Teachers' Perspectives on Content-based Instruction

The purpose of this study is to explore what teachers think about content-based instruction (CBI), what problems arise in implementing CBI, and how the problems can be resolved. This study was conducted in two versions of a graduate course at a university. In the study, the participants were 17 graduate students: five elementary school teachers, nine English teachers in private institutes, two full-time graduate students, and one worker. Twelve participants had experiences teaching English via CBI. This study used qualitative research methodology by using three methods of data collection: survey, participants' written materials, and field notes on class discussions. The data were analyzed by using analytic induction. The first finding showed that most participants thought CBI is effective, and 14 participants used the term "effective" in the survey results. The participants also considered some effects of CBI, such as language development and motivation enhancement. However, there were significant differences between public school teachers and private institute teachers concerning practicality. Public school teachers put greater emphasis on the challenges of CBI. The second finding revealed three main challenges for the participants' implementing CBI: the different levels of student proficiency, the role of teachers, and assessment. Lastly, the study addressed possible solutions for successful CBI. The participants acknowledged that teacher training in CBI and instructional adaptations are essential. For implications, I suggest that teachers should become more confident in their ability to teach CBI through teacher education, effort, and the support of educational policy.