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The impact of project-based Eco-CLIL on adolescent language acquisition and environmental agency: A mixed-methods study
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DOI：10.1016/j.system.2026.104071.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
This study investigates the effectiveness of a Project-Based Learning (PBL) model integrated with Environmental Content and Language Integrated Learning (Eco-CLIL) in addressing the documented gap between formal instruction and meaningful language use in EFL contexts. A quasi-experimental, sequential mixed-methods design was implemented with 100 eighth-grade EFL students in Iran. The intervention group (n = 50) participated in a 12-week PBL Eco-CLIL curriculum, while the control group (n = 50) continued with traditional instruction. Pre/post-test data from the ACTFL TEP (α = .89 for this sample) and the Environmental Literacy Instrument for Adolescents (ELI-A) agency subscale (α = .84), alongside SOLOM-R assessments (inter-rater κ = .87), student portfolios, and interviews, were collected. Quantitative results showed the intervention group achieved significantly greater gains in overall language proficiency (F(1,97) = 18.45, p < .001, η2 = .16), particularly in speaking and writing (η2 = .14 and .12 respectively), and higher environmental agency scores (F(1,97) = 22.18, p < .001, η2 = .19). Qualitative analysis revealed three themes: language as a tool for action, development of agentic identity, and the role of scaffolded collaboration. The findings suggest that a PBL-driven Eco-CLIL design may yield measurable gains in productive skills and operationalized environmental agency in an under-researched Iranian lower-secondary EFL context, while also highlighting the need for further research to establish causal mechanisms.
Keywords:
Project-Based Learning
Eco-CLIL
EFL Contexts
Environmental Agency
Language Proficiency
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