Content and Language Integration in Geography Teaching – A Hungarian Perspective

Dual language educational programmes have been enjoying widespread popularity in the Hungarian education system since their nationwide emergence more than three decades ago. While the achievements of dual language education and its contributions to language learning are evident to all stakeholders, there has been very limited academic research into the practice of subject teaching in languages other than Hungarian. Geography has been one of the most common subjects taught in L2 in 10 languages and a variety of school types, ranging from elite bilingual and international schools to national programmes to vocational schools, justifying the choice of exploring how content and language integration is realised within Geography lessons and teaching practices. The study aims to address this research gap by presenting some of the results of the first-ever subject-specific research on foreign language Geography teaching among teachers (n = 76) working in dual-language secondary schools. Survey findings reveal the patterns of how teachers integrate L2 and language teaching methods into subject content lessons, with a specific focus on the implementation of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) pedagogy and the development of disciplinary literacy in the classroom. Although the teaching experience of respondents is characterised by a more content-driven, curriculum-based approach, a high ratio of L2 interactions, and dedication to teaching resource development and methodological diversity, CLIL has not become fully integrated into the foreign language Geography education.