In the first phase of the research, i.e. survey on prospective teachers, two comparisons were made. The first comparison (situation in the BAC in 2004 and in 2022) revealed that Basque is predominantly linked to education, whereas Spanish dominates in leisure activities. Future teachers exhibited highly favourable attitudes toward all three languages (Basque, Spanish, and English). While participants' attitudes toward Basque were the most positive, the most significant improvements over the past 18 years were observed for English. In the second comparison (situation in the BAC and FVG, 2022), our findings indicated that Friulian in FVG has minimal presence in the educational domain and is more commonly used in informal conversations, particularly with older people. In contrast, Basque is predominantly associated with the educational sector and is typically spoken by and with younger individuals. Italian holds a notably significant position in FVG as the majority language and main language of instruction. Regarding English, our results suggested a general trend of increasing prominence, and this trajectory may persist in both contexts in the future.
In the second phase, the qualitative interviews on best teaching practices centred on teachers' perspectives regarding methods to motivate students in multilingual education settings. The findings indicated that activities involving authentic and teacher-created materials are predominant, irrespective of the language used, with textbooks appearing to be rarely utilised. Designing activities that incorporate authentic resources requires teachers to possess robust pedagogical and linguistic skills. Therefore, it is crucial to prioritise language awareness and motivational skills in teacher education and professional development courses.
In the third phase, i.e. survey on in-service teachers, findings on the perceived general and written competence of in-service teachers, particularly in the minority language, clearly illustrated the impact of the education system and language policies in the two contexts. In the BAC, where Basque serves as the primary language of instruction, teachers asserted a high level of competence in the language. Conversely, in FVG, the declared low competence of teachers reflects the status of the language (as an optional subject) in the region.
A similar trend was found in results related to language attitudes, where the influence of the education system and language policies was also evident. In the BAC, the most favourable attitudes were expressed towards Basque, whereas in FVG, the most positive attitudes were directed towards Italian and English. These patterns, observed in both attitudes and perceived competence, align with findings from pre-service teachers during the initial phase of the project. When comparing results between pre-service teachers (first phase) and in-service teachers (third phase), the most notable observation is that in-service teachers exhibited significantly more positive attitudes towards the minority language and less positive attitudes towards the State language in both contexts.
The results were disseminated by participating in international conferences, in events aimed at policymakers such as the Colloquium on “Regional and minority languages within a plurilingual context” organised by the European Centre for Modern Languages, in seminars aimed at pre-service and in-service teachers, in events and initiatives aimed at the general public, and in written publications.
