Exploring CLIL based bilingual mathematics teaching for enhanced conceptual understanding

Resumo

Abstract Multilingual classrooms are a common reality in Indian schools, where students often learn in a language different from their home tongue. With rising internal migration and the aspirational value of English, many schools have adopted an immersion model where English (Language 2) becomes the primary instructional medium. This shift has raised concerns about students' conceptual understanding, especially in mathematics, a subject demanding high cognitive engagement. To address this, the study explores a bilingual mathematics instruction model integrating Kannada (Language 1) and English (Language 2) within the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) framework, adapted for the Indian context. Researchers developed an innovative five-pillar pedagogical model comprising: (1) Dual Language Input, (2) Visual and Multimodal Support, (3) Contextualized Vocabulary Instruction, (4) Collaborative Meaning-Making, and (5) Reflective Assessment Cycles. This approach aims to offer both cognitive scaffolds and linguistic support to foster deeper conceptual understanding. An experimental study was conducted in six schools across three districts in Karnataka, involving 240 middle school students. The intervention featured bilingual instruction using the proposed model. Results showed a statistically significant improvement in students’ conceptual understanding compared to monolingual English instruction. This study adds to the growing evidence supporting bilingual education in content areas. It emphasizes leveraging students' linguistic resources, aligns with NEP 2020's focus on mother tongue-based multilingual education, and presents a replicable model for bilingual mathematics instruction.

Dados da obra

Tipo

Artigo

Periódico

Discover Education, v. 4, n. 1, p. 1-25

Editora

Springer

Ano

2025 (2025-12)

Idioma

en

Palavras-chave

Bilingual mathematics instruction; CLIL; Conceptual understanding; Multilingual education; multilingual classrooms; language immersion; vocabulary teaching; cooperative learning; reflective assessment; mother tongue-based multilingual education; National Education Policy 2020; junior high school students; Karnataka

Temas

Avaliação

DOI

10.1007/s44217-025-00795-x

ISSN

2731-5525

Licença

cc-by-nc-nd

Acesso

Acesso aberto

Fontes

DOAJ — Directory of Open Access Journals; OpenAlex

Na Biblioteca desde

27/09/2026 · verificada em 27/09/2026