L’utilità del libro di testo nella didattica dell’italiano in presenza e a distanza
The Usefulness of the Textbook in the Teaching of Italian in In-Person and Remote Contexts

Summary/Abstract: The present article is aimed at observing the usefulness of the traditional paper textbook for Italian language teaching in two educational contexts: in in-person and remote teaching. Its main research question concerns possible differences and similarities in the use of the textbook in the traditional and virtual classroom. The focus is also put on the specifics of the textbook application, such as the selection of content, types of texts, and activities preferred by teachers. In the first part of the article, the theoretical basis is illustrated and the definition of language textbooks and the specifics of remote teaching during and after the Covid-19 pandemic are highlighted. In the second, analytical part, the data from the survey on the usefulness of the traditional textbook in in-person and remote teaching have been presented. The relevant questionnaire was distributed from March to July 2022 via Google Forms among Italian language teachers working in different European countries, where Italian is taught as a foreign language, and Italy, where Italian is taught as a second language. The survey was aimed at capturing similarities and differences regarding the use of textbooks in these two teaching contexts. The results showed that the textbook still represents an important teaching tool both in person and via the Internet, mostly in the context of teaching Italian as a foreign language—outside the Italian-speaking area.

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