Your browser does not support the PubReader view.
Go to this page to see a list of supporting browsers.
The Korean Association for the Study of English Language and Linguistics
[ Article ]
Korea Journal of English Language and Linguistics - Vol. 26, No. 0, pp.235-259
ISSN: 1598-1398 (Print) 2586-7474 (Online)
Print publication date 28 Feb 2026
Received 20 Dec 2025 Revised 18 Jan 2026 Accepted 19 Jan 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15738/kjell.26..202602.235

Exploring Student Engagement in AI-Assisted CLIL for Global Citizenship and Competence in EFL Higher Education

Eun-Jou Oh
Associate Professor Department of General Education Korean Bible University 32, Dongil-ro 214-gil, Nowon-gu, Seoul 01757, Republic of Korea, Tel: +82-2-950-4328 eunjouoh@bible.ac.kr


© 2026 KASELL All rights reserved
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of an AI-assisted Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) model, designed around Global Citizenship and Competence (GCC), on EFL tertiary students’ motivation and self-efficacy, utilizing goal self-concordance as a key measure of engagement. A 15-week longitudinal study involved 154 South Korean undergraduates enrolled in a required general education course. The course integrated generative AI tools (ChatGPT and DeepL) as translanguaging scaffolds to facilitate engagement with complex global content. Self-efficacy in Language Skills (LS) and GCC were measured pre- and post-course, alongside engagement variables (self-concordance, effort, and perceived outcome) tracked at three time points. Results showed significant increases in self-efficacy for both LS (Hedges’ g = 1.21) and GCC (g = 1.27). Engagement, particularly self-concordance in GCC and digital literacy, also significantly increased. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that post-course LS self-efficacy was significantly predicted by perceived outcome in digital literacy in GCC and effort in GCC as well as engagement variables in language learning. Post-course GCC self-efficacy was strongly predicted by self-concordance, effort, and perceived outcome specific to the GCC domain. These findings support the premise that AI-assisted CLIL cultivates self-efficacy by fostering engagement in higher-order learning processes, highlighting the reciprocal nature of language and content engagement within this inclusive pedagogical framework.

Keywords:

AI-assisted CLIL, global citizenship and competence, goal self-concordance, translanguaging, self-efficacy, higher education

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2023S1A5A2A01075065).

References

  • Airey, J. 2016. EAP, EMI or CLIL? In K. Hyland and P. Shaw, eds., The Routledge Handbook of English for Academic Purposes, 71-83. London: Routledge. [https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315657455-8]
  • APCEIU. 2021. Global Citizenship Education: A Policymaking Awareness and Advocacy Handbook. Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding. Available online at https://www.unescoapceiu.org/
  • Black, R., M. K. E. Thomas and M. Bearman. 2023. Producing the global graduate: Academic labor and imagined futures in critical times. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 1-18. [https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2023.2210595]
  • Borkovic, S., T. Nicolacopoulos, D. Horey and T. Fortune. 2020. Students positioned as global citizens in Australian and New Zealand universities: A discourse analysis. Higher Education Research & Development 39(6), 1106-1121. [https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1712677]
  • Byram, M. 2008. From Foreign Language Education to Education for Intercultural Citizenship. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. [https://doi.org/10.21832/9781847690807]
  • Coyle, D., P. Hood and D. Marsh. 2010. CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009024549]
  • Ding, A. C. E. and E. E. Cha. 2024. The integration of virtual reality-enhanced multimodal meaning-making improves knowledge acquisition and disciplinary literacy development in science classrooms. Learning and Instruction 94, 101999. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.101999]
  • Dörnyei, Z. 2009. The L2 motivational self system. In Z. Dörnyei and E. Ushioda, eds., Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self, 9-42. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. [https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.30945943.5]
  • Dörnyei, Z. and S. Ryan. 2015. The Psychology of the Language Learner Revisited. New York: Routledge. [https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315779553]
  • Fenton-Smith, B., P. Humphreys and I. Walkinshaw. 2017. English Medium Instruction in Higher Education in Asia-Pacific. New York: Springer. [https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51976-0]
  • Galloway, N. and R. Ruegg. 2022. English medium instruction lecturer support needs in Japan and China. System 105, 102728. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102728]
  • Godwin-Jones, R. 2024. Distributed agency in second language learning and teaching through generative AI. arXiv preprint arXiv:2403.20216, . [https://doi.org/10.64152/10125/73570]
  • Hadingham, O. 2024. Taking stock of English medium instruction outcomes in the Asian context. Asian Englishes 26(2), 579-590. [https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2023.2280834]
  • Hemmi, C. 2024. Current practice and research of CLIL in Japan. In Y. Y. Lo, D. Tsang and K. J. Kennedy, eds., The Routledge Handbook of Content and Language Integrated Learning, 475-488. London: Routledge. [https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003173151-38]
  • Henry, A., C. Thorsen and M. S. Uztosun. 2023. Exploring language learners’ self-generated goals. System 112, 102971. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102971]
  • James, J., T. Malkin and D. Nusche. 2025. Trends Shaping Education 2025. Paris: OECD Publishing.
  • Kamaşak, R., K. Sahan and H. Rose. 2021. Academic language-related challenges at an English-medium university. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 49, 100945. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2020.100945]
  • Kim, E. Y. and E.-J. Oh. 2023. Machine translation use as translanguaging in CLIL. English Teaching 78(4), 59-82. [https://doi.org/10.15858/engtea.78.4.202312.59]
  • Marsh, D. 2006. English as a Medium of Instruction in the New Global Linguistic Order: Global Characteristics, Local Consequences. Jyväskylä, Finland: UNICOM, Continuing Education Centre, University of Jyväskylä. Available online at http://www.metsmac.org./2007/proceedings/2006/Marsh-D-METSMaC-2006.pdf
  • Nguyen, A. 2023. Unraveling EMI as a predictor of English proficiency in Vietnamese higher education: Exploring learners’ backgrounds as a variable. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 13(2), 347-371. [https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.38278]
  • Nikula, T. and P. Moore. 2019. Exploring translanguaging in CLIL. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 22(2), 237-249. [https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2016.1254151]
  • OECD. 2018. PISA 2018 Global Competence Framework. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Available online at https://www.oecd.org/pisa/innovation/global-competence/
  • Oh, E. J. 2022. Integrating global citizenship and global competence into a general English course. Journal of Education for International Understanding 17(1), 93-156. [https://doi.org/10.35179/jeiu.2022.17.1.93]
  • Oh, E. J. 2025. A case study of an AI-assisted CLIL approach: A college English course for global citizenship and global competence in an EFL setting. In H. Reinders, J.-K. Park and J. S. Lee, eds., Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching: The Case of Korea, 229-257. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. [https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-83561-2_10]
  • Oh, E. J. and T. Y. Ahn. 2025. Beyond basic literacy education. Korean Journal of General Education 19(1), 129-146. [https://doi.org/10.46392/kjge.2025.19.1.129]
  • Oh, E. J., E. Y. Kim, M. Myeong, S. H. Jeon, Y. Kim, Y. H. Jang and S. Yoon. 2023. Modeling a community of practice for global competence: A collaborative autoethnography of college EFL learners. Korean Journal of General Education 17, 69-92. [https://doi.org/10.46392/kjge.2023.17.5.69]
  • Peng, J.-E. and X. Xie. 2021. English-medium instruction as a pedagogical strategy. Sustainability 13(10), 5637. [https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105637]
  • Porto, M. 2019. Does education for intercultural citizenship lead to language learning? Language, Culture and Curriculum 32(1), 16-33. [https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2017.1421642]
  • Porto, M. 2024. How can language education contribute to securing a liveable planet? TESOL Quarterly 59(2), 585-618. [https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3321]
  • Ryan, R. M. and E. L. Deci. 2000. Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation. American Psychologist 55(1), 68-78. [https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066X.55.1.68]
  • Sheldon, K. M. and A. J. Elliot. 1998. Not all personal goals are personal: Comparing autonomous and controlled reasons for goals as predictors of effort and attainment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 24(5), 546-557. [https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167298245010]
  • Sheldon, K. M. and A. J. Elliot. 1999. Goal striving, need satisfaction, and longitudinal well-being: The self-concordance model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 76(3), 482-497. [https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.76.3.482]
  • Sweller, J. 1988. Cognitive Load During Problem Solving: Effects on Learning. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. [https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1202_4]
  • Tai, K. W. 2024. Classroom interactional competence in EMI mathematics. Learning and Instruction 90, 101849. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2023.101849]
  • Tai, K. W., L. Wei and E. K. Y. Loh. 2025. Enhancing students’ content and language development. Learning and Instruction 96, 102083. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2025.102083]
  • Tsou, W. and W. Baker, eds. 2021. English-Medium Instruction Translanguaging Practices in Asia: Theories, Frameworks and Implementation in Higher Education. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature. [https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3001-9]
  • Vasalampi, K., K. Salmela-Aro and J.-E. Nurmi. 2009. Adolescents’ self-concordance and school engagement. European Psychologist 14(4), 332-341. [https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040.14.4.332]
  • Voss, E. 2024. Artificial intelligence and linguistic landscape research. Linguistic Landscape 10(4), 400-424. [https://doi.org/10.1075/ll.24011.vos]
  • Wiggins, G. and J. McTighe. 1998. Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
  • Xu, W. and J. Knijnik. 2024. English as a world opener in Chinese universities. Pedagogy, Culture & Society 32(5), 1343-1359. [https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2023.2174171]
  • Yang, W. 2015. Content and language integrated learning in Asia. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 18(4), 361-382. [https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2014.904840]
  • Zhou, S., J. McKinley, H. Rose and X. Xu. 2021. English medium higher education in China. ELT Journal 76(2), 261-271. [https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccab082]