2022/11/01 by John Hajek, Renata Aliani, Yvette Slaughter · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Second Language Learning and Teaching #Multilingual Education and Policy #Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy
paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/heq.2022.30
openalex publication_date 2022/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Abstract This article examines the complex drivers of change in language education that have resulted in Australia having the highest number of students learning Italian in the world. An analysis of academic and non-academic literature, policy documents, and quantitative data helps trace the trajectory of the Italian language in the Australian education system, from the 1960s to the 1990s, illustrating the interaction of different variables that facilitated the shift in Italian's status from a largely immigrant language to one of the most widely studied languages in Australia. This research documents the factors behind the successful mainstreaming of Italian into schools, which, in addition to the active support it received from the Italian community and the Italian government, also included, notably, the ability of different Australian governments to address societal transformation and to respond to the emerging practical challenges in scaling up new language education initiatives in a detailed and comprehensive manner.