Settori ERC:
Categoria di finanziamento:
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 that can be transferred to other higher education settings.
Purpose:
The objectives of the project are: To promote inclusion and academic success for international students through more targeted and effective peer tutoring; To identify the main factors of vulnerability and risk that affect the academic paths of mobile students or those in fragile situations; To strengthen the language, language-teaching, and intercultural skills of tutors through specific training and reflective practices; To examine the interactional and communicative dynamics of tutoring sessions to improve the quality of 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 trajectories of vulnerable students.
Attività / Fasi del progetto:
- 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 courses on glottodidactic, intercultural, and communication skills; Mentoring and supervision meetings.
- Collection of qualitative and quantitative data: Observation of tutoring sessions; Audio-video recordings and transcription using software (ELAN, NVivo); Semi-structured interviews with tutors and students; Focus groups and tutor 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 good practices and guidelines; Presentations at seminars and conferences; Preparation of scientific articles.
Risultati attesi:
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 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.
Coordinatore:
Team:
Prof. Borbala Samu, Dr. Agnieszka Pakula, Dr. Valentina Carbonara