Politiche e pratiche per l’educazione linguistica, il multilinguismo e la comunicazione interculturale

Valuing diversity is one of the main goals of language education. This is both related to the education of learners of different nationalities and to the reasons for which languages are learned today, often determined by the need for social integration and to find employment. Language competences gain value through multilingualism, together with opportunities for intercultural communication. At the same time, language policies should be evaluated and renewed constantly. These issues are discussed in this volume, through contributions which take different languages into consideration and which are based on varied theoretical and conceptual frameworks, while pertaining to the fields of Applied Linguistics and Language Education.

When Government Gets It Right: How a Strategic Visioning Process Aligned Nested Government Systems to Champion Local Relevance and Determination

This theme issue of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies addresses government/civic partnerships. Do government services always orient toward hierarchies of domination? Our answer is a resounding no. This article offers as evidence the actions of one government funder that removed hierarchical barriers, working in partnership with diverse grantees to envision a program that prioritizes community relevance and participation. Even as our article revolves around a strategic visioning event, it is a culmination of a government funder living out its guiding principles of mutual respect, joint problem solving, and valuing diversity, as well as the values, experiences, and collaborative spirit that diverse grantees brought. Our collective stories offer a clear example of how a partnership-based government program can engage and promote the strengths, needs, and priorities of the community not only because it is the appropriate and respectful approach, but also because it leads to stronger program results.

The dynamic relationship between valuing diversity and intergroup contact: is valuing diversity a precursor to contact and mediator of diverse contact effects?

Valuing diversity and intergroup contact predict less prejudice and discrimination, yet their relationship deserves closer attention. The evidence suggests that valuing diversity and (interest in) intergroup contact are associated, but the directionality is not clear, and it has not been tested whether the established effects of contact come about through changes in valuing diversity. We address this in three studies. In Study 1 (N = 211), using longitudinal survey data, both positive and negative contact affected the value placed on diversity over time, while valuing diversity did not significantly predict the frequency of future contact. Studies 2 (N = 224) and 3 (N = 2,618) consequently considered valuing diversity as a mediator and showed that it mediates the relationships of intergroup contact with prejudice, behavioral intentions, and policy support. Our results increase the understanding of pathways from intergroup contact to intergroup relations and offer a lever that contact interventions can target.