Comparing the benefits of a metacognitive reading strategy instruction programme between CLIL and EFL primary school students

Abstract

Strategy instruction is a fundamental part of the language learning curriculum. Several studies (Wenden & Rubin, 1987; O’Malley & Chamot, 1990; Chamot & O’Malley, 1994; Cohen & Macaro, 2007; Chamot, 2008; Cohen, 2011, among others) have shown that the use of learning strategies produces a positive effect on learners’ achievement, although the field has not been without controversy (Rees-Miller, 1993; Dörnyei y Skehan, 2003; Dörnyei, 2005; Manchón, 2008; Macaro, 2006, 2007, 2010). Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of a metacognitive reading strategy training in two educational contexts, CLIL and EFL, and reflect on how learners can benefit from this learning approach. Participants (N = 145) came from six intact classes from two different schools in Santander, Cantabria, a community in the north of Spain. One of the schools followed a CLIL methodology and the other did not. The experimental groups in both schools underwent a seven-week metacognitive reading training programme developed by the research team, following the model proposed by Macaro (2001) that focuses on metacognitive awareness. Control groups continued with regular classes. Pre-tests and post-tests were carried out for both control and experimental groups. As hypothesized, results indicate that those students (CLIL and EFL) that followed the strategic training obtained better scores on the metacognitive reading task than their control groups, but with no significant differences between both educational approaches (CLIL and EFL) even though the experimental CLIL group outperform the experimental EFL group. This leads us to the conclusion that this type of training is effective in both educational contexts and highlights the importance of the metacognitive teaching approach to improve reading comprehension in second language classes.

La instrucción estratégica es una parte fundamental del currículo de lenguas extranjeras. Varios estudios (Wenden & Rubin, 1987; O’Malley & Chamot, 1990; Chamot & O’Malley, 1994; Cohen & Macaro, 2007; Chamot, 2008; Cohen, 2011, entre otros) han demostrado que el uso de las estrategias de aprendizaje produce un efecto positivo en el éxito de los hablantes aunque este campo no ha estado exento de controversia (Rees-Miller, 1993; Dörnyei y Skehan, 2003; Dörnyei, 2005; Manchón, 2008; Macaro, 2006, 2007, 2010). Este estudio investiga el efecto de un entrenamiento estratégico de lectura en inglés en dos contextos educativos: AICLE (Aprendizaje integrado de contenido y lengua) e ILE (Inglés lengua extranjera) y reflexiona sobre cómo los aprendices de lenguas pueden beneficiarse de esta aproximación didáctica. Los participantes (N = 145) provienen de seis clases de dos colegios de Santander, Cantabria, una comunidad del norte de España. Una de los colegios seguía una metodología AICLE y, el otro, no. Los grupos experimentales en ambos colegios siguieron un entrenamiento metacognitivo de estrategias de lectura diseñado siguiendo el modelo de Macaro (2001) que se centra en la conciencia metacognitiva. Los grupos controles continuaron con las clases normales. Todos los grupos realizaron pre-tests y post-tests. Los resultados demuestran que aquellos alumnos (AICLE e ILE) que siguieron el entrenamiento estratégico obtuvieron mejores resultados en la prueba metacognitva. Sin embargo, aunque el grupo experimental AICLE superó al grupo experimental ILE, no se encontraron diferencias significativas entre ellos lo que nos lleva a concluir que este tipo de entrenamiento es efectivo en ambos contextos educativos y resalta la importancia de la aproximación metacognitiva para la mejora de la comprensión lectora en la clase de lenguas extranjeras.