L’esperienza di studenti italiani nelle scuole maltesi, e la percezione degli insegnanti nei loro confronti

Abstract

Over the past few years, the number of Italian migrants has increased rapidly and many now form active part of the local community. Many of these Italian families have children of Italian nationality who attend Maltese schools. This great influx of Italian migrant students and their positioning in mainstream schools has determined issues related to their social and academic integration, in part directly affected by linguistic and social barriers which co-exist within school communities. In this investigation I refer to policy making and practical matters which affect the inclusion of Italian migrant students in local schools. Data collection was then carried out in a Maltese State school, chosen on the basis of the fact that a large number of Italian nationals attend this school. Findings were collected through one-to-one semi-structured interviews with eight Italian students, four from Year 7 classes and four from Year 8 classes. These interviews have provided me with a better insight on their experience in the school within their new host country, their emotional status and their school attainment. Five other interviews were then conducted with three language teachers, and focused on the inclusive initiatives they implement in their classrooms and their perceptions of migrant learners. Finally, three interviews were conducted with Italian parents. Results indicated that the experience of these Italian migrant learners in Maltese schools is positive. Nevertheless, some students have to face some emotional problems and there are indications that they also start losing aspects of their language of origin, as their schooling is largely linked to regular use of English. Further measures to better cater for the inclusion of these students, especially from a policy-making point of view, are therefore required.