Published Paper Details:

Language development is essential for students success in higher education, particularly for multilingual learners who must navigate complex disciplinary texts, academic discourse, and assessment practices. Despite increased participation in degree programs, many students continue to experience difficulties related to academic language proficiency. Sheltered instruction has been recognized as a pedagogical approach that integrates content learning with language development through purposeful instructional support. This paper presents a conceptual analysis of sheltered instruction and examines its role in supporting academic language development in higher education contexts. Drawing on theories of second language acquisition, socio cultural learning, and cognitive learning theory, the paper explores how key principles of sheltered instruction--including comprehensible input, scaffolding, interaction, and explicit attention to academic language--support the development of academic vocabulary, discourse competence, and disciplinary literacy. Through a synthesis of existing literature, the paper proposes a conceptual framework illustrating the relationship between sheltered instruction and academic language development among degree students. The paper concludes with implications for higher education pedagogy and teacher preparation and highlights directions for future research in postsecondary sheltered instruction.