Learning and using (an) additional language(s) apart from one’s mother tongue seems to be a norm ... more Learning and using (an) additional language(s) apart from one’s mother tongue seems to be a norm around the world today (Li Wei, 2007). And with the global spread of English arising from a host of historical, political and socioeconomic factors (Phillipson, 2009), it is apparent that English, often recognized (or misrecognized if we adopt a critical perspective) as the global “lingua franca” or “international language”, is one of the most popular languages to opt for as an additional language in non-English speaking countries (i.e. EFL contexts). Many European and Southeast Asian societies, with their desire to participate and compete in the globalized economy, regard English proficiency as one of the essential skills to be developed among the workforce. However, in EFL contexts, the linguistic capital English is often unevenly distributed across different social sectors in society (Lin, 2006). Hence, how to enable students to cross the English divide and how to make English linguistic capital accessible to more of the school population have become important issues in language policy and education programmes (Lin & Man, 2009).
To facilitate the learning of English in EFL contexts where students usually lack exposure to the target language, policy makers and educators have been attracted by a model of bilingual education in which a second, foreign or additional language is used as the language of instruction in non-language content subjects (e.g. History, Science, Mathematics). For instance, in many Southeast Asian countries (e.g. Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore), serious government attention is given to promoting English-medium education, whereas in many countries in continental Europe, the implementation of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is in full swing (Pérez-Cañado, 2012). The underlying principle shared by these programmes is to integrate content and language learning so that students are likely to be exposed to more language input and output opportunities within the authentic contexts of content subjects.
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To facilitate the learning of English in EFL contexts where students usually lack exposure to the target language, policy makers and educators have been attracted by a model of bilingual education in which a second, foreign or additional language is used as the language of instruction in non-language content subjects (e.g. History, Science, Mathematics). For instance, in many Southeast Asian countries (e.g. Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore), serious government attention is given to promoting English-medium education, whereas in many countries in continental Europe, the implementation of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is in full swing (Pérez-Cañado, 2012). The underlying principle shared by these programmes is to integrate content and language learning so that students are likely to be exposed to more language input and output opportunities within the authentic contexts of content subjects.