The effects of collaborative CLIL teaching between an ESP teacher and pr professionals on the improvement of students’ content knowledge, specialized language, and awareness of professional culture

Despite the growing interest in the implementation of CLIL in various educational contexts, the majority of research has focused on the collaboration between language teachers and content teachers, and very little attention has been given to the PR ESP sector. Therefore, the present study aims to explore the effectiveness of a collaborative CLIL partnership between an ESP teacher and industry specialists outside of the classroom in an English for PR elective course at a public university in Thailand. To achieve this goal, a panel of subject matter experts in PR and related industries was involved in the design and development of the course. One PR expert also attended a class and shared with students her practical experience. The effectiveness of the collaborative CLIL teaching was then evaluated using pre- and post-testing of the students. In addition, the learning development of the students was observed and documented through learning logs. At the conclusion of the course, semi-structured interviews and student opinion evaluation questionnaire were conducted to gather feedback from the students. The findings of the study indicate that the collaborative CLIL teaching had positive outcomes for the students' PR content knowledge, specialized language, awareness of professional culture and motivation, as well as an increased sense of authenticity in the ESP classroom. The majority of students also expressed positive opinions about the course, with high marks given to the lesson plans, teaching methods and activities, evaluation, and special guest speaker. Most importantly, it was proven that the students' self-efficacy grew as a result of the collaborative CLIL teaching, thus filling a pedagogical PR research need and closing the gap between theory and practice. Given these results, it can be concluded that the collaborative CLIL partnership between an ESP teacher and industry specialists outside of the classroom can contribute to promoting self-efficacy of L2 students in the PR field. However, it is important to note that such integration should be conducted with careful planning to gain the greatest possible advantages. This study provides a valuable contribution to the growing body of research on CLIL and suggests that further exploration of the potential benefits of collaborative CLIL partnerships in ESP contexts is warranted.