Content-based instruction: Can it help ease the transition from beginning to advanced foreign language classes?

This article examines content-based instruction as a possible strategy for easing students' transition from beginning to advanced foreign language courses, as well as for developing students' interest in pursuing language study beyond those courses sponsored and protected by an institutional foreign language requirement. Four principal sections organize this article. First, the theoretical underpinnings of content-based instruction are reviewed. In the second section, four common content-based instruction models are outlined and compared. The third section examines recent research findings in content-based instruction and offers advice on how to implement a content-based instruction program in a university context. The final section highlights future research needs.