Classroom Dynamics: Concentration, Engagement, and Student Ownership in a Japanese and Music CLIL Lesson in Mongolia

抄録

In the age of globalisation, the promotion of intercultural relationships among children is of the utmost importance. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has emerged as a method that promotes interaction between people from different backgrounds. This study focuses on the effectiveness of CLIL in teaching Japanese as a foreign language to beginners in Mongolia. The study aims to explore (1) what mediations were employed in the classroom and (2) what kinds of learning environment helped students to commit to the CLIL class in their unlearned language. Specifically, the research centres on a Japanese and music integrated lesson delivered to fourth-grade students in Ulaanbaatar. Through a qualitative analysis of inter-participant discourse, we observed the teachers' management of lesson atmosphere under soft control and the assessment of student concentration. As a result, students chose mediational tools to commit deeply to the class and to overcome their new foreign language. This contributed significantly to the students’ sense of ownership in the class community.