Favorire l’inclusione attraverso la promozione dell’interdipendenza tra gli studenti: uno studio esplorativo in un contesto scolastico vulnerabile

From an ecological-cultural perspective, the learning paths of students derive from the way in which individual characteristics, the functioning of contexts and the quality of relationships interact each other (Bronfenbrenner, 1995). The relational experiences in school can significantly influence the learning outcome of students and impact on the school success. The social network within the classroom can be a source of support in the situation of vulnerability. School contexts should therefore promote learning contexts that encourage positive interdependence, creating conditions of positive interaction that allow full participation of all students, highlighting their resources. This paper describes an exploratory inquiry (Lumbelli, 1989), in which the experience of interdependence was promoted within a group of students attending the second year of a vocational school, through participation in an experimental project, aimed to improve positive interaction in the class. The Social Network Analysis (SNA) was used to map the social networks of the students and verified the quality of inclusion and participation in the class, at the beginning and after the end of the activity. The results highlight a general positive impact of the project in promoting interdependence within the group and the importance of the implicit cultural framework present in the school, in the dissemination of a shared culture of inclusion, welcome and participation.