Plurilingual bottom-up approaches: how to promote the linguistic integration of migrant children in educational settings

The PLURIBO research project aims to address the pressing issue of the linguistic integration of migrant children in Italian schools. Although national and European policies promote integration and plurilingualism, their practical application often lacks clear guidelines and resources, especially in linguistically diverse classrooms. In response, two main scenarios emerge. Firstly, interpreting services in schools can facilitate communication between children, teachers and parents who speak different languages. Second, in the absence of formal support, plurilingual bottom-up practices such as child language brokering and the use of lingua francas naturally emerge to fill policy gaps. Yet, scant research has been devoted to understanding interpreting services in educational settings and plurilingual bottom-up practices, which remain invisible at the policy level despite their covert diffusion. PLURIBO aims to fill these gaps through four main objectives: 1) reviewing current policies on plurilingualism and the integration of migrant pupils and identifying European policies that have not yet been implemented in Italy; 2) investigating the use of interpreting services in schools, which are crucial but under-researched resources for migrant students; 3) exploring plurilingual bottom-up practices, such as peer translation, child language brokering and code-switching, which help to bridge communication gaps but lack formal recognition and support; and 4) co-developing practical recommendations with educators. The project uses a mixed-methods approach, including sociolinguistics, multimodal ethnomethodology and conversation analysis, and participatory action research. PLURIBO aims to deepen understanding of interpreting services and plurilingual bottom-up practices in educational contexts, influence policy, and improve educational outcomes for migrant children by promoting inclusivity and valuing linguistic diversity.