APPRENDERE I VERBI DI MOTO RUSSI ATTRAVERSO LA LINGUISTICA COGNITIVA: UN’ANALISI ESPLORATIVA DEL COINVOLGIMENTO DEGLI STUDENTI

Paolo Antonio Della Putta; Elena Comisso

doi:10.54103/2037-3597/31996

Autori/Autrici

Paolo Antonio Della Putta Università degli Studi di Torino
Elena Comisso Universidad de Cordoba

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54103/2037-3597/31996

Abstract

Il presente contributo analizza il coinvolgimento di studenti italofoni nell’apprendimento dei verbi di moto russi (VMR) in un contesto universitario. Si riprende un precedente studio quasi-sperimentale che metteva a confronto due approcci didattici: un trattamento tradizionale di tipo Presentazione – Pratica – Produzione (PPP) e un intervento ispirato alla Linguistica Cognitiva (LC) e all’embodiment. Poiché tale ricerca aveva dimostrato un vantaggio acquisizionale del trattamento basato sulla LC, proponiamo ora una rilettura dei risultati focalizzata sui meccanismi di coinvolgimento attivati dai due percorsi didattici. Assumendo il coinvolgimento come costrutto multidimensionale (cognitivo, comportamentale e affettivo) e il ruolo attivo degli studenti come fattore essenziale per il coinvolgimento nell’apprendimento, l’analisi si basa su dati di self-report raccolti tramite un questionario post-intervento, volto a rilevare percezioni di difficoltà, valutazioni delle attività svolte e indicatori di investimento cognitivo ed emotivo. I risultati, ottenuti attraverso un’analisi qualitativa guidata dalla teoria, delineano profili di coinvolgimento distinti. Nel gruppo LC, emerge un maggiore coinvolgimento cognitivo, associato all’uso di visualizzazioni, animazioni e attività dinamiche, percepite come strumenti utili per comprendere, memorizzare e recuperare le distinzioni semantico-aspetto-temporali dei VMR. Nel gruppo PPP, invece, emergono più frequentemente percezioni di difficoltà, bisogno di schematizzazione e una frizione tra comprensione analitica e disponibilità d’uso nel parlato. Pur con i limiti di una rilevazione esplorativa, i risultati suggeriscono che un maggiore coinvolgimento cognitivo (promosso ad esempio da approcci ispirati alla LC e all’embodiment) costituisca un fattore indispensabile nella progettazione di interventi didattici più efficaci per promuovere una competenza più stabile e disponibile all’uso.

Learning russian verbs of motion through cognitive linguistics: an exploratory analysis of student engagement

This paper examines the engagement of Italian-speaking students in the learning of Russian verbs of motion (RVMs) in a university context. It builds on a previous quasi-experimental study that compared two instructional approaches: a traditional Presentation–Practice–Production (PPP) treatment and an intervention inspired by Cognitive Linguistics (CL) and embodiment. As the original study demonstrated an acquisitional advantage for the CL-based treatment, the present contribution offers a reanalysis of the findings with a focus on the engagement mechanisms activated by the two instructional pathways. Conceptualizing engagement as a multidimensional construct (cognitive, behavioural, and affective) and viewing learners’ active role as a crucial factor in engaged learning, the analysis draws on self-report data collected through a post-intervention questionnaire designed to capture perceptions of difficulty, evaluations of the instructional activities, and indicators of cognitive and emotional investment. The results, obtained through a theory-driven qualitative analysis, reveal distinct engagement profiles. In the CL group, higher levels of cognitive engagement emerge, associated with the use of visualizations, animations, and dynamic activities, which are perceived as effective tools for understanding, memorizing, and retrieving the semantic–aspectual–temporal distinctions involved in RVM. In contrast, the PPP group more frequently reports perceptions of difficulty, a need for schematic representations, and a gap between analytical understanding and availability for oral use. Despite the exploratory nature of the study, the findings suggest that enhanced cognitive engagement — fostered, for example, by approaches inspired by CL and embodiment — represents a key factor in the design of more effective instructional interventions aimed at promoting more stable and readily usable linguistic competence.

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