Teaching Italian in a multilingual and multicultural class: a case study

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to understand what exchange students feel and endure when they leave their native land. Firstly, we will present a brief overview about culture and intercultural communication and we will outline the method designed to teach and to acquire them in foreign language learning. Secondly, we will analyse the language learning steps of six teenagers coming from different countries and now living in Venice, Italy, as part of an exchange program of living and learning abroad (AFS – Intercultura). A contrastive analysis based on a case study and dealing with students’ language acquisition will be finally explained, underlining the differences in their learning approaches, abilities, habits and difficulties. We will also define, in behalf of future students, what are the improvements needed to this program.