Language, Discipline or Task? A Comparison Study of the Effectiveness of Different Methods for Delivering Content-based Instructions to EFL Students of Business Studies

Abstract

This research aims to conduct a comparison study of the effectiveness of different CBI (content-based instruction) methods delivered to ESL students of business studies in order to investigate the interactions between different aspects of academic literacies, identify the strengths and weaknesses of different CBI methods, explore students’ perceptions and learning experience of the CBI programme under different types of instructions, and provide some pedagogical implications for CBI programmes.
Some EAP (English for Academic Purposes) courses were criticised for their overemphasis on the general ‘academic core’ rather than the disciplinary generic feature, in spite of using subject content as a vehicle of language. By contrast, numerous immersion programmes which adopted the sheltered model were also accused of insufficient language development and difficulty in applying theory to problem-solving, though language learning was considered subconscious acquisition. The latest movement of learner-centred and task-based teaching was claimed to be the most effective instructional approach, because it may fill the gap between language instruction and discipline instruction, promote the advancement of critical and analytical thinking, and facilitate the development of diverse academic abilities in a holistic and collaborative manner. Consequently, language, disciplinary knowledge and problem-solving skills have become three major academic domains and their interrelationships are worthy of investigation.
The basic strategy for this research includes delivering three different CBI methods to three groups, administering eight hybrid post-tests after each teaching session to examine students’ academic learning outcomes, and holding three blocks of semi-structured interviews to explore students’ learning experiences with different CBI interventions. The post-tests results were analysed using correlation test and MANOVA. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the interview data.