Unveiling oral and writing skills of low-literate learners of L2 Italian: from research to teaching practice

Abstract

This contribution is meant to give an insight into the topic of L2 acquisition and teaching in the case of low-literate adult learners. To the aim, two applied researches will be presented, both focusing on L2 Italian: one investigates the oral skills of Senegalese learners with different educational backgrounds in the country of origin; the other concerns the assessment of L2 writing skills in a multilingual group of refugees and asylum seekers. The results of both studies contribute to look at this peculiar target of learners from an unusual perspective, unveiling skills that can often be “invisible” to L2 literacy teachers.