The researchers explore the impact on CLIL classes (285 learners in all) using a third language (English) in secondary schools in the Basque Country, where schooling is normally done in both Basque and Spanish. The results of this year-long study revealed that learning through a third language did not negatively impact on the first language (Basque) of the learners. It also showed that CLIL learners’ English was higher than that of non-CLIL learners. Overall, the study suggest that the languages complement each other and give rise to genuine multilingual classrooms.
Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) programmes are mushrooming in many different contexts. However, research has mainlyfocused on their impact on foreign language learning and to a lesserextent on L1 development, whereas the number of studies undertakenin multilingual contexts in which more than two languages coexist is negligible. In an attempt to fill this gap, the overall aim of this researchstudy was to examine the effect of CLIL on the learning of threelanguages in contact, namely English, Basque and Spanish in the BasqueCountry, Spain. With this objective in mind, two test rounds wereconducted in a longitudinal study spanning one year and in which 285secondary education students took part. The results revealedsignificantly higher scores on the part of the CLIL students in English(which represents the L3 and the foreign language in this context) inboth test rounds, although a similar linguistic development between theexperimental CLIL and the control non-CLIL groups was observed.Additionally, no significant differences were found in the students’L1and L2 development (Spanish and Basque), despite the fact that CLILstudents had a lower exposure to Basque in the school context.
Merino, J. A., & Lasagabaster, D. (2015). CLIL as a way to multilingualism. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, , 1-14