Abstract
The international literacy surveys have expanded our knowledge about the development of reading literacy, which is seen as a lifelong learning process. In this context, school plays a fundamental role and the qualification of teachers is important in promoting reading literacy among children and young people. Many studies have shown the impact of specific teacher training on the quality of teaching; but in Italy there is no curriculum for the training of teachers working specifically in the field of literacy. The main objective of the research paper presented here is to examine the Italian situation, to describe the factors influencing literacy and to characterize the parameters which are relevant for teacher training and teaching methods.
What should be the key components of a teacher training program? And what are the effects on teachers' didactic competences when they participated and completed the training program we have designed here? These are the key questions that have guided our research. Our aim was to develop and evaluate a teacher training program in the field of literacy (MEL). Our approach takes into account the cultural context in Italy, which is characterized by a low motivation of students to read.
The research work presented here relates to the scientific disciplines of pedagogy and didactics of reading and also takes into account findings from various fields such as statistics; psychology of learning and school librarianship.
The research project uses the "mixed-method" approach, which involves a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches. It is a pilot project in collaboration with the Centro per il libro e la lettura Mibact and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali e il Turismo). The MEL (Model for Literacy Education) training model was evaluated by means of a survey of teachers and pupils from different institutions in northern and southern Italy, particularly in socially disadvantaged areas with a high proportion of migrants. The study shows that reading education is multidimensional, depends on many factors and that the MEL Plan can be successfully used for teacher training and for the in-service training of teachers and professionals working in this field.