Impact of CLIL on Scientific English and Problem-Solving Skills

A Quasi-Experimental Study in Moroccan Middle Schools

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21154/eltall.v6i2.10627

Keywords:

CLIL, scientific English, problem solving skills, critical thinking

Abstract

This study examines how CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) can scaffold Moroccan school students to enhance their scientific English and problem-solving skills. This is important as it integrates language learning with subject mastery, a concept increasingly valued in academia and critical thinking development. The study employed a one-group pre-test and post-test design, with 25 middle school students participating in a science-oriented CLIL intervention. The results of a paired t-test revealed a significant improvement in scientific English proficiency and problem-solving ability following completion of the course. Compared to pre-test scores, post-test scores had increased considerably, concluding that the CLIL technique helped students acquire desirable academic skills (M difference = -5.640, SD = 3.303, SE = 0.661, t (24) = -8.539, p = 0.000), with a 95% confidence interval of [-7.003, -4.277]. This finding directly contributes to the ongoing efforts in Morocco to transform language and content instruction. It demonstrates that CLIL can significantly enhance learning outcomes, offering a pathway to improving the quality of teaching and learning in Moroccan schools.

References

Ben Hammou, S., & Kesbi, A. (2021). Physics teachers’ attitudes towards content and language integrated learning: Morocco’s multilingual context. Issues in Educational Research, 31(4), 1029–1048. Retrieved from https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.326723483448855

Cook, T. D., Campbell, D. T., & Day, A. (1979). Quasi-experimentation: Design & analysis issues for field settings (Vol. 351). Houghton Mifflin Boston.

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.

csefrs. (2015). For a School of Equity, Quality and Promotion A STRATEGIC VISION OF REFORM 2015-2030. Retrieved from https://www.csefrs.ma/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Résumé-vision-Anglais-AR.pdf

Dalton-Puffer, C. (2008). Outcomes and processes in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL): current research from Europe. na.

Fernández-Costales, A. (2023). Cognitive development in CLIL. The Routledge Handbook of Content and Language Integrated Learning, 127–140.

Fernandez-Fontecha, A., O’Halloran, K. L., Wignell, P., & Tan, S. (2020). Scaffolding CLIL in the science classroom via visual thinking: A systemic functional multimodal approach. Linguistics and Education, 55, 100788.

H.Q Mitchell- Marileni Malkogianni. (2018). Portal to English 2. MM Publications. Retrieved from https://www.mmpublications.com/n/Secondary-and-Adult-Courses/Portal-to-English-British/Portal-to-English-2-British

Hemmi, C., & Banegas, D. L. (2021). CLIL: An overview. International Perspectives on CLIL, 1–20.

Huang, Y.-C. (2020). The Effects of Elementary Students’ Science Learning in CLIL. English Language Teaching, 13(2), 1–15.

Jafarigohar, M., Divsar, H., & Etemad, P. (2022). The effect of CLIL context on the primary education EFL receptive and productive lexical growth. Language Teaching Research, 13621688221078996. doi:10.1177/13621688221078997

Kruawong, T., & Phoocharoensil, S. (2024). Enhancing Science Vocabulary and Content Knowledge of Thai EFL students through Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and English Science Textbooks Word Lists (ESTWL). REFLections, 31(1 SE-Research articles), 275–294. doi:10.61508/refl.v31i1.272797

Lasagabaster, D., & Sierra, J. M. (2009). Language attitudes in CLIL and traditional EFL classes. International CLIL Research Journal, 1(2), 4–17.

Lázaro-Ibarrola, A., & Azpilicueta-Martínez, R. (2021). Motivation towards the foreign language (English) and regional language (Basque) in immersion schools: Does CLIL in the foreign language make a difference? Language Teaching Research, 13621688211031736. doi:10.1177/13621688211031737

Llinares, A, Morton, T., & Whittaker, R. (2012). The Roles of Language in CLIL. On Cambridge Language Teaching Library. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ma/books?id=O576aEmHdxsC

Llinares, Ana, & Cross, R. (2022). New challenges for CLIL research: Identifying (in) equity issues. AILA Review. John Benjamins Publishing Company Amsterdam/Philadelphia.

Lo, Y. Y., & Lin, A. M. Y. (2019). Teaching, learning and scaffolding in CLIL science classrooms. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, 7(2), 151–165.

López-Medina, B. (2021). On the development of a CLIL textbook evaluation checklist: A focus group study. TESL-EJ, 25(1). Retrieved from https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85115114462&partnerID=40&md5=3fd65796c5ea788033fee644d214226a

Mahan, K. R., Brevik, L. M., & Ødegaard, M. (2021). Characterizing CLIL teaching: New insights from a lower secondary classroom. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism.

Nashaat-Sobhy, N., Mestre-Mestre, E. M., & MacDonald, P. (2024). A review of a decade of scaffolding practices for learning in CLIL science classrooms. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education. doi:https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.23010.nas

Nguyen, H. T. M., Nguyen, H. T. T., Gilanyi, L., Hoang, T. H., & Gao, X. (2025). Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL): Teachers’ metacognitive understanding of pedagogical translanguaging. Learning and Instruction, 97. doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2025.102085

Olsson, E. (2021). A comparative study of CLIL implementation in upper secondary school in Sweden and students’ development of L2 English academic vocabulary. Language Teaching Research, 13621688211045000. doi:10.1177/13621688211045000

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 SE-Articles), 113–131. doi:10.6092/issn.1970-2221/12646

Sakamoto, M. (2022). The missing C: addressing criticality in CLIL. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 25(7), 2422–2434. doi:10.1080/13670050.2021.1914540

Serra, Judit, & Feijoo, Sara. (2022). Teacher translanguaging in CLIL primary education: do teachers’ perceptions match their real practices? (Translingüismo y aprendizaje integrado de contenidos y lengua extranjera (AICLE) en la educación primaria: percepciones y prácticas reales del profeso. Journal for the Study of Education and Development, 45(2), 280–310. doi:10.1080/02103702.2021.2009294

Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (2002). Quasi-experiments: interrupted time-series designs. Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Generalized Causal Inference, 171–205.

Sheridan, R., Tanaka, K. M., & Hogg, N. (2019). Foreign language, local culture: How familiar contexts impact learning and engagement. TESL-EJ, 23(1). Retrieved from https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85072801348&partnerID=40&md5=a09359ed390558bf4c15cfcba125f812

Tagnin, L., & Ní Ríordáin, M. (2021). Building science through questions in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) classrooms. International Journal of STEM Education, 8(1), 34.

Tai, K. W. H., Wei, L., & Loh, E. K. Y. (2025). Enhancing students’ content and language development: Implications for researching multilingualism in CLIL classroom context. Learning and Instruction, 96. doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2025.102083

Valverde Caravaca, R. (2019). Effective questioning in CLIL classrooms: empowering thinking. ELT Journal, 73(4), 367–376. doi:10.1093/elt/ccz030

Zavershneva, E., & van der Veer, R. (2021). Lev Vygotsky BT - Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. In T. K. Shackelford & V. A. Weekes-Shackelford (Eds.) (pp. 4539–4542). Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-19650-3_2391

Downloads

Published

2025-12-03

Issue

Section

Articles