Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T12:55:48.112Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

4 - Teaching Science in English in Secondary Schools in Kazakhstan

Policy and Practice Perspectives

from Part I - Foundations of Scaling Up

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2023

By
Bridget Goodman ,
Alexandra Nam ,
Almira Yembergenova  and
Kathy Malone
Edited by
Colleen McLaughlin ,
Liz Winter  and
Natallia Yakavets
Colleen McLaughlin
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Liz Winter
Affiliation:
University of Exeter
Natallia Yakavets
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Get access

Summary

This chapter offers insights into the policy and practice of science education in English in Kazakhstan. Science education is currently seen as synonymous with education in English through the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach, but this position has evolved over time as the policy has expanded across schools. Previous studies in Kazakhstan have found that teachers hold positive attitudes towards teaching science in English but experience practical challenges in teaching methods and linguistic resources. To better understand these challenges, a case study of science teachers was conducted jointly by the University of Cambridge and the Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education (NUGSE) in 2019. Observations were conducted and evaluated using a modified Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP). The data indicate a dearth of innovation and transformation of STEM education, and of application of CLIL pedagogies. Overall, these findings seem to point to the need for sustained professional development that lasts over an extended time so that teachers can understand how to implement STEM education reform efforts and CLIL pedagogy.

Keywords

CLILscience educationKazakhstan
Type
Chapter
Information
Mapping Educational Change in Kazakhstan , pp. 59 - 74
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Altynsarin National Academy (2017). Unified language standard of teaching in three languages.Google Scholar
Alzhanova, S. (2020). EMI Content Teachers’ Perspectives on Translanguaging in Secondary Education. Master’s thesis, Nazarbayev University Repository. http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/4913Google Scholar
Amaniyazova, A. (2020). Kazakhstani Teachers’ Beliefs on Translanguaging: Evidence from a Trilingual Context. Master’s thesis, Nazarbayev University Repository. http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/4853Google Scholar
Autonomous Educational Organisation Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (AEO NIS). (2013a). The trilingual implementation guidelines for the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools.Google Scholar
Autonomous Educational Organisation Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (AEO NIS). (2013b). Trilingual education of Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools.Google Scholar
Bakytzhanova, G. (2018). Policy Enactment of Trilingual Education in Kazakhstan: A Case Study of One NIS School. Master’s thesis, Nazarbayev University Repository. http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/3672Google Scholar
Council of Europe (n.d.). www.coe.intGoogle Scholar
Coyle, D., Hood, P. and Marsh, D. (2010). CLIL. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Em, A. (2021). Attending to Diversity and Inclusion through Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in Kazakhstan: Teachers’ Experiences and Practices in Diverse CLIL Classrooms. Master’s thesis, Nazarbayev University Repository. http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/5484Google Scholar
Huertas-Abril, C. A. and Shashken, A. (2021). Exploring the potential of CLIL in Kazakhstan: A qualitative study. Revista Complutense de Educacion, 32(2), 261–271. https://doi.org/10.5209/rced.68345Google Scholar
Kakenov, R. (2017). Teachers’ experiences of using CLIL in Kazakh language classrooms. NUGSE Research in Education, 2(2), 21–29. http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/3122Google Scholar
Karabassova, L. (2018). Teachers’ conceptualization of content and language integrated learning (CLIL): Evidence from a trilingual context. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 25(3), 787–799. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1550048Google Scholar
Karabassova, L. (2020). Is top-down CLIL justified? A grounded theory of exploration of secondary school science teachers’ experiences. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 25(4), 1530–1545. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2020.1775781Google Scholar
Karabassova, L. (2021). English-medium education reform in Kazakhstan: Comparative study of educational change across two contexts in one country. Current Issues in Language Planning, 22(5), 553–573. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2021.1884436Google Scholar
Karabassova, L. and San Isidro, X. (2020). Towards translanguaging in CLIL: A study on teachers’ perceptions and practices in Kazakhstan. International Journal of Multilingualism. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2020.1828426Google Scholar
Kassym, Z. (2021). History of Kazakhstan through Kazakh as a Medium of Instruction (KMI): Russian-Speaking University Students’ Perceptions of Their Experience Studying in Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS). Master’s thesis, Nazarbayev University Repository. http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/5597Google Scholar
Keniskhanova, A. (2020). Understanding Kazakhstani Students’ Willingness to Communicate in English in Senior Secondary STEM Subjects. Master’s thesis, Nazarbayev University Repository. http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/4863Google Scholar
Liang, L. L., Fulmer, G. W., Majerich, D. M., Clevenstine, R. and Howanski, R. (2012). The effects of a model-based physics curriculum program with a physics first approach: A causal-comparative study. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 21(1), 114–124. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-011-9287-2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacIsaac, D. and Falconer, K. (2002). Reforming physics instruction via RTOP. The Physics Teacher, 40(8), 479–485. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1526620CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Malone, K. L. (2023). The effects of modeling?based pedagogy on conceptual understanding, scientific reasoning skills, and attitudes towards science of English Learners. Science Education, 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21805Google Scholar
Maximova, G. (2020). STEM Teachers’ Perceptions about Pre-service Training and Their Challenges in CLIL Classrooms in Kazakhstan. Master’s thesis, Nazarbayev University Repository. http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/4961Google Scholar
Mehisto, P., Kambatyrova, A. and Nurseitova, A. (2014). Three in one? Trilingualism in educational policy and practice. In Bridges, D. (Ed.), Educational Reform and Internationalisation: The Case of School Reforms in Kazakhstan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 152–176.Google Scholar
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MoES) (2004). State programme of education development in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2005–2010. https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/en/2004/state-run-program-education-development-kazakhstan-2005-2010-3702Google Scholar
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MoES) (2010). State programme of education development in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2011–2020. https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/en/2012/state-program-education-development-republic-kazakhstan-2011-2020-5506Google Scholar
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MoES) (2015). Dorozhnaya karta razvitiya trekhyazychnogo obrazovaniya na 2015–2020 [Roadmap of trilingual education development for 2015–2020]. http://umckrg.gov.kz/content/view/1/478Google Scholar
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Altynsarin National Academy (2018a). The methodological guidance for implementation of the unified language standard of trilingual education. https://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=37488363Google Scholar
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Altynsarin National Academy (2018b). Instructive-methodological letter about peculiarities of the educational process in 2018–2019 academic year. https://uba.edu.kz/ru/metodology/2Google Scholar
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Altynsarin National Academy (2019). Instructive-methodological letter about peculiarities of the educational process in 2019–2020 academic year. https://uba.edu.kz/ru/metodology/2Google Scholar
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Altynsarin National Academy (2020). Instructive-methodological letter about peculiarities of the educational process in 2020–2021 academic year. https://uba.edu.kz/ru/metodology/2Google Scholar
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Altynsarin National Academy (2021). Instructive-methodological letter about peculiarities of the educational process in 2021–2022 academic year. https://uba.edu.kz/ru/metodology/2Google Scholar
Nazarbayev, N. (2007). A new Kazakhstan in a new world: Address by the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr Nursultan Nazarbayev to the Republic of Kazakhstan. www.zakon.kz/83346-poslanie-prezidenta-respubliki.htmlGoogle Scholar
Nazarbayev, N. (2018). The plans of the nation: 100 concrete steps. https://afmrk.gov.kz/en/activity/strategy-and-program/100-concrete-steps-towards-the-implementation-of.htmlGoogle Scholar
Nurmagambetov, A. (2021). Challenges of Science Teachers in Teaching Their Subjects in English at an NIS School in Northern Kazakhstan. Master’s thesis, Nazarbayev University Repository. http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/5625Google Scholar
Ospanbek, F. (2021). Exploring SFL to Understand Kazakhstani Teachers’ Translanguaging Practices in Mathematics (STEM) Classrooms. Master’s thesis, Nazarbayev University Repository. http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/5563Google Scholar
Piburn, M., Sawada, D., Turley, J., Falconer, K., Benford, R., Bloom, I. and Judson, E. (2000). Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) Reference Manual. Tempe, Arizona: Arizona Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers.Google Scholar
Sagintayev, B. (2017). Speech about the realisation of multilingual education. https://informburo.kz/novosti/bolee-2000-kazahstanskih-uchiteley-predpensionnogo-vozrasta-otkazalis-uchit-angliyskiy-yazyk.htmlGoogle Scholar
Sawada, D., Piburn, M. D., Judson, E., Turley, J., Falconer, K., Benford, R. and Bloom, I. (2002). Measuring reform practices in science and mathematics classrooms: The Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol. School Science and Mathematics, 102(6), 245–253.Google Scholar
Syzdykbayeva, R. (2017). Students’ Attitudes and Perceptions of Content and Language Integrated Learning in a Secondary School. Master’s thesis, Nazarbayev University Repository. https://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/2576Google Scholar
Vitchenko, O. (2017). Introducing CLIL in Kazakhstan: Researching beliefs and perceptions of university stakeholders. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 14(1), 102–116.Google Scholar
Zakon.kz (2019).Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×