Italian Ministry of Education tests valency grammar to address student linguistic gaps

The Italian Ministry of Education and Indire (National Institute for Documentation, Innovation and Educational Research) are launching an action-research experiment to test 'valency grammar' as a teaching method. This initiative aims to address significant linguistic gaps in the Italian school system, where data shows that 48% of students complete high school with insufficient proficiency in their native language.

Unlike traditional normative approaches that rely on the memorization of abstract classifications and rules, the valency model focuses on how words construct meaning. Based on the theories of linguist Francesco Sabatini, the method centers on the verb as the core of sentence structure, encouraging students to use observation, reasoning, and intuition rather than rote learning. The goal is to shift from a knowledge-based model to one focused on actual linguistic comprehension and usage.