Professional Knowledge for Language-Driven CLIL Teachers in Thailand: What Do Teachers Need?

CLIL implementation differs based on contextual factors. In some contexts, CLIL is taught by content teachers. In others, it is implemented by language teachers. With different professional backgrounds, CLIL teachers grapple with a unique set of challenges in CLIL implementation. It is therefore important for CLIL educators and policymakers to provide CLIL professional development that serves the needs of different types of CLIL teachers. Although research has explored professional development through the lens of content-driven CLIL, there is a lack of research illuminating CLIL education and professional development needs of language teachers who implement language-driven CLIL in a Thai context. This chapter addresses this gap by exploring English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ beliefs about effective CLIL implementation. Data are drawn from semi-structured and stimulated recall interviews with six pre-service EFL teachers at two Thai secondary schools. The findings demonstrate that effective language-driven CLIL implementation required CLIL education and professional development to develop a teacher who had an understanding of the CLIL approach, competence in using the target language for both learning and instructional purposes, and knowledge of curriculum content and its language. This chapter suggests that for language-driven CLIL to be effective, CLIL educators need to provide CLIL education and professional development based on teachers’ professional backgrounds, their experiences, their needs as well as the context in which CLIL is implemented.