Does Enactive Teaching Improve Inclusion of Immigrant Pupils? A Research in Northern Italy’s Schools

Abstract

Immigration in recent years has dramatically increased, especially in Europe. Countries have been coping with it in different ways, and this suggests that certain policies and approaches may work better than others. As a fact, a successful integration starts with the education system. This study investigates how the teacher’s approach toward his or her class influences the development of different ways of thinking in the students. Thirty-four primary school teachers were interviewed to identify which teaching approach they uphold among transmissive, constructivist, and enactive teaching. Then, a connection was searched between teachers’ beliefs and the average scores obtained by their 659 students in critical, creative, metacognitive, emotional, and contemplative thinking tests. The hypothesis argues that a more inclusive approach, such as enactivism can be an efficient strategy, as it views diversity as an asset rather than as a problem. Hence, this study attempts to demonstrate that enactive teaching is an effective approach that everyone should consider as it can help both native and immigrant students.