The CLIL Methodology and Its Implications in the Development of Executive Functions in Bilingual Education

Letícia de Souza de Oliveira; Sheila Cristina Da Silva Victorio

DOI: 10.22167/2675-6528-202603131

Article derived from a Final Course Work (TCC), with content based on the student’s original work and adapted to the editorial format of the E&S Magazine with the support of the ResumeAI tool, an artificial intelligence solution developed by the Pecege Institute for textual synthesis and organization.

Abstract

The relevance of bilingual education in the early years of Elementary School for student training and the development of cognitive skills, such as executive functions, motivated this study. Didactic sequences developed with the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology were analyzed, their structure and relationship with the executive functions worked on in the pedagogical practices of a bilingual program in English were verified. The research was characterized as qualitative and documentary in nature. Curriculum matrices and didactic sequences from an institution were used as data sources, focusing on the skills of inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. The results showed that the analyzed didactic sequences presented a pedagogical organization aligned with the principles of CLIL, integrating curricular content and an additional language. The proposals contemplated didactic situations that mobilized different executive functions in teacher planning. It was concluded that the analysis of the didactic proposals allowed us to understand how CLIL can be structured in pedagogical planning to favor teaching practices intentionally focused on working with executive functions in bilingual contexts.

Keywords: CLIL; Bilingual context; Executive functions; Cognitive skills; Didactic proposals.

1. Introduction

Bilingual education in the early years of Elementary School has gained prominence due to its relevance in student training and the development of essential cognitive skills for learning processes. In this context, executive functions emerge as a set of crucial skills, acting as pillars for self-regulation, thought organization, and effective problem-solving in contemporary educational settings.

Executive functions are understood as complex skills that allow planning, decision-making, impulse control, problem-solving, organizing, and adapting behaviors in diverse situations (Friedman et al., 2017). They function as a brain management system, coordinating thoughts and actions to achieve goals. Fundamental executive functions include inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, which serve as the basis for developing more complex skills, such as planning and reasoning (Diamond, 2020).

The discussion on the effects of bilingualism on neuroplasticity and brain reorganization, although not specifically focusing on the CLIL approach, suggests that methodologies that promote the meaningful use of an additional language can create favorable conditions for linguistic and cognitive development. This occurs especially when associated with contextualized learning experiences (Ramacciotti, 2020).

In this scenario, the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology stands out for enabling the learning of school content in a foreign language, promoting cognitive and linguistic development in an integrated way. Studies in cognitive neuroscience indicate that activities requiring attention, working memory, flexibility, and self-control stimulate the strengthening of executive functions (Ferjan Ramírez and Kuhl, 2017).

Beyond linguistic benefits, neuroscience research indicates that challenging learning experiences are crucial for the development of executive functions. The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2011) and Diamond (2016) emphasize that executive skills are not innate but develop and are enhanced by the environment, such as family and school, from early childhood. Regarding bilingualism, there is evidence of significant advantages in the development of executive functions in bilingual children, including better inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory (Takatsu, 2017).

Previous studies have also established a parameter between executive functions and the advantages of the CLIL methodology. The classroom application of diversified activities, from the simplest to the most complex, such as listing, comparing, categorizing, relating, problem-solving, and sharing personal experiences, stimulates executive functions and facilitates the construction of essential skills for the 21st century (Musskopf et al., 2024). Learning, from Piaget’s perspective (Castro, 2016), is an active process of constructing and reconstructing knowledge, and the integration between content and additional language in CLIL provides situations that mobilize the student to investigate and construct meanings.

The CLIL methodology is based on four pillars, known as the 4 C’s: Content, Communication, Cognition, and Culture (Coyle et al., 2010). Content refers to the topic addressed, communication to the use of language to achieve objectives, cognition to mental processes and thinking skills, and culture to globalized perception and intercultural awareness. Thus, language is a means to explore other areas of knowledge, allowing the student to learn everything from a cake recipe to the functioning of the Solar System.

The implementation of interdisciplinary didactic sequences based on the CLIL methodology in the classroom with children can enhance the learning of school content and the development of cognitive skills. The integration between scientific content and the learning of the additional language promotes an environment of greater cognitive engagement, stimulating self-regulation, memory, and flexibility of thought. Thus, the CLIL methodology constitutes a powerful pedagogical strategy for the development of executive functions and bilingual competence.

Given this context, this study is justified by the need to understand how pedagogical planning can be intentionally structured to favor working with executive functions in bilingual contexts. Therefore, the objective of this study was to demonstrate how the process of elaboration and planning of two CLIL didactic sequences are directed towards the development of the executive functions of students in the second and third years of Elementary School and to establish a relationship between the CLIL methodology and its benefits for the cognitive development of children.

2. Material and Methods

The present study adopted a qualitative approach, characterized as documentary research. This method was selected to investigate the structure and pedagogical planning of didactic sequences, developed based on the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology. The objective was to understand how these proposals are directed towards the development of executive functions in students in the second and third years of Elementary School, focusing on inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility.

The empirical analysis unit of the research consisted of two specific didactic sequences. The first was developed for second-year Elementary School students, exploring the core content of “Animals” in the area of Natural Sciences. The second was designed for third-year students, addressing the core content “Solar System”, also in Natural Sciences. Both sequences were conceived to integrate the learning of school content with the development of the English language, extending to other areas of knowledge.

The research context was a large private school, located in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The institution serves approximately two thousand nine hundred students. Since 2023, the school has incorporated a bilingual English language program into its curriculum, with a weekly workload of four hours dedicated to the additional language, providing a relevant scenario for the analysis of bilingual pedagogical practices.

For data collection, official documents from the educational institution itself were used. Primary sources included the 2018 Basic Education curricular matrices of the school network, which establish the guidelines for the development of didactic sequences and core content. Additionally, the complete didactic sequences proposed by the educators responsible for the second and third-year classes of Elementary School were analyzed, detailing the activities and pedagogical objectives.

The application period for the didactic sequences was recorded according to the original plans. The didactic sequence for second-year students was developed and applied during the first semester of 2025, covering the months of June and July. The didactic sequence for the third year was implemented in the second semester of the same year, specifically in the months of September and October. Each of these sequences was planned to be applied over an average period of eight to ten classes.

The data analysis was performed based on a theoretical framework that integrated two complementary perspectives. The first was based on the dimensions of the CLIL methodology, as established by Coyle, Hood, and Marsh (2010). These dimensions, known as the 4 C’s (Content, Communication, Cognition, and Culture), served as analysis categories to verify the integration between curricular content and the additional language in the didactic proposals.

The second theoretical perspective employed in the analysis focused on executive functions, using the models proposed by Miyake et al. (2000) and Diamond (2013). The three fundamental executive functions were considered: working memory, defined as the ability to actively retain and manipulate information; inhibitory control, which refers to attentional focus and impulse regulation; and cognitive flexibility, related to the adaptation of strategies and perspectives. These categories allowed for the identification of the cognitive skills mobilized by the activities.

The interpretation of the collected data was based on theoretical triangulation, which consisted of the systematic confrontation between the elements of the CLIL methodology (Coyle, Hood, and Marsh, 2010) and the dimensions of executive functions (Miyake et al., 2000; Diamond, 2013). This analytical process allowed for the identification of the predominant CLIL elements in each activity and the executive functions mobilized, as well as the indicators present in the didactic proposals that pointed to the stimulation of these functions.

The organization of the data for the analysis involved the textual description of the proposed activities in each didactic sequence. For each activity, it was identified which CLIL element (Content, Communication, Cognition, Culture) was predominant and which executive function (Working Memory, Inhibitory Control, Cognitive Flexibility) was mobilized. Evidence indicating the stimulation of these functions was recorded, according to the teacher’s planning.

3. Results and Discussion

The analysis of the educational institution’s official documents, particularly the 2018 Basic Education curricular matrices of the network, provided the foundation for understanding the development of the didactic sequences. These references, accessible through the school’s Learning Map, guide the core competencies, skills, and content to be developed each year. The structuring and standardization of general competencies by area of knowledge, aligned with the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC), were established by educators in 2019, serving as a guide for pedagogical planning.

Regarding the Languages Area, the institution’s curriculum details specific competencies that underpin bilingual education. Academic competencies focus on reading and producing oral and written texts of various genres, considering structure, meaning effects, and the relationship with the mother tongue. Ethical-aesthetic competencies promote understanding the use of the English language by different peoples, identifying cultural singularities and establishing relationships between customs. Political competencies address rules of coexistence, citizen rights and duties, and social and political issues that impact communities. Finally, technological competencies involve the analysis of discourses and the use of verbal and non-verbal resources in textual organization.

For the second year of Elementary School, the core skills and content in English Language aim to expand students’ linguistic repertoire in oral communication, with a progressive introduction to writing. The focus is on socialization and peer interaction, using limited vocabulary and repetitive models in interactions with the teacher and classmates. The core content includes locating domestic and wild animals in English, while the skills encompass organizing collective presentations and participating in information exchange about students’ lives, practicing listening and comprehension of the English language.

In the third year, core content and skills are expanded and deepened, considering the cognitive development of the age group. The linguistic repertoire expands in both oral and written forms, prioritizing greater student autonomy in the communicative process. Skills include participating in class activities, exchanging information, requesting clarifications, validating understandings and opinions about texts in English, and applying descriptive and expressive language. Core content covers recursive and in-depth vocabulary, sharing of understandings, and the practice of listening and understanding the English language, respecting individual and group possibilities.

The interpretation of the data was anchored in theoretical triangulation, confronting the principles of the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology, according to Coyle, Hood and Marsh (2010), with the dimensions of executive functions (EFs), proposed by Miyake et al. (2000) and Diamond (2013). This framework allowed us to identify how didactic proposals are structured and how they mobilize inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, consolidating parameters on the contribution of CLIL to the development of cognitive skills.

2nd Grade Didactic Sequence: Nuclear Content “Animals”

The first didactic sequence, intended for the second year of Elementary School, had “Animals” as its core content. One of the proposed activities was the identification of animals by images and names in English. This task articulated the Content and Communication elements of CLIL, as it required the student to associate conceptual knowledge of animals with the corresponding vocabulary in the additional language. The activity mobilized working memory, fundamental for the student to keep the linguistic information active while performing the correspondence between image and word, according to the need to retain and manipulate information (Diamond, 2020).

Another relevant activity was the classification of animals into vertebrates and invertebrates. This proposal highlighted the integration between Content and Cognition, demanding that students consciously recall and apply scientific criteria to categorize animals. The process intensely involved working memory, which is essential for mentally sustaining concepts and performing adequate categorization, evidencing the ability to retain and manipulate information for problem-solving (Friedman et al., 2017).

The animal charades game represented a dynamic interaction between Communication and Flexibility, promoting the development of inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility. Students needed to restrain the impulse to speak, using only gestures to represent different animals, and adapt their representation strategies. This activity demonstrated self-regulation and creativity, aligning with the idea that cognitive flexibility allows adaptation to new strategies or perspectives (Diamond, 2013).

The discussion about the importance of animals for human beings articulated the Content and Culture elements of CLIL, fostering students’ cognitive flexibility. They were stimulated to consider different points of view and cultural perspectives, broadening their critical and social understanding of the content addressed. This approach contributed to the development of a globalized perception and intercultural awareness, according to the pillars of the CLIL methodology (Coyle et al., 2010).

Finally, the production of a group poster about animal habitats, carried out in English, integrated Communication and Cognition. The activity mobilized both inhibitory control and working memory, requiring focus, adequate lexical selection, and the retrieval of scientific knowledge previously worked on. Furthermore, collaboration among students was encouraged, reinforcing the idea that challenging activities stimulate executive functions and the construction of 21st-century skills (Musskopf et al., 2024).

In summary, the activities proposed in the didactic sequence for the second year, based on the CLIL approach, simultaneously favored the linguistic, cognitive, and socio-emotional development of the students. It was observed that each activity articulated, to a greater or lesser extent, the four pillars of CLIL – Content, Communication, Cognition, and Culture – promoting significant learning in English and in the curricular content of Natural Sciences. This intentional integration of pedagogical planning is crucial for the development of executive functions, as highlighted by Diamond (2016).

3rd Grade Didactic Sequence: Nuclear Content “Solar System”

The second didactic sequence, designed for the third year, focused on the core content “Solar System”. One of the activities consisted of naming the planets in English with the support of flashcards. This task articulated the elements of Content and Communication, promoting the learning of scientific concepts and vocabulary in the additional language. The activity mobilized working memory, as the student needed to memorize the sequence of the planets and relate them to the English names, keeping this information active for learning (Diamond, 2020).

The construction of the solar system in groups was an activity that integrated Content and Cognition, requiring students to plan, organize the task, and cooperate. This proposal mobilized both inhibitory control, by demanding focus, respect for rules, and collective work, as well as working memory, necessary to maintain information about the proportions and arrangement of the planets during execution. The complexity of the task stimulated the ability to plan and solve problems, essential executive functions (Friedman et al., 2017).

Reading a short text in English about the Sun and planets involved Content and Communication elements, mainly mobilizing inhibitory control. To successfully perform the activity, the student needed to maintain focus, avoid distractions, and follow the information presented in the additional language. This practice of sustained attention is a vital component of inhibitory control, which allows for the regulation of impulses and the maintenance of attentional focus (Diamond, 2013).

The debate on the possibility of living on other planets integrated Content, Culture, and Communication, fostering the development of cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control. Students were encouraged to formulate hypotheses, analyze different points of view, and respect divergent opinions, promoting critical and collaborative learning. This complex activity stimulated creativity, hypothesis analysis, and acceptance of the group’s different arguments, demonstrating the ability to adapt to new strategies and perspectives (Diamond, 2013).

Finally, the simple written production in English, based on the structure “My favorite planet is…”, articulated Communication and Cognition. This activity mobilized inhibitory control and working memory, requiring the adequate selection of linguistic structures, maintaining focus on writing, and recalling previously worked vocabulary. The textual production task, by demanding organization and coherence, reinforced the importance of executive functions in the process of learning and expressing knowledge.

In both didactic sequences analyzed, an effective integration was observed between the learning of Science content and the use of the additional language, fully meeting the principles of CLIL (Content, Communication, Cognition, and Culture). The proposed activities, which included classification, memorization, information production, writing, debates, and games, mobilized different executive functions – working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility – in real classroom contexts, promoting significant cognitive engagement.

The integration between scientific content and additional language learning has proven to be a conducive environment for greater cognitive engagement. In this scenario, children not only assimilated new Science concepts but also exercised skills in self-regulation, memory, and cognitive flexibility. Executive functions are of extreme relevance in the teaching-learning process, as they stimulate impulse control, attentional focus, and future action planning, as emphasized by Diamond (2013).

The CLIL methodology, by integrating content, language, cognition, and culture, promotes more meaningful learning and constitutes a powerful pedagogical strategy to enhance the development of executive functions. According to Coyle et al. (2010), this approach not only favors the acquisition of an additional language but also deepens the understanding of curricular content and the development of bilingual competence, creating a holistic and challenging learning environment.

The analysis of the didactic sequences showed that the development of executive functions does not occur casually, but can be intentionally provoked and stimulated through pedagogical proposals that require students to make decisions, self-regulate, think flexibly, and actively mobilize knowledge. Pedagogical intentionality, therefore, proves to be a central element in the articulation between language, content, and cognition, transforming bilingual education into a powerful space for cognitive development.

The integration between scientific content and linguistic practices, based on CLIL principles, is configured as a consistent path to promote more significant learning. This is especially true when proposals challenge students to think critically, interact, and solve problems collaboratively. Although this study is limited to documentary analysis and planning, it reinforces the idea that intentionally structured pedagogical practices can contribute significantly to cognitive development in bilingual education.

In summary, the research demonstrated that didactic sequences elaborated with the CLIL methodology, by intentionally integrating content and an additional language, are effective in mobilizing and developing the executive functions of inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility in students of the initial years of Elementary School. This pedagogical approach not only facilitates the learning of curricular content in a bilingual context but also promotes the enhancement of essential cognitive skills for the integral development of students.

4. Conclusion

This study sought to demonstrate how the process of developing and planning didactic sequences, based on the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology, directs the development of executive functions in students in the second and third years of Elementary School, establishing a relationship with the benefits of CLIL for cognitive development. It was verified that the analyzed didactic sequences presented a pedagogical organization aligned with the principles of CLIL, integrating curricular content from Natural Sciences and the English language. The proposed activities, such as animal classification and the construction of the solar system, effectively mobilized inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, promoting significant cognitive engagement. It was observed that the pedagogical intentionality in structuring these proposals is crucial for the development of these skills, consolidating CLIL as a potent strategy for enhancing executive functions and bilingual competence.

The main contribution of this work lies in elucidating how pedagogical planning can be intentionally structured to favor working with executive functions in bilingual contexts, going beyond mere linguistic acquisition. However, it is important to recognize that the results discussed here were limited to the field of planning and documentary analysis. This limitation points to the need for future research that considers classroom practice and the concrete effects of these proposals on student development. Nevertheless, the study reinforces the idea that intentionally designed pedagogical practices contribute significantly to cognitive development in bilingual education, stimulating self-regulation, decision-making, and flexibility of thought.

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Article originating from a Final Course Work on Neuroscience and Learning in Education

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