Evaluation in A CLIL Experimental Programme. Language Assessment and Analysis of Teachers’ Code-Switching at Primary School Level

Sapienza University of Rome and the University of Basilicata have been carrying out a longitudinal experimental study on CLIL, as part of a PhD programme, for two years. Primary school experimental and control classes in the Lombardy region are involved in this research. In particular, the study focuses on the potential improvements of language learning at the quantitative and qualitative level and the effects of learning a subject in a CLIL environment. This paper aims to provide an insight into assessment in CLIL with reference to our project architecture in this specific field. A set of tests, both in Italian and in English, has been delivered to the pupils at the beginning and at the end of the first part of the programme. This however represents just one element of a wider process which has been continually monitored and assessed through face-to-face meetings, electronic correspondence, a virtual platform and a journal, kept by both teachers and pupils. As for the content, the choice of assessing the students through a bilingual test will be discussed starting from the hypothesis that the pupils are exposed to a continuous shift from one language to the other. Code-switching as a bilingual language skill will be investigated through the examples of materials collected in classes and from structured questionnaires to CLIL teachers.