A NARRATIVE INQUIRY INTO THE APPLICATION OF THE CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION APPROACH TO LEGAL ENGLISH TEACHING

Abstract

Content-based instruction (CBI) has been applied widely in teaching English for specific purposes. This study aims to delineate a lecturer’s views of teaching legal English using the content-based instruction approach. A narrative frame was employed as the primary data source to gain insights into the perspectives of a Vietnamese lecturer. The participant was invited to write a reflection on different stages of his career from the past to the present and what he plans to do in the future. The data also came from classroom observation and teacher’s lesson plans. The findings show that the application of the content-based approach contributed to students' development in legal English. Students have opportunities to learn and perform the target language in an environment in which language acquisition takes place through subject-matter knowledge. Moreover, the findings of this study reveal the teacher's concerns about teaching materials as well as the teacher’s content knowledge.