Active learning and ICT in upper secondary school: A possible answer to early school leaving

The paper outlines the first phase of a three-year research activity on active learning in the core curriculum subject, intended as a possible solution to student disengagement in secondary schools. The paper presents the problem the research intend to attack - school failure, school unsuccess, student disengagement and early school leaving - and describes the context of the research, its originality, and the remedial measures put in place by the research team and policy makers. Among those, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of teachers and structural measures to involve several stakeholders, including students. Then, the research design is given and the research tools presented, showing what dimensions are investigated. Finally, it provides some preliminary results as for one of the four qualitative case studies being carried out and future research perspectives.