Learning Italian as a second language. Voices, experiences, and beliefs of Bangladeshi students and their families.

Abstract

The thesis aims to explore the language repertoires and school backgrounds of Bangladeshis adolescents and their families who migrated to Italy. The research examines their previous school experiences, their expectations, and their knowledge about the Italian school system. Moreover, the research investigates teachers and Italian L2 teachers’ opinions and points of view. The research analyses the data by crossing the answers of students, parents, and Italian teachers. The research data were collected during a blended course of Italian as a Second Language for immigrant adolescent learners, over a period of two months. The thesis is composed of two parts: the first part provides a theoretical review about Italian as a second language for foreign students and some theoretical perspectives on the Bangladeshi Diaspora in Italy, while the second part the research is illustrated. The first chapter provides a theoretical framework on teaching Italian as a second language to immigrant students. The second chapter presents an overview on intercultural education in Italian L2 education and how culture and students' background might affect the second language learning. The third chapter provides an overview of the phenomenon of migration from Bangladesh to Italy and it shows data of the migration in Veneto and in Venice. The fourth chapter describes the case study and the research methodology, whereas the fifth chapter shows the results of data collection. Finally, the sixth chapter provides some considerations about the data analysed.