Motivational Factors in Italian Enrollments.

As Italian enrollments continue to decline in the second decade of the Millennium, proposals are being put forth to counteract this trend, which include designing Italian courses with relevancy to social issues that are deemed to be of general interest to students. Does this remedy truly address the problem of decline effectively, capable of attracting more students to Italianistica? This paper looks at the motivational factors that have always been at play in attracting students to the study of Italian in North America, discussing several key studies that have come forth to shed light on the issue of enrollment decline. The overall conclusion seems to be that any radical break away from the so-called "traditional" curriculum is ultimately ineffectual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]