Language Diversity & Practice in Higher Education - Can Discipline-Specific Language Instruction Improve Economics Learning Outcomes?

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by awa

Language Diversity & Practice in Higher Education investigates whether discipline-specific language instruction can improve learning outcomes in introductory economics for international students studying English as an Additional Language (EAL). The study uses a content and language integrated learning approach, pairing English instruction with economics concepts. Ten voluntary participants complete pre- and post-treatment assessments and exit interviews, showing vocabulary instruction correlates with economics success, while reading strategy instruction shows no comparable impact.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Language Diversity & Practice in Higher Education

Content and Language Learning in Higher Education

An Environment for Economics and Language Instruction

9 Language Diversity & Practice in Higher Education: Can Discipline-Specific Language Instruction Improve Economics Learning Outcomes? Trien Nguyen University of Waterloo Angela Trimarchi Wilfrid Laurier University Julia Williams University of Waterloo In the field of second language acquisition, discipline-specific language instruction is becoming widely known as Content and Language Integrated Learning. This method includes any activity that involves teaching a subject in a second language for the purpose of teaching both the subject content and the language. Research has shown that this two for one approach increases students’content knowledge and language proficiency in both the short and long terms (Baik & Greig, 2009; Kasper, 1997; Song, 2006). These studies have been conducted using a variety of subjects in combination with several second languages, but the combination of economics and English has not been explored in the literature. Our research involved teaching English as an Additional Language (EAL) to international students taking an introductory economics course. Ten voluntary participants completed pre-and post-treatment assessments as well as exit interviews. Assessment results indicate that vocabulary instruction is correlated to success in economics although reading strategy instruction did not have the same impact. Content and Language Learning in Higher Education Inrecrmuinymentunhivaesrsciieea,ed increased international a greater demand for English as an Additional Language (EAL) training. Despite having passed university English language requirements, EAL students often find language is still a barrier to academic success. At the postsecondary level, typical English language support courses are generic; that is, the content in these courses is not discipline-specific, but rather includes themes from a variety of popular topics. However, many EAL students need instruction in both language and content for their academic programs. Hyland (2002) uses a discipline-specific research model for language to show that university-level writing tasks are discipline specific. North (2005) concludes that“communication skills may be context-specific” (p. 518) . Exploring the potential of discipline-specific second language instruction is, thus, essential to determining how language support can be delivered most efficiently so international students can overcome language barriers and become academically productive as soon as possible. Although the issue of generic versus discipline-specific instruction is relevant to other fields, our study looks specifically at its application to the field ofEAL. The discipline-specific model of second language instruction is widely known as Content and Language Integrated Learning. In Canada, French immersion programs have provided rich ground for research in second language acquisition at elementary and secondary levels. More recently, at postsecondary levels, studies have explored the provision of English language instruction through a variety of disciplines: architecture (Baik & Greig, 2009), psychology, sociology, history, health and physical education (Song, 2006), geography (Rodgers, 2006), and psychology and physiology (Ready & Wesche, 1992) . These studies and others (Grabe & Stohler, 1997) credit this approach with improving the target language proficiency while producing students who are at least as competent in their subject matter as students in control groups. Recent European and North American experiments have produced strong second language proficiency and subject matter expertise while satisfying both students and teachers (Deen & Hacquebord, 2002) . While these studies have paired second language instruction with a wide variety of disciplines, research combining English language instruction with the discipline of economics is not well represented in the literature. Economics provides an appropriate context for a pilot project because it is

FAQs

What is the central research question of the study?

The study asks whether discipline-specific language instruction can improve economics learning outcomes for EAL students.

How was the EAL intervention delivered in the project?

English as an Additional Language instruction was taught alongside an introductory economics course, supported by assessments and structured vocabulary support.

What did the assessment results show about vocabulary and reading strategies?

Vocabulary instruction correlated with success in economics, while reading strategy instruction did not produce the same impact.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by awa