Peer tutoring to prevent school dropout. The case of a high school in San Siro

In 2023 the University of Milano-Bicocca was a partner in the FAMI project “Reinventing Citizenship. Paths of capacitation of networks and social groups in the neighbourhood of San Siro”. UNIMIB oversaw the WP4, “Key citizenship competencies for the prevention of school dropout and exclusion”, an integrated capacity-building action aimed at teachers from schools in the neighbourhood. The paper presents the results of the experimental action, concerning the strategy of peer tutoring. The peer tutoring activities involved 17 students and were aimed at students in the first-grade classes. The process included initial training of peer tutors, welcoming laboratories, and the opening of a listening and mutual aid space. The research supported these activities with 23 observational reports and 5 focus groups, 3 with tutors, 1 with teachers, and 1 with educators. The focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed through thematic analysis. The students’ voices bring out the awareness and skills they acquired in the role as tutors, true reference figures, returning a picture of peer education as a strategy for preventing dropout and social exclusion.