## 1 Introduction
### Theoretical Background
#### 1.1.4 CLIL Approach and Its Applications in Tertiary Education  
CLIL (content and language integrated learning approach) has been adopted by many educational institutions over the past decade [50; 51; 52; 53; 54; 55; 56; 57; 58; 59; 60; 61; 62; 63]. It has become so topical because a lot of attention is being given to interdisciplinary interaction and knowledge integration in general. CLIL is used at schools, vocational colleges as well as in tertiary education when a number of professional subjects are explained in a foreign language, priority being given to job-relevant learning [54; 55; 56; 57; 58; 59; 60; 61; 62; 63; 64; 65; 66; 67; 68]. In our research, we mainly concentrate on adopting CLIL approach in higher education. Another reason why CLIL is gaining popularity is that is apparently motivating for learners [44; 45]. In a CLIL class, instead of learning the subject matter and acquiring foreign skills in isolation, students become more engaged in the cognitive activities by participating in interdisciplinary experiences therefore they see the value of what they are learning [60]. Thus, adopting the CLIL approach will strengthen the motivation of those engineering students who are unwilling to focus on language learning. However, traditionally, a foreign language is a separate subject on the curriculum, and it is often referred to as \"a foreign language for special purposes\". In the past, students had to translate a considerable number of articles on the subject they specialized in [61; 62]. Then in the 1980s course books for teaching foreign languages to engineering students specializing in electronics, IT technologies, etc. were published. At the time, such course books were seen as a paradigm shift in teaching a foreign language for special purposes because, apart from reading professional texts, they had listening comprehension, vocabulary, discussion sections as well as ample opportunities to practice writing. The outcome of this approach to foreign language teaching was far more positive because engineering students did not just learn to read a foreign-language article on their subject and recognize the familiar vocabulary, but also to have professional conversations with their foreign colleagues. Nevertheless, sometimes university teachers still had difficulty motivating their students to learn a foreign language because they recognized it as an unimportant subject. CLIL was the next crucial step, which helped change engineering students' attitude to foreign language and increased their motivation. In teaching a foreign language for special purposes, the focus is on language learning, whereas in CLIL more attention is given to the job-related subjects. Therefore, when the students are aware of the fact that they study the subjects that are essential for their future career, they are more willing to get involved in cognitive activities than when they study a subject that they perceive as insignificant. Another considerable advantage of CLIL is that students do not focus on learning professional vocabulary, which is seen by most students as an insurmountable obstacle. Instead, they concentrate on doing their assignments, such as solving equations, conducting experiments and doing calculations. However, in CLIL class, everything is taught in a foreign language: the students ask and answer questions, the teacher gives explanations and instructions, etc. Therefore, students are able to overcome their main stumbling block in language learning: they start using the foreign-language professional vocabulary in the course of communication. Thus, the new professional terms as well as general academic vocabulary (especially if students are frequently exposed to these words) are internalized subconsciously. In spite of all the advantages mentioned above, CLIL approach has been criticized by some scholars and educationalists. The argument goes, students with a low level of language proficiency will not be able to understand the special subject.