Carla Marulo

The research is within the framework of adult education and in particular the teaching/learning of Italian L2, which involves adult migrants, refugees or asylum seekers who are illiterate in their L1 and have little or no schooling in their country of origin.
In recent decades, the movement of masses of people from politically unstable societies with a high percentage of illiteracy to post-industrial societies with high literacy rates, in which the ability to know how to read and write is of utmost importance, has become increasingly substantial (D'Agostino, 2021). In the absence of this requirement, within high-literacy systems, the simplest operations of orientation in the new urban fabric become very complex, as do social relationships and with institutions. The inability to fit into the new community can take on forms of extreme marginality. This situation has resulted in both the United States and Europe in increased visibility and relevance of second language learners with low and very low schooling and increased attention to research on language processes related to this phenomenon.
In this context, language learning is seen as a value in itself, and appropriate teaching is a means of strengthening and guaranteeing language rights, as well as ensuring equal access to quality education for migrant people, not just the native population (Minuz et al., 2024). The issue of illiteracy and weak literacy of adult migrant people thus emerged has led in recent decades internationally to the creation of a new field within glottodidactics: literacy in a second language (L2) or LESLLA: Literacy Education and Second Language Learning for Adults. This specific field calls in several macro fields including adult education, language education/glottodidactics, cognitive sciences/neurosciences, to equip itself with its own theoretical and methodological apparatus, teaching materials and tools. That the so-called “integration” of migrants and the impact on it of the acquisition of skills in the language of their chosen country are at the center of political and scientific debate in a large number of member states of the Council of Europe, is demonstrated by the investigations conducted within it, especially in recent years, if we think of the Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants project (Council of Europe, 2023a), the publication of the Reference Guide on Literacy and Second Language Learning for the Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants or LASLLIAM (Minuz et al, 2022) and, in the specific case of the Italian language, to the very recent publication of its Italian version ALSILMA - Literacy and Second Language Learning for the Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants (Minuz et al., 2024b) and the newly updated descriptors and syllabi (Minuz et al., 2024a).
However, in the face of the amount of research, publications, institutional guidelines and projects that promote the language integration of adult migrants, in general terms, it can be said that within the L2 courses offered on the Italian territory the educational needs of this specific type of learners are rarely taken into consideration. Although there is a lack of quantitative data and specific surveys, it can be acknowledged that to this group of people who are already highly vulnerable, an adequate educational offer is rarely addressed, with teachers with specific training and with a sufficient number of teaching hours to reach the level of language required by law. This situation can result not only in poor learning, but also in strong demotivation, when it is not a case of dropping out of school, with obvious negative effects on language integration, employment and personal fulfillment.