Holistic In-between Triangulation: Understanding Intercultural Relationships and Social Inclusion at School

The increased presence of foreign origin students has changed the face of school in Italy, giving rise to several questions as regards their inclusion and intercultural relationships. Drawing upon an extensive mixed method study conducted in a sample of schools in a Mediterranean city (Catania, Italy), this research puts forward the use of different methods in order to capitalize on the specific advantages of a multifaceted approach to the study of the integration and inclusion processes of foreign origin students inside (and outside) the school. The study of school relationships helps us to know more about the degree of implementation of the multicultural education dimensions. The article aims at highlighting the benefits of holistic triangulation in investigating social relationships in multicultural schools and society, assuming that a pluralistic approach better explains the complexity of an increasingly pluralistic society.