Vietnamese Students’ Voices on the Strengths and Weaknesses of a Newly Formed CLIL Program in a Regional Public University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine and express students' perspectives on the existing state-of-the-art CLIL implementation in a regional public university at an early stage, with the expectation of re-evaluating and exploring CLIL's strengths and threats through the eyes and perspectives of the students. This study intends to contribute to filling this gap in the literature by presenting the perspectives of 335 Vietnamese students enrolled in newly formed CLIL courses on the possibilities and risks they perceive in their learning. As the major method for collecting qualitative data, the study utilized a survey containing both closed-ended and openended questions. The results of the qualitative data analysis reveal the positive perspectives of various students regarding the strengths and opportunities of CLIL programs at the surveyed university, namely their improvement in English proficiency, language abilities, and language knowledge; an international, comfortable learning environment; and enjoyment of high-quality training programs with well-trained teaching staff, updated learning materials, and academic extracurricular activities. These results imply that learning a university topic in a non-native language is challenging but rewarding if students are able to recognize all of the benefits CLIL education offers. These findings provide an important first step toward CLIL research on the perspectives of students in developing nations where university teaching environments are not as wellequipped as in wealthy nations.