Diversity in CLIL as experienced by Finnish CLIL teachers and students : matters of equality and equity

Abstract
This article focuses on how Finnish CLIL teachers and students orient to and experience diversity in CLIL. The data consist of teacher and student interviews that were analysed using qualitative content analysis to identify recurrent themes with regard to diversity. The findings indicate that the theme of equality in the sense of ‘the same for all’ in both teaching, assessing and homework was readily brought up by both groups, reflecting the ethos of equality prevalent in Finnish education. Equity, however, was not similarly highlighted even though it is a guiding principle alongside equality in the Finnish Core Curriculum for Basic Education. Teachers were found reluctant to topicalise diversity, at least in the form of explicit differentiation. This applied especially to academic skills, with students’ different linguistic skills more readily addressed. Both teacher and student interviews construct CLIL students as high-achievers in comparison to peers in regular classrooms. The students, however, also criticised being treated as a homogenous group and expressed wishes for personalised support. In sum, the findings show tensions between maintaining equality and securing equity in that adherence to the same type of education for all may render invisible the varying competences, ways of learning and needs for support.
Main Authors
Format
Articles Research article
Published
2023
Series
Subjects
Publication in research information system
Publisher
Routledge
The permanent address of the publication
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202202011356Use this for linking
Review status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1367-0050
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2022.2028125
Language
English
Published in
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism
Citation
  • Nikula, T., Skinnari, K., & Mård-Miettinen, K. (2023). Diversity in CLIL as experienced by Finnish CLIL teachers and students : matters of equality and equity. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 26(9), 1066-1079. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2022.2028125
License
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0Open Access
Funder(s)
European Commission
Funding program(s)
Strategic partnerships, E+
Strategiset kumppanuushankkeet, E+
European Commission
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Additional information about funding
This work was supported by European Commission [grant number 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050356].
Copyright© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

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