Content-based Instruction And Its Application In The Chinese Context

Although Content Based Instruction (CBI) is a growing field in ESL studies in the western countries, especially in the United States, there has been a lack of research in China in terms of its feasibility in application and understanding of theoretical base. My thesis is intended to fill the gap in this area. Based on the half-year investigation of the implementation of CBI in the E-Business Department at Northeast Normal University, the writer points out that CBI is surely a feasible teaching approach in the Chinese context; however, careful consideration has to be taken especially in terms of its operationalization in classrooms. Thus suggestions are made based on theories of relevant resources. The research is designed to elicit answers from students in order to see how Content-based Instruction is carried out in the China context, especially whether there is any incongruity between the currently adopted models and specific methods found in the Chinese classrooms. The objective of the research is to give language educators concrete and practical ideas for implementing CBI. Through both qualitative and quantitative analysis, the research found out that successes and problems coexist in the process of using CBI in the Chinese context. Possible solutions to the problems will be given and appropriate methods to compensate the shortcomings will be presented. The research is carried out in the E-business Department of Northeast Normal University where CBI has been used in business classes for the last four years in those classes whose purposes are to help students acquire both English and business content. Questionnaires, classroom observations and interviews prove that CBI is one of the appropriate ways to prompt learner's language ability and content ability. However there are still many problems we have to conquer before we finally reach the goal of what CBI is supposed to do. Thus advantages and limitations of the CBI in China are analyzed and discussed in the paper.