A critical examination of Teachers’ Analysis of Language Use and Scaffolded Interaction in CLIL Science Classrooms

Abstract

This study examines how teachers’ analysis of language use and scaffolded interaction influence both content learning and L2 acquisition in secondary CLIL science classrooms. Literature shows that to achieve effective dialogic teaching, first, teachers’ awareness of language use in the co-construction of scientific knowledge is needed; second, the guidance for students to engage in talk-in-interaction is important. Yet questions still remain: what strategies are employed by teachers to promote the use of language not only for pedagogical purposes but as a cognitive learning tool for students, and what are the differences between expert and novice teachers? This paper reports the findings of an on-going, extensive study investigating L2 classroom talk in Hong Kong secondary science classrooms where subject content is taught through English. The project conducted a comparative study of 4 expert (over 5 years teaching experience) and 4 novice (below 5 years) teachers from 4 secondary schools, involving 250+ students. It adopts a grounded approach to analyze teachers’ strategies emerging from the following patterns of discourse: 1) recasting for mode shifting, 2) signaling to students for clarification and reformulation, 3) evoking cross-discussion among students, and 4) encouraging students’ self-statement of the thinking process. Qualitative data from multiple classroom observations and quantitative distribution of different discursive patterns were triangulated. Stimulated recall was used for interviews with teachers and students (n=40) about their awareness of language use. Findings suggest that moving along from the aforementioned discursive patterns (1-4) demonstrates a self-reflective strategy on the part of more experienced teachers to raise students’ meta-awareness of language use in constructing targeted scientific knowledge and L2 expression. Through the teachers’ well-scaffolded interaction, students are more likely to harness their reciprocal scaffolding and self-scaffolding agency to become competent learners and speakers of the language of science. The paper offers implications for teachers and policy makers.