The CLIL Museum Experience: What Italian Teachers Think.

Abstract

This dissertation investigates Italian secondary school teachers' perspectives about CLIL activities in the museum context. CLIL is an umbrella term indicating an educational methodology which integrates the learning of a subject with the learning of a second language or a foreign language. In Italy, CLIL programmes at the museum have gained momentum as an opportunity for students to learn a foreign language beyond the walls of the school classroom. Previous studies exposed how inadequate communication between school teachers and museum educators might result in students’ lack of engagement in CLIL museum visits (Fazzi, 2018). However, we still know very little about how teachers consider the potential benefits of integrating CLIL activities at the museum in their school curriculum. This exploratory research addresses the gap by gathering Italian secondary school teachers' perspectives through the online administration of a questionnaire collecting both quantitative and qualitative data with three overarching purposes in mind. First, we investigate whether teachers are informed about the existence of CLIL museum programs. Second, we consider teachers’ opinions about how the CLIL museum experience fits into the school curriculum. Third, we explore teachers’ views about what the role of the school teacher is in making a CLIL museum tour successful. The dissertation concludes by reiterating the need for museums and schools to collaborate for the fulfilling of the CLIL museum visit’s full potential.