Bilingual Education in Europe: Taking the Supranational Turn in CLIL Research

• In Event: Advancing International and Comparative Bi-/Multilingual Education Research: Global Visions for an Interconnected World

Abstract

The objectives of this talk are threefold. To begin with, it will present an overview of the current situation of the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) research scene in the continent where this approach originated, showcasing the great progress made from the initial reductive, isolationist stance maintained to the more integrative, cross-continental approach which has been favored in recent years (Cenoz, Genesee, & Gorter, 2014; Cenoz & Ruiz de Zarobe, 2015). It will then illustrate how the supranational turn in CLIL research has been approximated, taking the European ADiBE Project as a case in point. And it will conclude by mapping out future pathways for progression in the arena and how to act upon them. Thus, the past, present, and future of international comparative bilingual education research in Europe will be canvassed and the most important take-aways which accrue from this overview will be foregrounded. This conceptual work draws on two approaches to data collection: (1) seminal research evidencing CLIL's theoretical and pedagogical development across Europe; and (2) ADiBE project data (e.g., Bauer-Marschallinger et al., 2023; Pérez Cañado, 2023; Siepmann et al., 2023) illustrating CLIL's development from a country-specific approach to bilingual education to a supranational movement. The ADiBE project brings together key figures with ample experience in the field of CLIL from six countries (Spain, Austria, Finland, Germany, Italy, and the UK). It aims to fill a much-needed niche affecting catering to diversity within CLIL programs across Europe and to work towards an inclusive, innovative, and reflective society by offering research-based evidence and concrete resources to improve language learning and make bilingual education a more inclusive reality for all. Its objective is three-pronged: to identify difficulties and best practices in catering to diversity in intercultural and content integrated language learning and teaching; to produce and implement project -, task-, and ICT-based activities to make CLIL accessible to all types of achievers; and to design and pilot teacher training modules to empower practitioners to step up to this important challenge. Ultimately, ADiBE aims to contribute to the integration of all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status, educational background, or achievement level and to making CLIL accessible to all. Addressing the past, present and future of international comparative bilingual education research in Europe and CLIL’s supranational turn is significant since it will allow us to ascertain the substantial progress made in this arena, to determine where we currently stand in this terrain, and to signpost ways forward in forging new ground in multilingual, cross-country, and cross-continental research.

Author

• María Luisa Pérez Cañado, Universidad de Jaén