Secondary Students’ Attitudes Towards Linguistic Diversity: An Investigation on Individual and Educational Aspects in Italian Schools

Abstract

This paper aims at investigating lower and upper secondary students’ attitudes towards linguistic diversity, here assumed as an extension of the language attitude construct. The research focuses on individual factors, as well as on aspects related to the educational context. Drawing from a larger study, data was gathered from a considerable number of informants in a representative number Italian regions, employing a Likert scale-based questionnaire and through the triangulation of different information from a variety of sources. Results showed that gender, school grade, number of languages known and the migratory background are all predictors of attitudes towards linguistic diversity. Moreover, the adoption of éveil aux langues and CLIL and the purposeful use of the schoolscape though specific activities promoting plurilingualism and intercultural reflection have a significant impact on students’ attitudes.
 
 Gli atteggiamenti degli studenti della scuola secondaria verso la diversità linguistica: un’indagine sugli aspetti individuali ed educativi nelle scuole italiane
 Questo articolo mira a indagare gli atteggiamenti degli studenti della scuola secondaria inferiore e superiore verso la diversità linguistica, qui assunta come un’estensione del costrutto di attitudine linguistica. La ricerca si concentra sia su fattori individuali sia su aspetti legati al contesto educativo. Attingendo da uno studio più ampio, i dati sono stati raccolti da un numero considerevole di informatori rappresentativi di diverse regioni italiane, utilizzando un questionario basato sulla scala Likert e attraverso la correlazione di diverse informazioni tratte da una varietà di fonti. I risultati hanno mostrato che il genere, il grado scolastico, il numero di lingue conosciute e il background migratorio sono tutti indicatori di atteggiamenti verso la diversità linguistica. Inoltre hanno messo in evidenza che l’adozione di éveil aux langues, del CLIL e l’uso mirato dello schoolscape, attraverso attività specifiche che promuovono il plurilinguismo e la riflessione interculturale, hanno un impatto significativo sugli atteggiamenti degli studenti.

Comparing pre-service teacher attitudes toward the use of students’ home language(s) in linguistically diverse English as an additional language classrooms in Norway and Cyprus

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The effect of multilingual pedagogies on language aptitude: A study on lower secondary school students based on the LLAMA test

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