BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

The implementation of L2-medium education, exemplified by Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), is becoming increasingly popular in primary schools (García Mayo, 2021). While previous research highlights CLIL's positive impact on linguistic competence (Jiménez-Catalán & Ruiz de Zarobe, 2009), differences in linguistic achievement are often associated with varying exposure hours (Pladevall-Ballester & Vallbona, 2016). Despite CLIL's growing popularity, studies examining linguistic achievement in varying-intensity CLIL programs remain scant. We address this gap by comparing low and high-intensity CLIL programs, alongside a standard English as a foreign language (EFL) program in primary schools. Focused on 11-year-olds' receptive skills, our results show that high-intensity programs significantly enhance proficiency in listening and reading when compared to their lower-intensity counterparts. Distinctions between low-intensity and EFL programs are non-significant. These findings underscore the critical role of the intensity of exposure in shaping the effectiveness of CLIL programs and contribute insights for refining CLIL program design guidelines., This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation [grant number PID2020-113990GB-I00], State Research Agency (AEI) 01/09/2021-31/08/2025, and the Public University of Navarra [grant number PJUPNA05-2022].

Preliminary studies suggest a positive effect of Content and Language
Integrated Learning (CLIL) on young learners' (YLs) L2 motivation. However, much more
research with larger samples is is necessary to gain a more detailed understanding of
the interaction between CLIL exposure and L2 motivation. This study specifically
explores the effect of different levels of CLIL exposure on YLs’ L2 motivation. To do so,
five measures of motivation were analysed in 895 L1-Spanish YLs of English (mean age=
10.61) comprising a non-CLIL group (n=289) who had received five EFL weekly lessons;
a low-CLIL group (n =152) who had received five EFL and two CLIL weekly lessons, and a
high-CLIL group (n =454) who had received five EFL and seven CLIL weekly lessons.
Normality, Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn-Bonferroni post-hoc tests were conducted. The
results revealed significantly higher motivation levels for the high-CLIL learners over the
low-CLIL group in all five measures, and higher motivational levels of the high-CLIL group
over the non-CLIL group in four of the measures. The study provides evidence of the
motivational benefits of high-CLIL exposure and underscores the need for further
research on the motivational implications of low-CLIL programmes., This work was supported by Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation (grant no. PID2020-113990GB-100) and Public University of Navarra (grant nos. PJUPNA05-2022; PJUPNA2023-11401).

Research evidence predominantly based on studies with older learners suggests that Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) instruction yields significant language gains when exposure exceeds 300 hours (Muñoz, 2015). However, the impact of high-intensity CLIL on young learners' oral proficiency remains underexplored. This study examined fluency, pronunciation, and productive vocabulary measures in young L1-Spanish learners (mean age = 10.46) across four groups: non-CLIL (n = 23), low-CLIL (n = 21), high-CLIL (n = 32), and a younger high-CLIL group (n = 32; mean age = 9.84) with 0, 707, 2473, and 2164 CLIL hours, respectively. Socioeconomic status and extramural exposure were controlled. Intraclass correlations, Kruskal-Wallis, post-hoc, and Friedman tests were conducted. Significant advantages were limited to both high-CLIL groups over the non-CLIL group at the vocabulary level, providing policymakers with empirical evidence about the markedly different outcomes of high, and low-CLIL programmes in relation to oral gains with young learners., This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation [grant PID2020-113990GB-I00], and by the Public University of Navarra [grants PJUPNA05-2022 and PJUPNA2023-11401].

The purported foreign language gains of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) over traditional EFL (English as a foreign language) programs with young learners are still unclear. Specifically, little is known about how CLIL time and timing impact grammatical complexity. Additionally, mediating factors such as socioeconomic status (SES) and extramural exposure have been rarely controlled in the existing literature. This study analysed grammatical complexity in four groups of young learners in Spain (n = 108) during an oral task. The sample comprised: (1) an EFL-only group (1,766 EFL hours), (2) a low-exposure CLIL group (1,766 EFL hours + 707 CLIL hours), (3) a high-exposure CLIL group (1,766 EFL hours + 2,473 CLIL hours), and (4) a younger high-exposure CLIL group (1,545 EFL hours + 2,164 CLIL hours). All groups were matched for SES and extramural exposure. The analysis included independent ratings and computational measures of overall sentence complexity, subordination, and coordination. Distribution, Kruskal¿Wallis and post-hoc tests were conducted. Results showed significant differences in favour of the high-exposure groups over the EFL-only group in the ratings and in two of the computational measures: overall sentence complexity and subordination. This evidence highlights the potential of high-exposure CLIL to supplement grammatical instruction in EFL programs. Our results also suggest that the comparatively higher exposure of the younger high-exposure CLIL group has the potential to override the one-year cognitive advantage of the older, EFL-only learners., This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation [grant number PID2020-113990GB-I00], and by the Public University of Navarra [grant numbers PJUPNA05-2022; PJUPNA2023-11401].