Content-Based EFL Teaching to Undergraduate Science Students: A Discourse Perspective

Introduction

In this part of the chapter we will touch upon the theoretical underpinnings of the content-based approach in language teaching. Content-based learning and teaching have been among the most discussed topics in the research relating to innovation in mastering a language. Both educators and teachers of foreign languages have been analyzing the contextual and linguistic potential of this approach in connection with the relevant educational environment, such as secondary education or university contexts, as well as regional variations, for example Asia, America, Europe, etc. (Crandall, 1992; Kasper, 1997; Owens, 2002; Lee, & Chang, 2008; Warrington, 2008; Marsh, Ong, & Lai, 2009; Creese, 2010; Sylvén, 2013; Juan-Garau, & Salazar-Noguera, 2015; Yasain et al., 2009).

According to some researchers (Stryker, & Leaver, Editors, 1997; Davies, 2003; Butler, 2005; Kjellén Simes, 2009; Coyle, Hood, & Marsh, 2010; Sylvén, 2010; Huang, 2011), a content-based approach in language teaching has been widely implemented in various settings, including young and adult learners, since the late 1980s. It was used in such educational contexts as English for Specific Purposes (ESP), Language for Specific Purposes (LSP), immersion programs, and ESL/EFL Language Courses. Content-based language teaching refers to an approach in which teaching is organized around the content (Villalobos, 2013). More specifically, language lessons are blended with content relevant to the field of knowledge the learners need to acquire. The target language is being taught within the context of the content. Recently ‘content’ has been associated with the use of subject matter as a tool for foreign or second language learning and teaching. To enhance learning, it is important to create such a learning environment in which learners are exposed to a considerable amount of language through a stimulating content. Moreover, the underlying principle is that successful learning happens when the displayed materials in the target language appear in a meaningful contextualized form with the focal point on gaining knowledge and relevant information (Stoller, 2008). D. Raphan & J. Moser (1994) argue that this approach allows students to master simultaneously subject matter and language skills and it enhances the learners’ better academic accomplishment. At the methodological level, teaching materials, designed activities and tasks should be chosen according to the extent to which they match the type of the educational program (Navas, 2010; Villalobos, 2013). Finally, content-based language teaching provides the opportunity for teachers to meet the students’ learning needs and interests (Brinton et al., 1989). According to Brinton, Snow, & Wesche (1989), the most common models of content-based instruction (CBI) in the EFL context are theme-based, sheltered, and adjunct. As stated by Stoller, F. L. & Grabe, W. (1997), these models may be regarded as various methods of implementing theme-based instruction, so that theme-based and content-based instruction models may be considered interchangeable.

In recent research (Ahn et al., 2016; Almazova, Baranova, Khalyapina, 2017; Jaelani, Selamet Riadi. 2017; Yi Peng, 2017; Obdalova et al., 2017; Adawiyah, Rabi'atul, 2018; Martel, 2018), various features of the theme-based model are determined, whose main requirements deal with the authenticity of the learning material and structuring the language class around topics or themes relevant to appropriate content. Usually, texts and activities are organized by a language teacher around one major topic. Additionally, topic related vocabulary and concepts are specified and practiced through various activities engaging students to recognize these lexical items in texts and communicate ideas in a foreign language using these words in speech (Brinton, Snow & Wesche, 1989). As mentioned by Brinton and Holten (1997), students in such an educational environment are presented with authentic texts from the subject area through the context.