Italian Language Education in Australia: Public Perceptions through the Eyes of the Press

Abstract

ABSTRACT The teaching of the Italian language represents a valuable opportunity for young English-speaking people to engage with the Italian language and culture. However, due to a growing apathy towards learning languages other than English and the succession of policies supporting Asian languages, the position of Italian in schools and universities is at risk in many English-speaking countries. Using a mixed-methods media content analysis approach by means of qualitative and quantitative methods, the authors analyse twelve years of news coverage (2007–2018) of Italian language education in Australia, with the aim of understanding how it is presented to the Australian public. The results show that the topic is covered infrequently and superficially, and is rarely in a prominent position. Implications for the future growth of Italian-related language education and its promotion by Italianists and other advocates are also discussed.