The Role of the Essential Question in Eliciting Critical Thinking in CLIL Classes at a Japanese University

This chapter presents a study which investigates how classroom interaction is conducted in a Japanese context, focusing on the development of learners’ critical thinking skills and interactional competence through a dialogic exchange. More specifically, by examining the data based on the audio-recordings of five CLIL classes at a Japanese university, we first identify what opportunities for content and English language learning are created in teacher–learner and learner–learner interactions. Second, we examine what role the teachers’ questions play in encouraging critical thinking. Third, we consider how these interactional actions influence the learners’ development of language learning and the interpersonal features of language.