This research was supported by Philosophy and Social Sciences Research Project of Shaanxi Province 'Research on Characteristic Development of First-Class English Major in Local Universities Under New Liberal Arts', grant no. SGH21Y0452 and Basic English Education Research Centre, School of English Language and Culture, Xi’an Fanyi University.
Abstract
This article examines how Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) may be adapted to Chinese basic education through a comparison of two text-book systems: the 2024 junior secondary English textbook published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press and National Geographic Learning’s Reading Explorer. The analysis is informed by the CLIL 4Cs framework, with attention to content organization, language support, teaching design, and cultural representation. Rather than treating CLIL as a fixed international model, the article considers how integrated language-and-content learning is shaped by curriculum requirements, learner readiness, classroom conditions, and cultural orientation in China. The comparison shows that the Chinese textbook is stronger in curricular alignment, gradual sequencing, explicit scaffolding, and local cultural grounding. Denser informational texts, broader theme coverage, more inquiry-focused exercises, and greater support for academic reading and global understanding are all features of the American textbook Reading Explorer. These variations imply that localised CLIL in China shouldn't be created by directly copying resources from other countries. Selective adaptation, which preserves the coherence and accessibility of local textbooks while utilising foreign resources to enhance content depth, literacy work, and enquiry possibilities, is a more practical strategy.
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