Developing Writing Skills in Higher Education Clil Contexts: A Case Study in Chemistry Laboratory Lessons

Bilingual education is becoming a highly topical model of reference at different educational levels. The interest and the implementation of bilingual programs at different educational stages in Europe and beyond have grown exponentially. Though these experiences have been most notorious and abundant in early educational stages such as primary or secondary education, in recent years, we are witnessing a displacement of these teaching practices to university contexts. The European Higher education System (EHEA) is undergoing a process of profound changes which include a continuous growth of interest and concern for the domain of foreign languages. Many programs and projects related to bilingual teaching are being implemented in Europe and in many Spanish universities through different educational approaches such as the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). Some studies reveal that CLIL approaches do not place too much emphasis on activities aimed at producing written work as on other linguistic skills. However, written production is considered a skill which should be enhanced, especially in higher education due to its importance in both educational and professional contexts. The purpose of this study is to examine the potential of the textual genre awareness for CLIL Chemistry students to improve their writing skills at a Spanish university.