The effects of an experimental approach to writing instruction on monolingual and multilingual pupils in Italian primary schools

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21283/2376905X.10.162

Keywords:

MULTILINGUAL PUPILS, L1/L2 WRITING, WRITING DEVELOPMENT, WRITING INSTRUCTION, PRIMARY SCHOOL

Abstract

This article reports on the results of an action-research project in Italian primary schools. Its main principles are formative evaluation, a process orientation to writing, cooperative learning, and an inclusive approach that does not separate pupils according to their linguistic or writing skills. Pupils aged eight to eleven years old participated in the study in seven experimental (N = 106) and seven control classes (N = 118). Their texts were examined both holistically, through scales of communicative effectiveness, and by means of analytical measurements. The comparison of monolingual and multilingual pupils in both experimental and control classes shows a number of similarities in terms of textual competence, as well as a few differences, especially regarding the more linguistic aspects of writing, such as verb tense cohesion. A remarkable result is that students’ text quality seems to depend more on their participation to the program than on their monolingual or multilingual status.

Author Biographies

Gabriele Pallotti, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Gabriele Pallotti is a professor of language-teaching methodology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the European Second Language Association (EuroSLA) and the editor of the EuroSLA Studies Series. His research focuses on L2 interaction and socialization, interlanguage analysis, linguistic complexity, methodology, and epistemology in applied linguistics

Claudia Borghetti, Università di Bologna

Claudia Borghetti is a research fellow in language learning and teaching at the il Dipartimento di Lingue, Letterature e Culture Moderne, Università di Bologna, Italy. Her primary research interests are intercultural language education, student mobility and multilingualism, teaching Italian as a second language, and (academic) writing.

Published

2019-08-31

How to Cite

Pallotti, G., & Borghetti, C. (2019). The effects of an experimental approach to writing instruction on monolingual and multilingual pupils in Italian primary schools. EuroAmerican Journal of Applied Linguistics and Languages, 6(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.21283/2376905X.10.162

Issue

Section

Research Articles - Regular Issue

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