End-Users’ Reactions towards CLIL

Students’ opinions towards CLIL in Wyższa Szkoła Humanistyczno-Ekonomiczna, Łódź, Poland  

The survey conducted in spring 2004 addressed mainly students from the fields of Financing Management (7 students), e-Commerce (5 students), Introduction to Management (17 students), and CISCO Academy (18 students).

Language-wise the most important skill the students chose was Interaction (average 4.41 out of 5 points), followed by Listening (4.40) and Speaking (4.35). Vocabulary was the fourth valued skill (4.16). Writing, Reading were less valued with Grammar as the least important element in the process of learning a foreign language (average 3.19 out of 5 points). The only language used in CLIC classes in WSHE was English. Most of the students agreed that classes / lectures in language other than their mother tongue help them improve their professional qualifications. The students evaluated themselves as quite competent in a foreign language though the target language was still one of the most important problems, whereas resources, class communication or content seemed to be less problematic. The majority of students saw motivation as quite problematic.

Regarding teaching methods and materials, respondents mentioned lectures, group work, translation and interaction. However, many students thought that classes/lectures in their mother tongue would be as interesting as in a foreign language. Nevertheless, the students are aware of the benefits of integrated learning. Most of the respondents found improving their language skills (both communication skills and vocabulary) and content (improving their professional qualifications) as well as their personal development as very important. Most of them regarded CLIL classes as beneficial in better chances on the job market (85%). Less valued were student exchange programmes, motivation to study and intercultural development (most students evaluated them as fairly important).

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