The educational challenges of Italian migrant learners in their transition to secondary schools in Gozo : a comparative study

Abstract

This dissertation explores the transition of Italian migrant learners into state schools in Gozo in order to understand whether these learners experience any educational challenges when moving from Italian to Maltese schools, given the similarities and/or differences between the two education systems. Shedding more light on this topic is particularly important in the local context because the presence of migrants in Malta and Gozo has increased significantly over the last few years, and schools are becoming more multicultural and multilingual. Besides this, Italians constitute the largest group of migrants on our islands and the largest community of students in Maltese schools. This study investigates language barriers related to the use of Maltese and English, participation in class, work completion, socialisation, and inclusion issues of Italian migrant learners in middle and secondary state schools in Gozo by taking into account the experiences of these learners themselves, their parents, and teachers. The results of this study confirm that Italian migrant learners are generally well included in local schools, more so if they started their schooling in Malta at a young age. However, some parents claim that their children have experienced exclusion, especially at the beginning of their transition into Maltese schools. Although Italian parents generally feel included too, some feel excluded at school and in the community, in some cases even when they have competence in Maltese. The teachers who participated in this research study do their best to support these learners as they sometimes act as linguistic mediators by switching to Italian when necessary. However, they have limited time and leeway to make further adaptations because of the vast syllabi they have to cover in a short time, also in view of an exam-oriented pedagogy which they feel constrained to adopt. They claim that more support is required to cater for the needs of migrant learners both inside or outside the school, and advocate for more induction hubs in Gozo, despite the controversial nature of this provision. Findings from a comparative perspective indicate that Italian migrant learners face a difficult transition into Maltese schools since differences between the Italian and Maltese education systems can affect their performance and general well-being in local schools. Although Italian migrant learners and their parents find local schooling easier than in Italy, this can imply that Maltese schools are not challenging Italian migrant learners to perform to their full potential. The tracking system based on the students’ overall achievement may be limiting rather than supporting these learners. Some learners have been placed in low-track classes even though there are indications that some of them performed well in their country prior to arrival. Differences in assessment practices between systems may influence these learners’ transition, for the reason that examinations based on written rather than oral testing may be a disadvantage to Italian migrant learners who are not proficient in Maltese and English and unfamiliar with teaching methods and syllabi covered in Maltese schools. Finally, this study also reflects on the maintenance of Italian, more in-class support through multilingual practices such as language mediation and translanguaging, and effective home-school links to foster a climate of acceptance towards cultural and linguistic diversity in local schools. This would entail further developments in local policies and professional training for teachers to create an ambience where all languages are celebrated and where all students, irrespective of their nationality and background, can learn in a positive and healthy learning environment which empowers them to reach their educational goals.