CONTENT-BASED SECOND LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION

Content-Based Instruction has been described as a new paradigm in language education, centered on fostering student competence in a second or foreign language while advancing in the knowledge of a subject matter. This approach is widely used in an extensive number of contexts and educational settings all over the world in a variety of models. Some of the most common ones in foreign language education at post-secondary level are theme-based courses, adjunct/linked courses, sheltered subject matter instruction, and second language medium courses. This paper aims at offering a conceptual description of the main characteristics, specific applications, and perceived effectiveness of CBI together with its different models as these were reported in the literature available. Additionally the comparison of CBI with immersion approaches was presented.