Learning Italian as second language during pandemic emergency: challenges and implications for Chinese learners

In the context of the global plight linked to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, technologies have proved to be a key tool for guaranteeing continuity in language training, but many contradictions and critical issues have also emerged. The increase in social distances, the lack of involvement and motivation are just some of the many factors that have often prevented students from achieving educational goals. The emergency has in fact caused an upheaval in the teaching methodologies, tools and management policies of international students, requiring a joint effort from the learning community to implement best practices. This contribution aims to present a qualitative study on the impact of distance or hybrid teaching on the learning of Italian as a second language by Chinese students of the University for Foreigners of Perugia, highlighting the perception of learners on the repercussions that the training offers have had on their own levels of competence. The goal is to offer an overview on the strengths and limitations of the strategies adopted for teaching Italian to Chinese students in the pandemic phase and to propose some insights for the development of future lines of research.