RESULTS OF APPLYING CLIL APPROACH WITH LEARNING ACTIVITIES IN HISTORY OF ARTS AND DESIGN COURSES FOR BI-LINGUAL PROGRAM UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

The objectives of this study are 1) to compare the level of content proficiency between the control group who studied content in their mother language and the experimental group who studied content through CLIL approach, 2) to compare the level of English proficiency of the experimental group before and after they studied in the class designed with CLIL approach, and 3) to study the satisfaction level of the experimental group after CLIL courses. Research instruments consist of lesson plans designed according to CLIL approach, examination questions which measure the level of content learning achievement, English proficiency test which aims to measure accuracy, Rubrics for analyzing fluency level, and the learner satisfactory evaluation system developed by the university. There are two sample groups of 21 and 26 students, purposively selected from the first-year university students. Control group consists of 24 students. The following results were found. 1) It is still unclear if the level of content proficiency in the experimental group is comparable to the control group who study the same subject in Thai language. As the t-Test analysis revealed both the case in which the proficiency level of each group is not significantly different (P=0.21223), and the case in which the proficiency level of the experimental group is significantly lower than the control group’s (P=0.01404). 2) The English proficiency level of the experimental group increased without statistical significance ((P=0.13373 and 0.35475). This finding might be related to the teacher’s expertise in content teaching, not language teaching. And 3) the experimental group were highly satisfied. The overall results point to a tendency to support the argument that CLIL approach is applicable with subjects in Art and Design history, for the learners would definitely be satisfied and their English proficiency level may increase. But the researcher suggested that content teacher should receive training in language teaching until confident in one’s own ability to teach language. And after the proper training is received, there should be further study if the content proficiency level of those who study in CLIL approach might be comparable to those who study in their mother language (Thai).