Images from the school: the child and the adoptive family as seen by teachers

Journal title PSICOLOGIA DI COMUNITA’
Author/s Cinzia Novara, Consuelo Serio
Publishing Year 2015 Issue 2015/2
Language Italian Pages 14 P. 95-108 File size 62 KB
DOI 10.3280/PSC2015-002008
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In Italy, as in Europe, intercountry adoption has undergone a strong growth in the last few years. According to statistical data by the Commission for Intercountry Adoption (CIA, 2014), only in 2013 about 2,825 children arrived in Italy to be adopted, 43.8% of them are between 5 and 9 years old. The school is, therefore, the first place where they can meet their new context enabling the good achievement of the whole integration and adoption processes. The research uses a qualitative method to explore the social representations that guide the educational work of 268 teachers of eight primary schools in relation to internationally adopted children and their adoptive family. The results show an ambivalent and simplistic representation of the adoptive family. A co-responsibility among family, school and educational services is necessary to spread a culture of adoption, careful to the inclusion and wellbeing of adopted students.

Keywords: International adoption, adoptive culture, representations of the adoptive family, challenges in teachers’ preparation, net-working between educational and social services.

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  • L'adozione e le sue rappresentazioni nel contesto sociale Giulia Lopez, Giulia Marabelli, Rosa Rosnati, Raffaella Iafrate, in RICERCHE DI PSICOLOGIA 2/2020 pp.635
    DOI: 10.3280/RIP2020-002008

Cinzia Novara, Consuelo Serio, Immagini dalla scuola: il minore e la famiglia adottiva visti dagli insegnanti in "PSICOLOGIA DI COMUNITA’" 2/2015, pp 95-108, DOI: 10.3280/PSC2015-002008