Doing Italian As a Foreign Language: Investigating Talk About Language and Culture in Three British University Classrooms

Doing Italian as a Foreign Language: Investigating Talk about Language and Culture in Three British University Classrooms by Giovanni Fanton A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Education The University of Birmingham August 2010 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT The study presented in this thesis focuses on teacher-student talk-in-interaction in three Italian classes for beginners taught by two teachers, one British and one Italian, in two British universities. The aims of the study are to: (1) investigate the views of language and of language teaching/learning that informed the teachers‟ practice; (2) identify the cultural worlds and images of Italian-ness constructed through the classroom talk; (3) examine the different identities the teachers assumed as they discussed language and culture. The research combines ethnographically-informed classroom observation, video-recording of classroom interaction with discourse analysis. It is guided by poststructuralist thinking and by Kramsch‟s (1993:9) vision of language teaching/learning as “social practice that is at the boundary of two or more cultures”. It reveals similarities in the composition of the classes. Both included international students and both teachers drew on the diverse funds of linguistic and cultural knowledge represented in their classes, creating „third places‟ for language teaching/learning. The research also reveals differences between the teachers – in their views of language, their representation of Italian „culture‟ and in the classroom identities they assumed. These differences are explained with reference to the teachers‟ linguistic and cultural backgrounds and their professional biographies. THESIS SUMMARY This thesis presents a detailed case study of teacher-student talk-in-interaction in modern foreign language (MFL) classes. The research sites selected for the study were Italian language classes for beginners taught by two teachers in two different university contexts in the UK. One teacher was British and one was Italian. The research was guided by a poststructuralist view of language teaching/learning as a social and cultural practice and by Kramsch’s (1993) vision of language teaching/learning as “initiation into a kind of social practice that is at the boundary of two or more cultures” (1993:9). The three main aims of the study were: (1) to investigate the views of language and of language teaching/learning that informed the teachers’ practice and to describe the specific ways in which these were revealed in the classroom talk; (2) to give an account of the ways in which different cultural worlds and different images of Italian-ness were constructed in and through the classroom talk; and (3) to describe the ways in which teachers took on different identities and adopted different stances as they talked about different aspects of language and of culture. The research was conducted by means of an ethnographically-informed approach to classroom discourse. The university classes of both teachers were observed, audio-recorded and video-recorded. My observations were accompanied by fieldnotes and I kept a researcher’s diary for the duration of the project. Textual materials were also gathered (e.g. copies of the teaching materials being used in the classes observed). The data analysis focused, in turn, on episodes when talk about language predominated; on episodes when different aspects of culture (Italian, British or other) were evoked and on episodes when the teachers took on and different identities and adopted different stances on the topics they were addressing. The main findings were as follows: (1) There were differences between the two teachers in terms of their views of language and in the ways in which these views guided their classroom practice. The British teacher prioritised the teaching of language forms, and particularly grammar, whilst the Italian teacher valued communicative skills and vocabulary acquisition. I argue in the thesis that these differences need to be understood in terms of the professional biographies of these teachers and in terms of their respective ages and status (the former teacher was a good bit older than the latter). (2) There were also differences between the teachers in terms of the images of Italy and Italian culture that they were constructing with their students: the British teacher privileged high culture (e.g. art, opera) and the Italian teacher focused on everyday cultural practices associated with contemporary life in urban Italy. (3) In addition, there were differences in the identities that the teachers took on at different moments in the classroom interaction. The British teacher primarily assumed the identity of expert on language and on culture, whereas the Italian teacher took on a range of identities, including those of expert on the Italian language, cultural broker and advanced language learner of English. These positionings shaped the nature of the relationship that each teacher was able to develop with her students. (4) Finally, there were similarities in the composition of the classes with which the two teachers were working. Both classes included international students with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, as well as British students. This degree of cultural diversity is increasingly common in contemporary MFL classes, particularly at university level. Both teachers in this study showed awareness of this linguistic and cultural diversity and drew on the linguistic and cultural knowledge of their students in their classroom conversations with them. In concluding this thesis, I point to the resonances between the similarities and differences identified in these university classes and classes in other university contexts where Italian is taught and learned (and in university departments where other MFLs are on the language curriculum) and I identify the new lines of enquiry that still need to be pursued in this still under-researched area of MFL education. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to: my supervisor Professor Marilyn Martin-Jones. Her scholarship and professional help, as well as her moral support, sensitive understanding, constant encouragement and precious advice were essential to guide me through this challenging journey. Dr Magdalena Kubanyiova. Maggie’s help in understanding teacher cognition and her friendly support were invaluable, especially in the final phases of the project. Dr. Monica Boria. Monica gave me invaluable assistance in building a bibliography on the history of Italian teaching in British universities. Mr Adriano Vincentelli, Head of Italian at the Department of European Languages, University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Adriano agreed on making and actually made the timetable arrangements that allowed me to conduct my fieldwork. Mr Rae Richardson, Technician at the Language Resource Centre, University of Wales, Aberystwyth who helped with the recording material and transferring the recordings to supports that were easy enough for me to use the staff of the Information Services Department, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, who lent me the video-camera I used during the fieldwork and offered me advice on the most suitable camera to use. the heads of the two University Departments where this research was conducted. They allowed me do the fieldwork, facilitated contacts with the relevant Department staff and made things as easy and pleasant as possible for me while I was working ‘on location’. the teachers who were involved in the project who agreed on being observed and recorded while giving their classes, and who were always willing to give up their time to meet me, in spite of their busy schedules. my friend Arvind whose cheerful company and kindness made my several stays at his house a joy. my mum, my dad, my sisters, and many friends who, over these years, have made me feel they were proud of me. my children Benedetta, Costanza, Beatrice and Filippo: their liveliness kept me going and the responsibility I feel for them as a father has been a constant spur not to give up, even when I was tempted to do so. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction to this chapter page 1 1.1 Starting points page 2 1.2 The nature and significance of this study page 12 1.3 Research questions page 13 1.4 Outline of the thesis page 14 PART I THE GLOBAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE STUDY CHAPTER 2 Italy, Italian-ness and the teaching of Italian in different contexts outside Italy 2.1 Introduction page 19 2.2 Constructing Italy and a national identity: a historical outlook page 21 2.2.1 The rise of the Italian nation-state and the creation of emblems of identity page 23 2.2.2 Constructing a unified state (1861-1922) page 27 2.2.3 Italian-ness and nationalism: Italy in Fascist times page 32 2.2.4 Italy from 1945 onwards: post-war reconstruction, economic revival and cultural change page 37 2.3 Teaching Italian outside Italy: the development

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