ERC Sectors:
Funding category:
Durata:
The +FO.R.T.I. project aims to analyze and enhance the peer tutoring service for international students and students with special educational needs, with the goal of reducing risk factors associated with university dropout. By integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches, the research examines the linguistic, disciplinary, and sociocultural needs of students, the communicative interactions that characterize tutoring sessions, and the effectiveness of the practices and tools adopted. The project includes training and mentoring activities for tutors, the collection and analysis of multimodal data, and the development of best practices transferable to other higher education contexts.
Purpose:
The objectives of the project are: To promote the inclusion and academic success of international students through more targeted and effective peer tutoring; To identify the main factors of vulnerability and risk that affect the academic paths of students who are mobile or in situations of fragility; To strengthen the linguistic, language teaching, and intercultural skills of tutors through specific training and reflective practices; To examine the interactional and communicative dynamics of tutoring sessions in order to improve the quality of the support offered; To develop tools, models, and best practices that can be replicated in other national and international contexts; To contribute to university policies aimed at reducing dropout rates and improving the academic careers of vulnerable students.
Activities / Project Phases:
- Needs analysis: Design and administration of questionnaires for international students; Preliminary analysis of linguistic, disciplinary, and sociocultural needs.
- Training and mentoring of tutors (ongoing): Training programs on glottodidactic, intercultural, and communication skills; Mentoring and supervision meetings.
- Collection of qualitative and quantitative data: Observations of tutoring sessions; Audio-video recordings and transcription using software (ELAN, NVivo); Semi-structured interviews with tutors and students; Focus groups and tutors’ reflection diaries.
- Data analysis: Qualitative Content Analysis and Grounded Theory; Analysis of interactions and communication strategies; Integration of quantitative data from questionnaires.
- Dissemination and feedback to the academic community: Development of best practices and guidelines; Presentations at seminars and conferences; Writing of scientific articles.
Expected results:
The expected results include: Mapping the needs of international students and identifying the main risk and vulnerability factors; In-depth description of communicative practices in tutoring contexts and their effectiveness in facilitating disciplinary understanding; Improvement of the tutors' language teaching and intercultural skills; Strengthening of peer tutoring as a tool for inclusion and academic support; Production of operational guidelines and intervention models that can be replicated in other universities; Contribution to institutional policies to reduce dropout rates and improve the performance of international students and those with special educational needs.
Coordinator:
Team:
Prof. Borbala Samu, Dr. Agnieszka Pakula, Dr. Valentina Carbonara