La experiencia AICLE del alumnado de primero de educación secundaria desde una perspectiva transicional

The CLIL methodology has acquired a great impact upon non-university education. Its proliferation in the Canary Islands (Spain) has been considerable during this century by means of transitional programs that aims to introduce the simultaneous learning of language and contents. This study aimed to analyze how the different areas such as sources, strategies, parental and academic support, the motivation, etc. take part in the bilingual program and how they contribute to the learning process of students. Firstly, a theoretical approach will be developed taking into account issues such as the importance of getting to know the consequences caused by moving from one educational stage to a different one and the gradual introduction and development of the CLIL methodology in the Canary Islands. Afterwards, 50 students belonging to the first year of Secondary Education and inserted in the CLIL methodology have been selected. A questionnaire has been utilized as an evaluative instrument that goaled to detect those areas that require to be revised and improved in the bilingual program. The different areas created for result analysis are the following: use of materials and resources regarding CLIL methodology, utilization of the foreign language and mother language, use of other different methodologies within CLIL, evaluation, degree of motivation and reflection upon the experience. These results have demonstrated the need to combine the different elements that are applied in the academic activity in a bilingual environment. It has been also resulted the necessity to revise the selection of human resources and to generate more professional training regarding the utilization of CLIL methodology. Above all, the results have revealed the great relevance and necessity to make a gradual study of pupils who are starting Secondary Education because of the dual handicap they may suffer: change in the educative context and the learning through a foreign language.


Introduction
Learning a foreign language (English) has become a communication imperative due to the need to know and master an international means of communication. This concept of English as a lingua franca has promoted the growth of bilingual education in numerous European centers (European Commission, 2001), which is promoted from a dual vision: as an end and as a means in the learning process. Language and content are merged in the educational system to promote the learning of the foreign language. Therefore, this article will try to analyze the learning context of students belonging to the first year of compulsory secondary education (ESO) in a bilingual education program.
This first course is characterized, without a doubt, by the emergence of new changes and demands that the student must face, which can generate numerous problems that can affect their academic career (Fernández, Mena & Riviere, 2010;Roca , 2010). Therefore, Monarca, Rappoport and Fernández González (2012) point out that around 33% of students are in a vulnerable condition regarding their performance in this period of variation towards secondary education.
As students progress through the different courses and educational stages, a more analytical language acquisition is observed in the consolidation of linguistic and cognitive skills and abilities (Loaiza Villalba and Galindo Martínez, 2014;Signoret, 2013). From a maturational perspective, the design of bilingual programs is determined by this cognitive issue, hence the implementation of bilingual education requires a progressive perspective that allows adapting the contents to the cognitive evolution of the students. For this, however, it must be taken into account that in primary education a teacher is in charge of teaching and learning various subjects, while in secondary education each teacher teaches the subject of their specialty. In this educational format whose teaching staff is more fragmented, a greater degree of cooperation and coordination between teachers is necessary (Julián de Vega, 2013), as well as better training.
The latter is evidenced in a study by Durán Martínez (2018), who observed a greater training of L2 in secondary education teachers, compared to teachers of the previous stage, who had better methodological training in the exercise teacher of bilingual programs.
However, from a historical perspective, the Canary Islands (Spain) have been characterized by being formulated as a free port between various cultures where various commercial activities are carried out. In fact, its strategic geographical position -between the African, American and European continents -has been a decisive factor for the English language to influence the Canarian dialect 1 . Starting in 2003, the European Commission issued a plan to promote foreign language learning among European citizens. Through the implementation of this plan, proposals have been prepared for the different national, regional and local institutions to promote language learning. For participation in such program, requirements were indicated such as a minimum of two participating non-linguistic areas, commitment between the faculty and the English department for the development of this methodology, a B1 level of the teaching staff in those non-linguistic subjects that they wished to be part of the program, as well as the participation of teachers in continuous training processes and in the development of resources in accordance with the CLIL methodology.
However, it should be noted that the success of these bilingual programs can be highly conditioned by the degree of study and reflection on practices in this educational model. Therefore, there is a need to deepen the effectiveness of CLIL programs, which must address the characteristics of the students to promote successful learning in them (Dalton-Puffer, Llinares, Lorenzo and Nikula, 2014), since the double focus on the learning that allows the acquisition of various objectives in unison of content and foreign languages has been favored by educational research and multidisciplinary practices (Mehisto, 2012) However, during the 2009-2010 academic year, Martín and Frigols (2014) observed a great evolution in the bilingual educational programs of this community, which was evidenced in the increase in participating educational centers (169), the formation of the CLIL teacher profile , the promulgation of the use of the Moodle platform and the increase in the initial and continuous training of participating teachers (stays abroad, exchanges with teachers from English-speaking countries, specialization courses and methodological innovation). In addition, as of this academic year, a monitoring and evaluation system was proposed that should take into account the following aspects: -Present a quarterly evaluation of the most important aspects developed in the CCP.
-Attend follow-up sessions organized by the General Directorate for Educational Planning and Innovation (DGOIE).
-Collaborate with the monitoring of the DGOIE to determine the scope of the results and progress obtained.
-Participate and send others a satisfaction questionnaire to the educational community (Martín y Frigols, 2014).
This set of parameters that try to analyze the functioning and evolution of bilingual education programs focus on the teaching profession. In a beginning period in the implementation of the CLIL methodology in centers of different educational stages, it is necessary to know the perspective of the students, that is, their degree of satisfaction, the materials or resources they commonly use, their new vision of the foreign language , the areas that involve a greater effort for the conjugation of languages, content and cognition, among others.
The Plan for the Promotion of Foreign Languages (Plan PILE), currently developed in the Canary Islands, aims to host non-university educational stages (infant, primary, secondary, high school, professional training and official language schools) through centers Canarian publics. It tries to give a new perspective to learning English as a source of knowledge and a means of communication for the professional field, as this seeks to promote actions such as employability and mobility of individuals. This plan, divided into three phases for its adaptation and evolution in Canarian non-university education, is currently in the second phase of implementation. The final objective of this plan is that from the 2037-38 academic year, 40% of the infant and primary education curriculum, and 30% of the secondary education curriculum will be exposed in L2.
The PILE Plan is not only formulated from a quantitative perspective by increasing the number of hours of exposure to the foreign language through its use as a learning vehicle in non-linguistic subjects, since its application also requires a qualitative implementation regarding the use of compatible methodologies with this learning format, as well as the initial and continuous training of teachers in linguistic and non-linguistic subjects, and the updating of learning resources based on digital contexts.
Through the PILE Plan there is a greater insistence on the continuous monitoring and evaluation of the educational program, creating an evaluative commission, monitoring the training of teachers involved in the program, a proposal plan on the study of the most difficult advanced areas , and proposals for improvement regarding compliance with the guidelines and the degree of acquisition of communicative competence in a foreign language, among the most relevant aspects. In summary, the PILE plan establishes the following parameters in the evaluation report: 1. The number of students who achieve their linguistic accreditation in foreign languages in A2, B1 and B2. In the different parameters selected by this plan, it can be noted that it focuses on the teaching figure: the number of participating teachers, their respective linguistic accreditations, number of places, number of teachers with the specific B2 linguistic level, as well as references on the educational center such as the material created by the center, number of centers participating in international projects and the implementation of this methodology by educational zones. The continuous evaluation of the requirements and the practice of teachers is unquestionable in nature, since they are the ones who design teaching-learning strategies according to the CLIL methodology, select, create and share materials and resources adjusted to this methodology, and promote student participation in international projects, among the most relevant aspects. However, the purpose of the methodology falls especially on the students: their degree of acquisition of communicative competence in the foreign language and their simultaneous learning of languages, content and cognition.

Methodology
The objective of this research was to know the perception of the students of the first year of compulsory secondary education regarding the use of the CLIL methodology as an educational strategy to promote communicative competence in a foreign language.
As indicated in the introduction, the implementation of bilingual education in the Canary Islands began in the 2004-2005 academic year, from an experimental format in nine early childhood and primary education centers, and thena year laterwas incorporated into secondary education centers 3 . Now, the educational center chosen for the development of this study was one of the pioneers in applying this learning methodology. It is an institution located in the metropolitan area of the island of Tenerife. It is a public center, characterized by the use of innovative methodologies and by having highly trained teachers.
Students of the first year of compulsory secondary education (n = 50), whose ages ranged from 11 to 12 years, participated in this study. More than 90% of these students studied in a public primary education center that used the CLIL methodology in various nonlinguistic subjects. These students belonged to the bilingual program developed by the center adapted from the guidelines of the PILE Plan. The selection system of the students belonging to this program was based on the results obtained in the subject of First Foreign Language (English) and the rest in non-linguistic subjects that have been exercised through the CLIL methodology in the last year of primary education.
To carry out this study, a quantitative and qualitative survey focused on the students was used. The items that made up said survey (a total of 15 focused on aspects related to the implementation of the CLIL methodology, such as the use of the foreign language in the classroom, the use of resources for the study of content, language and cognition, figure of the conversation assistant as a human resource in the learning process, the conjugation of the CLIL methodology through other methodologies such as project-based learning and cooperative learning. Through a self-reflection activity, the students had to determine the degree of compliance with the affirmations proposed through four parameters: never, sometimes, generally and always. In some of the affirmations raised, the justification of the answer offered was requested to gather more information about their experience in the first year of secondary education. The different dimensions selected for this research were the following, as observed in the following

Results
In order to define the degree of reliability of the results, the number of elements proposed was evaluated from the reliability indices. For this, Cronbach's alpha was selected as an evaluative method of the reliability of said survey and its result was positive, as it was close to 1 ( On the other hand, in terms of dimensions, it can be said that they have certain connections because they are part of the same educational axis. In dimension I -dedicated to statements about the use of materials and resources in the study of subjects belonging to the CLIL methodology program -the following premises were formulated, and the following results were obtained, summarized in the following The third dimension -dedicated to the use of other methodologies -has not been studied in depth due to the large number of elements that were attempted to be addressed in this study. However, an attempt was made to determine whether cooperative learning and project-based learning methodologies were used in the learning process through CLIL methodology. The results obtained are summarized in this

Fuente: Elaboración propia
The degree of motivation in student learning is an essential element that determines the behavior and attitude of the student towards their learning. For these reasons, a dimension has been created for this factor, which allowed obtaining the following information collected in this Finally, in the dimension on suggestions for possible modifications of the bilingual program, the students issued free configuration responses to determine those areas for improvement in this learning methodology, which are summarized in the following No estudiar tanto vocabulario.

Discussion
First of all, it can be pointed out that 70% of students sometimes use translation tools to follow non-linguistic subjects and those belonging to the bilingual educational program. Likewise, in the third statement it is observed that 50% sometimes and 22% never receive resources and strategies, such as study methods or materials for their CLIL methodology lessons. These results suggest the need to offer more learning tools.
Regarding the figure of the conversation assistant, 48% of the students never receive support from this human resource, while 30% indicate that they only sometimes have that help. Taking into account that later 42% indicated that they sometimes worked on the contents of the subject belonging to the CLIL methodology program, the reasons for this situation should be studied in depth.
On the other hand, in the dimension dedicated to the use of foreign and mother tongues, 86% indicated that teachers sometimes used their mother tongue in CLIL subjects. In this sense, the students argued that teachers used it to resolve conflicts or to understand more complex content. In a CLIL methodology it should be taken into account that although the mother tongue is an essential communication vehicle for learning, the use of the foreign language should also be favored to promote the communicative competence of learners in a new language, therefore that both must complement each other to achieve the optimization of learning.
In the third dimension, 40.8% indicated that they generally used cooperative and project-based methodologies, while 28.6% commented that they always did. They also recognized that in the Geography and History subject they were carrying out more projects cooperatively. Furthermore, in their justification responses they indicated that they preferred these methodologies because they felt they had learned more while having fun with their peers. In this regard, Pastor Martínez (2011) considers that the combination of the CLIL methodology with cooperative methodologies is essential for the formulation of learning communities while acquiring the values and norms of the community. Despite the need for further study of these methodologies, these results show certain preferences for cooperative and project-based methodologies.
In the dimension dedicated to the evaluation of the subjects, 42% considered that it sometimes seemed more difficult, while 32% thought that it was generally. Although the evaluation must be carried out based on current regulations, current curricula in the Canarian community do not acquire this triple perspective in this methodology of learning languages, content and cognition. Therefore, carrying out the evaluation, even from the teacher's perspective, is a highly complex task due to the incompatibility of the objectives of the CLIL methodology with current educational regulations. Likewise, it is positively observed that teachers always (28%) and generally (24%) use numerous learning products. Despite the fact that it is an evaluative method, this result shows a favorable perception of the students.
Regarding the motivational dimension of the students, very few students have considered in a generic way -generally (8%) -or continuously -always (4%) -abandon the bilingual education program. However, more than a quarter of the students consider such a decision (28%) on some occasions, which shows the need to determine those areas in which they can demonstrate the greatest weakness and seek methods and resources to strengthen them.
On the other hand, 26% and 28% of the students considered that sometimes and generally, respectively, they like classes in their mother tongue more than in English. Due to this, the motivational component of the strategy must be studied in depth, as well as the reasons behind these percentages. In this regard, some opinions of the students are offered: • "Because having to study in English is more difficult." • "Because in Spanish I understand the classes better and I can explain myself more fluently because it is my mother tongue." • "By vocabulary." These comments on their experiences with the CLIL methodology raise certain problems in understanding the foreign language. Among them, vocabulary is repeatedly referred to as an impediment to learning. Although a bilingual educational program may favor the learning of a receptive vocabulary (Mora Ramos, 2014), this could become a handicap in the learning process in the CLIL methodology (Castellano-Risco, 2017), depending on the methods used for its treatment and learning in the classroom. Likewise, it is observed that students recognize that studying in English is more complicated because it is not their mother tongue. This statement suggests the reinforcement of study resources and techniques for the application of the CLIL methodology, since these students come from primary education centers in which the same methodology has been applied.
The last dimension -dedicated to an exercise in self-awareness about the educational program -shows various areas that the students consider that they should be reinforced (for example, receptive vocabulary, the figure of the conversation assistant and language adaptation) in order to optimize the application of the CLIL methodology in the classroom.

Conclusions
One of the main conclusions that can be reviewed after completing this research work has to do with the need to strengthen certain dimensions of the CLIL methodology related to the motivational degree, the figure of the conversation assistant and the implementation of strategies and resources of support, essential elements to promote training in a foreign language.
In addition, it must be said that the application of a questionnaire such as the one used in this inquiry supposed for the student a means of self-reflection that favored the third educational approach, that is, cognition in the CLIL methodology. In other words, this type of research offers the student the possibility of evaluating not only the didactic strategies used in the classroom, but also their communicative competence and motivation, as well as the need for resources and support to consolidate their training process. . In this way, the learner studies the contents, the language and the individual himself through a process of simultaneous objectives.

Future lines of research
Finally, new lines of research can be mentioned, which could include variables such as the academic development of students throughout secondary education in order to observe the evolution of the selected parameters; likewise, the assimilation of the foreign language as a dual mechanism for learning and communication in the classroom during the secondary education stage, as well as a more detailed analysis of the functions of the figure of the conversation assistant, and of the strategic learning methods used by teachers.