Svantaggio linguistico e didattica inclusiva. Una necessità nei contesti di formazione professionale

This paper deals with the training strategies for young students who do not have the Italian citizenship within the specific context of Vocational Training and with particular reference to the linguistic disadvantage and the possible teaching methods. National and international surveys of the learning levels highlight the weakness in the school integration processes, which is also evidenced by the low education levels, irregular studies, high delay rates (ISTAT, 2015; MIUR, 2018) and worse performance of non-Italian students compared to the Italian ones (INVALSI, 2017; OECD, 2016, 2017.) Irregular studies are due to different reasons, mostly attributable to "constraints and disadvantages (linguistic resources, negative performances, low social and cultural capital, direct migration experiences, etc.)" or to "local and institutional variables". As for non-Italian students attending Vocational Training and Education courses (IeFP) in the Italian context, the access to the language seems to be particularly critical, as also attested to by an ISFOL survey on the proficiency and use of the Italian language and dialect among the foreign students in Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio, Apulia and Sicily (Daniele, 2015a e 2015b.) The research results show the need for didactic measures relating to the enhancement of the learning of the Italian language as well as of multicultural didactics. From the didactic point of view, the core of these measures is represented by the shift from the teaching of a language to a linguistic education. Certainly, the IeFP context is the most inclusive element of our educational system (Mion, 2016, Peretti, 2016), and the IeFP has a driving and motivating effect on young foreign people (Dall’Ò, 2017) and the active methodologies largely present in the IeFP are an important starting point and strength. However, there are still some criticalities relating on the one hand to the training of teachers and on the other hand to the shift from spontaneous and limited interventions to systemic and formal measures (Daniele, 2015b), which would help fill the gap between the studies of non-Italian students within the vocational training path and the examination procedures, with special reference to the conclusion of the fourth year.