English at school and in everyday life: experiences and perceptions of Gen X Italians

This dissertation explores Gen X Italians’ experiences with foreign languages and specifically English in scholastic and every-day contexts. After outlining the main language teaching methods and the evolution of foreign language teaching in the Italian education system from the 1970s to the present day, it presents a survey investigating school experiences with FLs, perceptions and current use of English among adults born between 1965 and 1985. By analysing the results, I mean to expose whether the school education was adequate to allow a pragmatic use of the language in real-life situations and how that generation is dealing with its growing presence in contemporary society.