As said above, in the programme under investigation English is a subject and at the same time the language of instruction. Met (1998) states that “many content-based courses or programmes use the second language as the medium for learning the content of specific courses (such as mathematics, science, art, or social sciences) shifting the focus from language as course content to language as the medium of instruction” (p.
35). She claims that designing content-based curriculum requires careful consideration of six factors, because these factors influence the nature of content and language learn-ing alike. The six factors are the followlearn-ing: rationale for integratlearn-ing language and con-tent, models of integrating language and concon-tent, making decision about language and content, content and the attainment of cultural objectives, the role of explicit language instruction, teacher preparation and teacher planning.
These factors have to be explored to see how they relate to the English-only programme of the present study.
1.7.2 Rationale for integrating language and content
Following Savignon (1991) Met (1998) claims that “[c]ontent-based courses or programmes are a natural concomitant of communicative approaches to second/foreign language instruction that emphasise the use of language to interpret, express and negoti-ate meaning” (p. 36). Learning the language through content provides the students op-portunities to use the language in real-life situations “to communicate authentic mean-ings… for authentic purposes…and to accomplish authentic tasks” (Met, 1998, p. 36).
Constructivist theory provides a strong rationale for content-based language teaching claming that learning takes place through experiences in meaningful contexts.
According to it, learners can perform better when they can see how the parts they learn fit into the whole. “For language educators, this can imply that the content to be inte-grated with language be the content students are engaged with in the rest of their school day” (Met, 1998, p. 37). Caine & Caine’s (1991) research proves that making connec-tions between the parts increases learning and retention.
In multilingual settings, where there are more languages used in different con-texts both within and outside the school, decision making regarding the extent of inte-gration language and content is more complex.
1.7.3 Models of language/content integration
Met (1998) proposes a model for classifying the various approaches to integrat-ing language and content.
Figure 13 Content-based language teaching: A continuum of content and language integration (Met, 1998, p. 41)
Content-driven Language-driven
Total im-mersion
Partial immersion
Subject courses
Subject courses plus language classes/instruction
Language classes based on thematic
units
Language classes with frequent use of content
for lan-guage
prac-tice
The various approaches to integrating language and content reflect a continuum with content-driven programmes at one end of the continuum, and language driven pro-grammes at the other. In content-driven propro-grammes content is taught exclusively in the second/foreign language. In these programmes the learners’ performance in the content is as important as the development of their language proficiency. In language –driven
programmes learners learn the language as a subject, and “content serves as an effective vehicle for communicative language experiences. (p. 42) Between the two ends of the continuum there are models integrating language and content to different extents, and in different ways.
1.7.4 Making decisions about language and content
Met (1998) emphasises that two factors must be taken into consideration in de-signing the curriculum of content-based language programmes: the language profi-ciency of the learners, and the fit between the expected language outcomes and the con-tent selected.
Language proficiency level is particularly important in content-driven pro-grammes in bilingual or multilingual settings, where learners are expected to have high level of academic language proficiency in a non-native language. In these programmes content outcomes and language outcomes are equally important. Complementary lan-guage instruction that is the lanlan-guage taught as a subject may support content instruc-tion. In all content-based language programmes, attention must be paid to ensure that learners reach the level of language proficiency demanded by the content.
The choice of content to be taught in the second/foreign language must be de-cided after careful consideration of its fit with the learners’ current proficiency level, its fit with specified language objectives (the development of targeted language skills), and the fit with the cognitive demand of the subject.
1.7.5 Content and attainment of cultural objectives
Byram (1998) notes that in multicultural settings there is more than one culture present in the classroom and in the curriculum. Met (1998) claims that including culture teaching in the curriculum of content-based language teaching has an effect on the
choice of content, especially in the case of subjects – for example mathematics - which do not offer “a natural avenue for including culture learning in the curriculum” (p. 53).
Integrating culture and content is more natural in the case of social sciences. She em-phasises the importance of integrating culture learning into content-driven programmes, too, but does not have any suggestion how to do so. Byram’s (1998) suggestion is in-cluding explicit reference to the other cultures in the curriculum.
1.7.6 The role of explicit language instruction
Explicit language instruction may be part of the content course or complemen-tary to it. Met (1998) recommends to include explicit language instruction in the cur-riculum of content-driven programmes where there are subjects which “provide limited opportunities for the development of social language” (p. 55).
1.7.7 Teacher preparation and teacher planning
Nunan and Lam (1998) draws attention to the special demands on teachers’
competencies in multicultural/multilingual settings. Met (1998) claims that teaching content through the medium of a foreign language requires specialised professional knowledge, skills, and abilities. In content-based programmes for teachers who are con-tent specialists with high proficiency in the language of instruction it is essential to un-derstand and to be able to use strategies of effective language instruction. Effective teaching always involves plans for instruction, but second/foreign content teachers must consider a number of additional factors: “the language proficiency of students, the lan-guage objectives for the unit of instruction, the interaction between the lanlan-guage and content objectives, and how objectives will be assessed” (Met, 1998, p. 57).
1.7.8 Implications for the present study
The English-only programme the present study deals with is a unique type of content-based programmes. It is unique in the sense that it was not elaborated according to a rationale professionally worked out, but – as said before – it has come to life out of necessity meeting the demands of parents and their children arriving from different countries in Hungary where the conditions of multilingual education defined by Nunan and Lam (1998) as “educational programmes in which more than two languages are taught and academic instruction is presented through more than two languages” (p. 117) did not exist. Consequently, all the issues described above must be examined with this uniqueness in mind. That is what the present study aims to offer.
1.8 Personal characteristics: individual differences in attitude, motivation,