DOI: https://doi.org/10.61957/joerai-20230404

Title: Cognitive Content Engagement of College EFL Learners in Content and Language Integration

Author: Jinghua Zhang, Fang Yuan

Abstract

For decades content-based language teaching has been implemented in teaching a second or foreign language in different countries to attain the maximum instructional effects. College EFL learners, teachers and even educators in China have always been focusing on the learning of foreign language skills, which leads to the problem of learners’ single knowledge structure with a failure to adapt to complicated social demands. To settle this problem, content and language integration (CLI) as a new teaching philosophy has emerged in China. This paper provides a case study of the instructional design of cognitive content engagement of college EFL learners through the CLI pedagogical philosophy in China. Two components of cognitive content engagement, academic content level and depth of processing, are used to facilitate the integrated teaching of content and language in the course of Comprehensive English I for college learners. This paper argues that the implementation of CLI would be more appropriately conducive to college learners’ language proficiency and academic success as well.

Keywords: Cognitive content engagement; Content and language integration (CLI); EFL