Growing Up Across Borders: School Experiences of Chinese Transnational Youth in Italy

This paper presents an ongoing ethnographic and biographical study on the school experiences of young adults of Chinese origin who grew up between China and Italy. The project focuses on individuals who experienced a transnational childhood (cf. Baldassar et al., 2007; Gao & Sacchetto, 2024; Lamas-Abraira, 2019, 2023; Liu et al., 2017; Wen, 2014) having spent significant periods of their early years in the Zhejiang province before reuniting with their parents in Italy, and examines their experiences within the Italian school system (cf. Ardizzoni & Omodeo, 2022; Costantini, 2023; Paciocco, 2018). Drawing on semi-structured biographical interviews (Bichi, 2022; Merrill & West 2009) with Chinese transnational young adults (currently still being collected), the study explores how linguistic, educational, and relational transitions are experienced and interpreted by the participants. Particular attention is devoted to themes such as inclusion and exclusion dynamics, peer relationships, language learning, and the negotiation of cultural and linguistic identities. The paper also discusses the methodological choices guiding the research, including a multi-sited ethnographic approach (Della Puppa, 2024) between Italy and China, with a strong emphasis on young people's voices (Lundy, 2007), and an ecological perspective that integrates both family and school contexts. Preliminary reflections highlight the need to move beyond deficit-based interpretations of Chinese transnational students’ school performances and to recognize transnational resources, adaptive capacities, and forms of agency that emerge throughout their life trajectories. Finally, the contribution aims to open a broader discussion on how schools can more effectively respond to the complexity of transnational biographies by promoting more inclusive and culturally sensitive educational practices