Ricerche di Pedagogia e Didattica. Journal of Theories and Research in Education

The spread of outdoor education in Milan (1911-1922): The role of the Società Umanitaria

2022-06-23T10:25:10+02:00

This contribution aims to investigate and reconstruct - analysing the issues of the magazine “La Coltura Popolare” - the important role played by the Società Umanitaria in the spread of outdoor education as a children’s right, during a very lively and pedagogically significant period of the Milanese history. The paper will be concentrated on two main focuses: the first is the promotion of open-air schools, with the accurate reflection and systematization of the main Italian and European examples as hosted in the pages of the aforementioned journal; the latter is the Società Umanitaria’s commitment to disseminating the Montessori method as an approach that underlines the value of outdoor education. As can be seen through the numerous excerpts from the journal articles proposed here, the debate on outdoor education at the beginning of the Twentieth century, with its precious heritage of insights and sometimes pioneering practices, offers a valuable reference for gaining a deeper awareness of outdoor education as it is conceived and practiced today.

Intra-school differentiation in primary education of Ukraine (1975-1990s): Achievements and disappointments in a historical perspective

2022-10-24T20:00:23+02:00

The article examines the issue of intra-school differentiation (Ukr. Transl. ‘внутрішньошкільна диференціація’) in primary education, actualized in the early 70s of the 20th century in Ukraine. Analysis of various types of sources proved that intra-school differentiation was initially realized in the form of levelling classes (Ukr. Transl. ‘класи вирівнювання’) (1975–1984) and then as a system of differentiated classes (Ukr. Transl. ‘диференційовані класи’) (1988–1990s). It had a number of benefits (it made it possible to implement an individual approach to learners with different levels of readiness for systematic schooling, cognitive abilities development; to provide comfortable conditions for gifted, standard, pedagogically neglected and mentally challenged students, etc.). The present research shows that due to a number of reasons such as problems with the preparation of educational and methodological supply, lack of school psychologists, psychological unwillingness of some teachers to change educational approaches to different categories of students, insufficient financing of the educational sector, etc., there was a certain disappointment at intra-school differentiation among the teachers and researchers and the collapse of differentiated classes in primary school of Ukraine in the late 90s of the last century.

Before the first pedagogical museum: The educational collection of the Royal Industrial Museum of Turin in 1862

2023-01-03T18:37:01+01:00

The article aims to bring to light a recent discovery with respect to the history of Italian pedagogical museums: 12 years before the official opening of what is recognized as the first. Since 1862 in Turin a section of the Royal Industrial Museum was dedicated to the collection of books and teaching materials dedicated to primary and secondary school. This collection was a direct expression of the London Universal Exhibition of 1861 from which the Royal Commissioners returned with the idea of copying the South Kensington Museum. The article reconstructs the history of the collection and its exposure, following its evolution until its disappearance. The aim of this article is to offer a significant piece of the history of the historical-educational heritage in Italy and its musealization.

Reading shreds beyond pandemic. A critical-reflective analysis of reading in the digital era

2022-12-18T21:55:09+01:00

In recent years, with the temporal distortions produced by the pandemic, distance learning has emerged as an emerging, temporary and partial solution, thanks to new technologies. In the digital era, the relationship between learning and technological devices is worthy of investigation. Studies on changes in cognitive processes (reading and memory) deriving in part from the habit of persistent use of ICT raise questions about the school of the future.
In this paper, we want to explore the role that deep reading takes on in the hyper-accelerated context of digital contemporaneity, in which reading has been fragmented. Starting from philosophical references (Braidotti, Floridi, Stiegler), the contribution intends to expand theoretically Maryanne Wolf's proposal on the need for bi-literacy (alphabetic and digital) as a key to today's education.

The potential problem to explore metacognitive regulation in collaborative problem-solving

2023-02-09T07:55:27+01:00

Metacognitive regulation is an important ability for undergraduate students to have in solving collaborative problems. However, before carrying out research on exploring metacognitive regulation in collaborative problem-solving, the development of suitable instruments must be carried out. The right instrument will produce the correct data. In this study, two instruments were developed, which are tasks containing mathematical problems and task-based interview guidelines. In addition, this study also identified appropriate problem criteria used to explore metacognitive regulation in collaborative problem-solving. The results showed that the problems that can trigger metacognitive regulation in collaborative problem-solving fulfil the following criteria: problems to prove, non-routine problems, open-ended problems, geometric problems, and without DGE. The use of semi-structured interview guidelines can also help deepen students' exploration of metacognitive regulation in collaborative problem-solving. The findings of this study are especially important for researchers who will develop instruments to examine metacognitive regulation, especially in collaborative problem-solving.

Experience, art and education in John Dewey. Overturning the relationship between aesthetic and theoretical dimension in education

2022-09-26T19:59:42+02:00

The aim of this paper is to discuss the role of education and art in Deweyan thought, making a case for the overturning of the hierarchy between the theoretical and aesthetic dimension in educational theory. I shall pursue my attempt by drawing extensively from both Deweyan oeuvre and scholarly literature devoted to the issue. Based on those precedents, I wish to argue that Dewey conceived of both education and art as the very basis on which to deepen, intensify and enlarge experience. Moreover: the terrain where humans’ search for meaning and unity finds its fulfillment while bringing newness to the fore may be found exactly in education and art. Such an understanding comes to overturn the long-standing hierarchy between theoretical thinking, on the one hand, and aesthetic and ethics, on the other.

Chemistry, urban environments and ecopedagogy: A possible dialog. Soil as a case-study example for an integrated vision

2023-01-10T15:39:21+01:00

Ecopedagogy can be viewed as a new kind of science education for a more sustainable civilisation; it is often defined as a participatory education centred on life and on love for the natural environment, matching some concepts clearly deriving from an enactivist matrix. However, the noble intentions of ecopedagogy fail to dispel the doubt about the existence of discriminatory aspects towards the anthropic element, mostly seen as invasive and a source of disharmony. Emblematic examples are urbanisation and synthetic chemistry, both involved in the consumption and progressive degradation of soil. This work aims to demonstrate how some interdisciplinary educational activities about soil, carried out mainly in situ with an experimental approach, can debunk certain prejudices, focusing either on the improvement of green spaces or on the scientific-technological tools allowing for their protection; these include geo-localisation and the conscious use of chemistry. Anyway, scientific progress alone cannot resolve environmental problems: a change of consciousness, to which school communities are called, is required.

Metacognitive analysis of mental categories. The implicit believes of the students of the Epistemology Course of the Master in Formation, Communication and digital citizenship

2023-01-12T13:06:59+01:00

The aim of this research is to understand the mental states of the students attending the Epistemology Course of the Master Formation, Communication and digital Citizenship (University of Ferrara), around the following thought categories that represent fundamental tools in order to start a metacognitive process (Annable, 2012): Knowledge; Rationality; Emotion; Freedom; Formation. At this end, a questionnaire was given and analyzed in the light of a qualitative methodologic orientation. Together with Margiotta (2015), we think that the convictions around the identified categories, influence students’ approach toward learning. Consequently, it is useful to know these kinds of representations in order to formulate a more efficient educational proposal, that is more aware about the receptive and elaborating features of our young interlocutors (Ryken & Salganik, 2007). It exists a correlation between cognition and implicit epistemology (Santoianni, 2019), this research wanted to make explicit some of its fundamental structures.

The Italian Collegi Universitari di Merito and the Spanish Colegios Mayores Universitarios: A comparative analysis

2023-01-10T15:28:10+01:00

University collegiate residence halls are closely linked to the birth of the great European universities and played a crucial role in forming the cultural, political, and ecclesiastical elite for centuries. However, the evolution of these institutions in Europe has been diverse, varying their importance in the different educational systems. This research compares two institutions: the Italian Collegi di Merito and the Spanish Colegios Mayores Universitarios. Through analyzing primary and secondary documentary sources, a comparison is made around four dimensions: legislative, demographic, formative, and differential value. The results affirm the relevance and pertinence of these institutions in the European context of Higher Education, enrich the educational practices of these institutions, and offer new study prospects for research on the academic potential of university accommodation. In conclusion, Italian and Spanish university colleges provide a space for resistance to the excessive professionalization of Higher Education.

What do we talk about when we talk about internationalisation: Academics’ attitudes towards higher education internationalisation in an Eastern European university

2022-09-07T17:32:08+02:00

The role of academics is crucial to ensure successful and sustainable internationalisation of higher education. Internationalisation is a term that is widely used in higher education institutions but is rarely questioned or analysed in depth in a specific context. Few studies investigate how academics understand internationalisation, and how this in turn affects their motivation regarding internationalisation activities. This paper investigates how academic staff members conceptualise internationalisation. Stier’s (2006) ideologies of internationalisation are employed as a heuristic device to explore academic’s conceptualisations of internationalisation in a Lithuanian university. Results of a qualitative study of multiple focus groups with 27 academics showed that the majority conceptualise internationalisation as a means to achieve a specific goal which reveal an instrumentalist view. Internationalisation was often conflated with good quality of education and vice versa but the impact internationalisation has on students and the society at large was described vaguely and incidentally.

Reading aloud in primary school: Analysis of the results of an action-research project through the tool of the logbook

2022-12-16T12:39:37+01:00

The article presents a study on the perceptions of primary school teachers regarding the effects of reading aloud training conducted in their classrooms, thanks to the research-action project "Reading:so cool!" in the Region of Tuscany (Italy). The study involved 77 Tuscan municipalities, 121 Comprehensive Institution, 244 classes, for a total of 425 teachers. The teachers' perceptions were collected and analyzed thanks to a tool integrated in the method: the logbook, a semi-structured data collection tool, filled in daily and sent weekly by the teachers. The analysis of the diaries highlighted the positive impact of systematic reading aloud practice on primary school children (benefits on a cognitive, emotional, learning ability and well-being level) and the importance of monitoring the processes through a reflective-narrative tool.

Analysing students’ interaction during the in-pairs reading comprehension task: What kind of procedure supports the focus on the text?

2023-02-15T12:36:15+01:00

Working in pairs can create favourable conditions for students’ involvement in reading comprehension strategies. The literature has shown practical advantages of organisation in pairs in classrooms, assimilating the functioning of the pair to that of the "good reader"(Hall et al., 1989). Following previous research inspired by a Reciprocal Teaching protocol (Calvani & Chiappetta Cajola, 2019), the goal of the present work was to analyse the interactions of some pairs. The processes of understanding the text have been described when the pairs worked in two different procedures: when both students play an alternating tutorial role (tutorial procedure) and when two students tackle the comprehension tasks jointly (joint procedure). The interactions between the two students in the pairs (cognitive, regulative, and affective) are significantly focused on the texts, both in low-skilled pairs and in those with more advanced skills, with a greater prevalence in the joint procedure compared to the tutorial one.

Gender and «docile bodies». An overview of diet representation in Italian as a foreign language textbooks

2023-02-28T09:31:54+01:00

In line with critical approaches to foreign language education the paper examines the representation of diet in Italian as a foreign language textbooks in relation to gender ideologies. In order to identify and interpret ideological mechanisms that shape body politics in textbooks we employ quantitative content analysis and critical discourse analysis. To illustrate how the power of ideologically shaped sociocultural norms produces gendered body politics we introduce the Foucauldian concept of «docile bodies». This concept is furthermore interpreted from the feminist perspective, according to which female bodies are culturally subject to a more intense discipline and surveillance. The results confirm that diet discourse is characterized by a pronounced contrast between the docile bodies of women and the free of constraints bodies of men – unlike the female body that is subject to continuous surveillance and control, the male body is accepted in its natural form and furthermore embraced as a symbol of hedonism.

How to engage imagination in the classroom: Issues of educational design

2023-04-14T07:59:54+02:00

Critical reflection on Piagetian ideas in education has had significant consequences on the understanding of imagination. Within the post-Piagetian shift, Imaginative Education Theory (IE) has provided a cultural-historical perspective on teaching and learning in school contexts. The theory clarifies the benefits of teaching activities that can stimulate imagination and link it to curricular themes. From these premises, it also provides educational principles for organizing teacher training programs.

However, this article argues that IE still needs to be articulated from an instructional design perspective. Activity Theory, particularly its applications to Constructivist Learning Environments, is identified as a framework for organizing the classroom as a system in which imaginative activities enhance and support the co-construction of knowledge. This approach to IE can also show how several aspects of contemporary debates on teacher education can be enriched or critically reconsidered when approaching them with the goal of engaging imagination in the classroom.

Design and validation of the digital well-being scale

2023-03-21T18:15:41+01:00

As the reliance on digital products and services continue to increase, there arises the need to measure and understand how the use of digital devices affects our well-being. In order to do so, the researchers attempted to create and validate an instrument. The items for the instrument were identified through an extensive review of literature, followed by a brainstorming session. The statements were then validated by a panel of experts, post which the instrument was administered, and the data was collected and analyzed for reliability and validity. The final instrument returned a Cronbach’s alpha score of 0.921, indicating high reliability. The validity of the instrument was also established through a confirmatory factor analysis.

What motivates students at school? Students’ motivation profile from a Self-Determination perspective

2023-05-02T17:22:47+02:00

In this study, 243 upper and 29 lower secondary school students from a private school in Bologna responded to a survey measuring the students’ academic motivation, the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and teacher autonomy support according to the Self-Determination Theory. The purpose was to investigate the distribution of these variables and school-level-based differences in the sample analysed. Results show that, overall, students have a high mean level of autonomous motivation and satisfaction of competence and relatedness needs. Instead, students report a medium level of teacher autonomy support and a low level of autonomy need satisfaction. The results also show a decrease in almost all motivational variables in the transition from lower to upper secondary school. These findings constitute an element of interest in orientating the learning-teaching process towards improving students’ motivation.

Book review of: Laura Arias-Ferrer, Alejandro Egea-Vivancos, Didáctica de geografía e historia en educación primaria, Síntesis, 2022

2023-01-09T18:59:53+01:00

Book review of: Emanuele Pappalardo, Composizione e analisi nelle prime fasi di studio dello strumento musicale. Aspetti cognitivi, creativi, affettivi e relazionali. Una ricerca pedagogico-didattica, ETS, 2023

2023-05-30T10:24:40+02:00

Book review of: Mariateresa Muraca (Ed.), Conversazioni dal Sud. Pratiche politiche, educative e di cura, NeP Edizioni, 2021

2023-06-03T15:34:22+02:00