Abstract：Abstract: As an educational approach/philosophy, Content and Language Integration (CLI) has been implemented in large amount of educational practice and demonstrated its positive role in promoting students’ learning of subject-area knowledge and foreign languages. However, its theoretical supports need to be clarified. This article examines theoretical supports for the approach/philosophy of CLI from the perspectives of linguistics, learning, second language acquisition, cognition, constructivism and sociocultural theories. It is hoped that it may shed light on foreign language teachers’ understanding of CLI and their future educational practice.
Key Words:Content and Language Integration (CLI); approach/philosophy; content; language; theoretical supports
