Students' Perspectives on Implementing Content and Language Integrated Learning to Teach Business English at Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania

Abstract

Due to free trade economy policies, the demand for English language use in Albania has seen a leap during the last three decades, thus becoming the main foreign language used for communication both at the international and national levels. Universities, as higher education institutions, should reflect changes that are taking place in the Albanian economy to ensure that graduates meet workplace needs for language and communication. Updated syllabuses should pinpoint the language and communication skills that economics students need to be successfully integrated into the labor market. This research paper aims to investigate the perspectives of students at the Agricultural University of Tirana (AUT) regarding the implementation of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in Business English (BE) courses. CLIL, introduced in the 1990s, remains an innovative teaching approach that integrates language learning with subject content. Through a semi-structured questionnaire and interviews, this study focuses on 250 students, analyzing their experiences, challenges, and benefits related to this methodology. The findings aim to provide insights for an effective implementation of CLIL in BE courses in the future.

Received: 30 December 2024 / Accepted: 15 February 2025 / Published: 06 March 2025