Emotional Engagement with Social Interactions: Exploring the Perceptions of Primary CLIL Learners

Abstract

In this study, we explore the perceptions of learners and their teacher in relation to emotional engagement with social interactions in a primary Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) classroom. Drawing on Philp & Duchesne’s (2016) conceptualisation of engagement and their understanding of emotional engagement, this research explores learners’ perceptions of social interactions in a CLIL classroom.    

Evidence suggests that some learners in CLIL contexts have negative perceptions towards learning because they do not understand the teacher or the content being taught (Barrios & Acosta-Manzano, 2020; De Smet et al., 2018; Pladevall-Ballester, 2019; Yassin et al., 2009). Recent studies exploring the emotions and engagement of CLIL learners have primarily adopted a quantitative approach to analysis which limits our understanding of the lived experiences of learners and a deeper analysis of why some learners have negative perceptions of learning in CLIL classrooms. 

This study seeks to shift the paradigm and adopts a qualitative approach to explore the emotional engagement of three primary-age learners and their teacher in a bilingual school in Paris. The learners share their perceptions in focus groups and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis is employed to guide data analysis. 

Findings reveal that contextual factors influence emotional engagement which, in turn, impacts upon other facets of engagement. A key finding is that learners need additional linguistic scaffolding to promote positive emotional engagement with social interactions. Additionally, the use of existing linguistic resources and metalinguistic strategies in CLIL classrooms support learners’ perceptions of autonomy, mutuality and equality during interactions, facilitating positive emotional engagement. These findings raise important implications for educators and have the potential to inform future practice and enhance learning opportunities in the research setting.