Academic training and certification of native and non-native Italian teachers in Mexico

Abstract

The teaching of Italian has grown since 1995; from 2013 to 2018 the demand grew 40% worldwide and 12% in Mexico. However, teaching Italian from an academic background and training point of view has been left aside because there is not a clear idea of the profile that the Italian teacher for foreigners should have. The aim of this research is to identify the academic training and certifications that native and non-native Italian teachers should have in Mexico. The study is relevant because if the demand for learning Italian grows, the importance to meet this demand should be according to the language, culture and didactics that teaching a foreign language requires. This is an exploratory and descriptive qualitative study for which we used the comparative method as well as the analytical-synthetic method applied through the documentary research technique. Results show that the essential requirement for teaching Italian as foreign language in Mexico is speaking Italian because law does not set specific requirements to become an Italian teacher; however, it is highly advisable for non-native Italian teachers to have a C2 certification according to the CEFR, whereas for native teachers a certification in didactics is suggested. The limitations of the study include the lack of information available in Mexico at the local and federal level regarding the Italian teaching centers as well as the number of students taking Italian lessons. Future research lines include challenges of teaching Italian in Mexico as well as training for Italian teachers in Mexico.