Tuning university undergraduates for high mobility and employability under the content and language integrated learning approach

Abstract

Globalisation affects both language use and the economics of higher education. Considering how to design new instructional approaches to prepare graduates with competence in using language and professional knowledge interactively and interculturally has thus become a major concern of higher education institutes. Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is expected to develop learners' cognitive flexibility, communication skills, meaningful interaction, skills for working life and intercultural awareness, and thus equip them with enhanced mobility and employability for the labour market. Yet, in contrast to the language effects which have been extensively researched, the actual realisation of the two assumed non-linguistic objectives, namely mobility and employability, are still rather under-researched. Thus, to bridge the gap, the present study investigated the perceptions of 110 learners who are taught in two CLIL degree-based programmes combined with a peculiar sandwich curriculum in Taiwan to understand how the CLIL approach benefits them in terms of increased mobility and employability. The study adopted a mixed method approach, including a questionnaire survey and follow-up interviews. The main results revealed that enhancing mobility and employability are two evidenced advantages of CLIL education, although subtle variances still exist in the views of the two groups of students. Implications for CLIL practices in Asian contexts are discussed.

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