis of stakeholders’ perceptions in Andalusia. The Language Learning Journal, 48(1), 60–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2018

Belobrovy, A., & Nygård Larsson, P. (2020). Meaning-making in science from the perspective of students’ hybrid language use. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 18(7), 1363–1384. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-019-09994-z

Campillo-Ferrer, J., Miralles-Martínez, P., & Sánchez-Ibáñez, R. (2020). CLIL teachers’ views on cognitive development in primary education. Palgrave Communications, 6, Article 97. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-0480-x

Campillo, J. M., Sánchez, R., & Miralles, P. (2019). Primary Teachers’ Perceptions of CLIL Implementation in Spain. English Language Teaching, 12(4), 149-156. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n4p149

Cenoz, J., Genesee, F., & Gorter, D. (2014). Critical analysis of CLIL: Taking stock and looking forward. Applied Linguistics, 35(3), 243–262. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amt01

Chen, H. (2023). Teaching CLIL to primary school students under Taiwan’s bilingual 2030 plan. TESOL Communications, 3(1), 66–86. https://doi.org/10.58304/tc.20240105 

Coyle, D. (2007). Content and language integrated learning: Towards a connected research agenda for CLIL pedagogies. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 10(5), 543–562.
https://doi.org/10.2167/beb459.0

Coyle, D., Hood, P., & Marsh, D. (2010). CLIL: Content and language integrated learning. Cambridge University Press. https://assets.cambridge.org/97805211/30219/excerpt/9780521130219_excerpt.pdf

Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). SAGE.

Custodio Espinar, M., & García Ramos, J. (2020). Are accredited teachers equally trained for CLIL? The CLIL teacher paradox. Porta Linguarum, (33), 9–25. http://hdl.handle.net/10481/62800

Do, T. M. H. (2020). Bilingual curriculum enactment in Vietnam in an era of economic and social reform. Doctoral Dissertation, School of Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty of Education, Queensland University of Technology. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/208014/1/Thi%20My%20Ha_Do_Thesis.pdf

Doiz, A., & Lasagabaster, D. (2017). Management teams and teaching staff: Do they share the same beliefs about obligatory CLIL programmes and the use of the L1? Language and Education, 31(2), 93–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2017.1290102

Durán-Martínez, R., & Beltrán-Llavador, F. (2020). Key issues in teachers’ assessment of primary education bilingual programmes in Spain. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(2), 170–183. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2017.1345851

Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). SAGE.

García, O. (2011). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective. John Wiley and Sons.

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training [HCMC DET]. (2017). A signing ceremony between Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, EMG Education and ACT. http://edu.hochiminhcity.gov.vn/tin-tuc/leky-ket-hop-tac-giua-so-giao-duc-va-dao-tao-emg-education-va-actcmobile41153-57805.aspx

Huang, Y.-C. (2020). The effects of elementary students’ science learning in CLIL. English Language Teaching, 13(2), 1‑15. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n2p1  

Joyce, C., Bull, A., Hipkins, R., & MacIntyre, B. (2008). Putting the nature of science strand into the water cycle. set: Research Information for Teachers, (2), 10–15. https://doi.org/10.18296/set.0486 

Kao, Y. T. (2022). Exploring translanguaging in Taiwanese CLIL classes: an analysis of teachers’ perceptions and practices. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 36(1), 100-121. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2022.2033762

Karimi, P., Lotfi, A. R., & Biria, R. (2017). Efficacy of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) pedagogical techniques in improving aviation students’ engagement in attaining specific learning outcomes. Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes, 5(4), 781–794. https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP1704781K

Kováčiková, E., & Luprichová, J. (2023). CLIL as the vehicle of transition from mono- to bilingual instruction at Slovak universities. Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes, 11(3), 753–763. https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP231003056K

Lasagabaster, D., & Sierra, J. M. (2010). Classroom observation and teachers’ perceptions in a CLIL program. Language Awareness, 19(1), 79–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658410903464433

Marsh, D. (2012). Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL): A Development Trajectory. Cambridge University Press. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/60884824.pdf

McDougald, J. (2015). Teachers' attitudes, perceptions and experiences in CLIL: A look at content and language. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal, 17(1), 25-41. http://dx.doi.org/10.14483/udistrital.jour.calj.2015.1.a02

Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implement. John Wiley & Sons.

Milla Lara, M., & Casas Pedrosa, A. (2018). Teacher perspectives on CLIL implementation: A within-group comparison of key variables. Porta Linguarum, (29), 159–180. https://doi.org/10.30827/Digibug.54032

Moreno de Diezmas, E. (2019). Students, teachers and management teams in bilingual programmes: Shared perceptions and areas for improvement. Journal of English Studies, 17, 277–297. https://doi.org/10.18172/jes.3564

Nguyen, H. T. M., Nguyen, H. T. T., Gao, X., Hoang, T. H., & Starfield, S. (2023). Developing professional capacity for Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) teaching in Vietnam: tensions and responses. Language and Education, 38(1), 118–138. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2023.2260374

Nguyen, T. T. H., & Nguyen, T. M. H. (2024). Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) in Vietnam: Challenges and solutions. VNU Journal of Foreign Studies, 40(2), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.63023/2525-2445/jfs.ulis.5246

Pavón Vázquez, V., & Méndez García, M. (2017). Analysing teachers’ roles regarding cross-curricular coordination in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). Journal of English Studies, 15, 235–260. https://doi.org/10.18172/jes.3227

Pérez Cañado, M. L. (2016). Teacher training needs for bilingual education: In-service teacher perceptions. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 19(3), 266–295. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2014.980778

Pérez Cañado, M. L. (2018a). CLIL and pedagogical innovation: Fact or fiction? International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 28(3), 369–390. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12208

Pérez Cañado, M. L. (2018b). The evolution of bilingual education in monolingual contexts: An Andalusian case study. In P. Romanowski and M. Jedynak (Eds.), Current Research in Bilingualism and Bilingual Education (pp. 207–241). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92396-3_12

Piacentini, V. (2021). CLIL and science education: A review for a language focus in science teaching. Ricerche di Pedagogia e Didattica. Journal of Theories and Research in Education, 16(3), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1970-2221/12646

Porcedda, M. E., & González-Martínez, J. (2020). CLIL teacher training: Lacks and suggestions from a systematic literature review. Enseñanza and Teaching, 38(1), 49–68. https://doi.org/10.14201/et20203814968

Romo Escudero, B., & Durán-Martínez, R. (2019). The human factor in Primary bilingual programmes : The management teams’ perspective. Porta Linguarum, (31), 131–145. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/7015460.pdf

Rutgers, D., Admiraal, W., & Westhoff, G. (2020). The knowledge base of CLIL teaching in multilingual primary education settings. https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/L019_ELTRA_FINAL.pdf

Savic, V. (2010, May). Are we ready for implementing CLIL in primary language classrooms? British Council Serbia ELTA Newsletter. http://www.britishcouncil.org/ro/serbia-elta-newsletter-2010-may.htm

Szczesniak, A., & Luna, R. M. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in primary schools in Andalusia. Porta Linguarum, (37), 237–257. https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.vi37.18414

Trinh, T. T. H. (2023). Promoting gender equality in education in Vietnam currently. International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Studies, 3(1), 22–28. https://www.multiresearchjournal.com/admin/uploads/archives/archive-1702444251.pdf