Esercizi per lo sviluppo dell’abilità di lettura: l’italiano L2 per studenti universitari sinofoni

Reading in a second language involves various factors. Previous studies have shown that for beginner learners, L2 language competence, which represents the bottom-up reading process, plays a crucial role. Therefore, in the case of reading for learning, the acquisition of Italian for academic purposes becomes a primary instructional goal. On the other hand, metacognitive reading strategies, which represent the top-down reading process, enhance the effectiveness of academic reading. To develop Chinese university students’ Italian reading ability through exercises, the present study analyzes two language teaching books designed for L2 learners with art-related purposes. Additionally, a case study was conducted with 17 Chinese students at the A2 level in Italian to understand their language challenges in reading art texts. The paper concludes with a proposal of exercises specifically created for Chinese students, integrating both bottom-up and top-down approaches.