In-house CBI materials and English language education

Abstract

This study aims to investigate and compare the effects of in-house con-tent-based instruction (CBI) materials and general English course materials on student attitudes toward English language learning together with their impact on student English language development and mastery of academic content. It also focuses on English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers and departmental faculty members’ attitudes towards CBI materials. A mixed-methods research model was used to collect data from 175 university freshman EFL students, 17 EFL teachers, and seven departmental faculty members from different faculties. The EFL teachers developed their own CBI materials for each academic program. The results indicate that the students view the in-house CBI materials more pos-itively than general English course materials. Moreover, the CBI materials also contributed to the students’ English development and mastery of academic content outside English language learning. Both EFL teachers and departmental lecturers expressed positive attitudes towards the CBI materials.