Multilingual competence is essential for active participation in society making it crucial for all individuals, regardless of socio-economic status or disabilities. This is especially important for high school seniors, as proficiency in multiple languages can improve their academic and career prospects. However, only 34% of Italian respondents in a European survey report being able to converse in English. To address this, the European Commission suggests exploring informal learning settings like museums and integrating digital technologies into education. This paper presents preliminary findings from an ongoing doctoral project that investigates how technology-supported museum activities designed using UDL principles can promote language learning. The study involved 131 Italian high school students with English levels ranging from A2 to B2 over 26 weeks. The students were divided into four groups: a control group and three experimental sub-groups. One group used digital tools in school workshops; another participated in museum visits and workshops, while the third group followed a similar path but used educational technologies during museum visits. To assess the effectiveness of these paths, pre- and post-tests and questionnaires were used. This paper focuses on the preliminary findings from the teacher questionnaire. The thematic analysis of responses revealed that teachers generally found the approach beneficial, noting that students expanded their vocabulary and engaged in the activities. However, challenges included potential distractions and students’ mismatching skills. Teachers deemed the pathways to be effective in terms of learning, less in terms of inclusion. The first analysis will be integrated and correlated with additional results gathered from the other tools.

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How Technology-Supported Museum Activities Can Effectively Promote Language Learning

  • Maria Tolaini

摘要

Multilingual competence is essential for active participation in society making it crucial for all individuals, regardless of socio-economic status or disabilities. This is especially important for high school seniors, as proficiency in multiple languages can improve their academic and career prospects. However, only 34% of Italian respondents in a European survey report being able to converse in English. To address this, the European Commission suggests exploring informal learning settings like museums and integrating digital technologies into education. This paper presents preliminary findings from an ongoing doctoral project that investigates how technology-supported museum activities designed using UDL principles can promote language learning. The study involved 131 Italian high school students with English levels ranging from A2 to B2 over 26 weeks. The students were divided into four groups: a control group and three experimental sub-groups. One group used digital tools in school workshops; another participated in museum visits and workshops, while the third group followed a similar path but used educational technologies during museum visits. To assess the effectiveness of these paths, pre- and post-tests and questionnaires were used. This paper focuses on the preliminary findings from the teacher questionnaire. The thematic analysis of responses revealed that teachers generally found the approach beneficial, noting that students expanded their vocabulary and engaged in the activities. However, challenges included potential distractions and students’ mismatching skills. Teachers deemed the pathways to be effective in terms of learning, less in terms of inclusion. The first analysis will be integrated and correlated with additional results gathered from the other tools.