A longitudinal study of CLIL students’ written definitions across different SES schools: relating students’ performance and perceptions

This study examines the development of CLIL secondary school students’ written definitions in biology, from grade 7 to grade 9, in two schools participating in the same bilingual project (British Council-MEC in Spain) but differing in socioeconomic status (SES) profiles. Students’ L2 disciplinary literacy in biology was measured through their performance of definitions. The definitions by the same students were analysed across school years (grades 7 and 9) and in relation to school SES, drawing on the Cognitive Discourse Functions model (CDFs), as well as SFL and LCT frameworks. A total of 144 definitions were examined using UAM CorpusTool. The study also focuses on the students’ responses to a questionnaire on their perceptions regarding writing in CLIL. Results show development in CDF coverage, fluency and lexical complexity across school years in both schools. In contrast, in the higher-SES school students produced more expansions across school levels. These students also demonstrate more favourable views of writing in English compared to those in the lower-SES school. Findings highlight the continuing impact of SES on students’ L2 disciplinary literacy and perceptions within a shared bilingual programme. The study aligns with the scope of JMMD in relation to bilingual literacy and multilingual learner emotions.