A1 Journal article (refereed)
CLIL students’ production of cognitive discourse functions : comparing Finnish and Spanish contexts (2023)

Llinares, A., & Nikula, T. (2023). CLIL students’ production of cognitive discourse functions : comparing Finnish and Spanish contexts. Language and Education, Early online. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2023.2211049

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Llinares, Ana; Nikula, Tarja

Journal or series: Language and Education

ISSN: 0950-0782

eISSN: 1747-7581

Publication year: 2023

Publication date: 31/05/2023

Volume: Early online

Publisher: Routledge

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2023.2211049

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access: 

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/91775

Abstract

This article presents findings from an empirical study in which we investigated Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) students’ linguistic resources in the L2 (English) to convey different Cognitive Discourse Functions (Dalton-Puffer 2013; Citation2016)—Describe, Compare (Categorize), Report, Evaluate and Explore—in two different contexts. The participants were primary school students (grade 6) participating in CLIL programs in Finland and Spain. To allow comparison, two sets of data were obtained by asking the students to write in response to a similar prompt in the area of social science (History in the Spanish context and Geography in the Finnish context). We compared the frequency of the Cognitive Discourse Functions (CDFs) produced, and the fluency and complexity of students’ realizations of CDFs, using tools of Systemic Functional Linguistics. The results reveal similarities across contexts in the frequency and extension of some of the CDFs produced, and differences in terms of CDF complexity, measured in students’ use of clause complexes, Appraisal resources and complex nominal groups to express different CDFs.

Keywords: content and language integrated learning; language learning; linguistics; functional linguistics

Free keywords: CLIL; SFL; CDF

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2023

Preliminary JUFO rating: 2