This paper will expound on a qualitative analysis with parents in Spain aiming at identifying difficulties and best practices in catering for diversity in intercultural and content integrated language learning and teaching. It is comprised within the KA201 Erasmus+ project “CLIL for all: Attention to Diversity in Bilingual Education (ADiBE)”.
This paper reports on some of the output 1 outcomes of “CLIL for all: Attention to Diversity in Bilingual Education (ADiBE)”, a KA201 Erasmus+ project with number 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050356, whose fundamental aim is to make bilingual education a more inclusive reality for all by offering research-based evidence and concrete resources. Specifically, output 1 is to identify difficulties and best practices in catering for diversity in intercultural and content integrated language learning and teaching. In order to fulfil it, three types of instruments have been designed, validated, and administered (questionnaires, semi-structured individual and focus group interviews, and direct behavior observation protocols). Data, methodological, investigator and location triangulation have all been employed in order to obtain a comprehensive and representative picture into the way in which diversity is being addressed within CLIL programmes of six European countries. After framing the topic against the backdrop of the project, the paper will expound on the objectives, methodology, variables, and procedure employed in this particular study with Secondary Education students’ parents in Spain. The bulk of the presentation will be devoted to outlining its main findings in relation to the five main fields of interest which have been canvassed: linguistic aspects, methodology and types of groupings, materials and resources, assessment, and teacher coordination and development. Within-group comparisons will be carried out in terms of a series of intervening variables. A diagnosis of where we currently stand in this process of catering for diversity in CLIL models will be provided in light of these results, to be complemented by the perspectives of both students and teachers. The next research and pedagogical agenda that has been carved out under the ADiBE project to step up to the important challenge of making CLIL accessible to all types of achievers will base on these findings.
