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

A comparative history of childhood: Current research perspectives

Carla Callegari — 2024-06-25

This set of reflections aims to indicate some possible paths, to be followed in the field of comparative education, which might contribute to defining the idea of childhood and to seeking the best form of educational care for children in the context of a European and world history of education.

This new history, which also poses numerous methodological questions, has not yet been fully delineated in its development and its anthropological declinations: an attempt is made here, including through examples (which are in no way intended to be exhaustive, but only with the aim of clarifying the discourse), to give a glimpse of its possibilities in terms of epistemology, methodology and content.

The prelude to the extreme: Adolescence and violence

Gianluca Giachery — 2024-06-25

The questions on the causes of violence in adolescence (self-directed and heterodirected) run through the sign of a deep unease (not only psychic but also formative and cultural), which concerns both pedagogical reflection and the educational work carried out in formal (school and family) and informal (places of aggregation and socialising activities among peers) venues. The ways in which adolescent aggression manifests itself can be manifold, even reaching those – apparently anonymous – forms of digital communication. Giovanni Maria Bertin was the first to realise the importance of Erich Fromm’s work on «human destructiveness», understanding the contrast inherent in the psyche (and in the formation of the young person) between two different tendencies: biophilia and necrophilia. On the recovery of this line of interpretation, Melanie Klein’s and Wilfred Bion’s insights into the development of the two functional psychic mechanisms, namely introjection and projective identification, are grafted in this essay and in a pedagogical direction.

Beyond words: Thematic analysis in university teaching for meaningful education

Ludovica Fanni — 2024-06-25

Reflective action allows for the analysis of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, both of one’s own and of others, enabling a better understanding of motivations, perspectives, and relationships. This contribution is part of a larger research project aiming to emphasize the importance of reflexivity and the use of specific technologies to support reflective practice in educational contexts. To foster such processes, a ten-week educational activity was proposed and implemented, supported by a digital portfolio, involving 70 students. At the end of the educational journey, a focus group was conducted to identify and analyse the participants’ opinions and awareness. The interview transcription was then analysed using thematic analysis methodology, facilitated using specific software, revealing that the use of tools such as the e-portfolio effectively stimulates critical and analytical understanding of content, leading to increased self-awareness. Additionally, there is a strong indication of the perceived need by male and female students to create suitable spaces and times for reflection, especially in the academic training context, where the speed and abundance of information to be assimilated are often the norm.

Enhancing historical thinking in school. An integrated model (content, categories, skills) for identifying and assessing learning objectives

Valentina Della Gala — 2024-06-25

The question of history learning at school and its improvement has long been a subject of discussion, but it continues to present unresolved critical issues due to pupils’ difficulties in understanding this discipline, difficulties in defining clear and accountable learning objectives and the lack of adequate assessment systems. In line with international research, this article intends to show how it is possible to overcome these critical issues by identifying the development of historical thinking as the purpose of learning history, making explicit the dimensions of which it is composed and matching them with a taxonomy of learning objectives that can be translated into adequate assessment tests. The work presents an example of this process in the construction of a model test applied in the final year of primary school as part of an instructional intervention for progressive improvement of whose objectives the pupils were made aware.

Enhancing professional vocabulary acquisition through cognitive approaches in CLIL curricula

Valentyna Borshchovetska — 2024-06-25

This study investigates the impact of cognitive strategies on professional vocabulary acquisition in CLIL curricula, employing a mixed-methods approach. Results from quantitative analysis, specifically an ANCOVA test, decisively reject the null hypothesis and reveal significant improvements in vocabulary proficiency due to targeted cognitive strategies. Thematic analysis of student feedback supports the efficacy of these strategies in creating interactive learning experiences. The Experimental Group (EG) consistently demonstrates enhanced vocabulary acquisition, particularly at advanced levels, while the Control Group (CG) shows stable proficiency with less progress. This divergence is attributed to the application of cognitive strategies by the EG. The study emphasises the importance of integrating cognitive strategies into CLIL curricula, highlighting customisation to address unique challenges. Future research should explore long-term effects on vocabulary retention, their applicability across diverse subjects, and effective methods for training educators to implement these strategies in various educational settings.

Children’s rights and adults’ duties. Critical issues and future prospects

Andrea Bobbio — 2024-06-25

The essay aims at reconstructing today’s debate on children’s rights, highlighting how it has concrete epistemological repercussions on pedagogy itself, a knowledge called upon to historicise the prerogatives of children in their concrete environments of life, relationships and development, both formal and informal. In particular, the essay dwells on the critical elements that characterise contemporary society, with more and more rights but fewer and fewer children, and on the need for an integral ecology of the human being capable of ensuring full pedagogical sustainability for the culture of childhood. A new pedagogical vision, therefore, capable of rebalancing the protagonism of the child with the insurrogable function – of guidance, accompaniment and help – carried out by the adult.

Adaptation of selected self-efficacy scales

Martin Fico — 2024-06-25

In the presented systematic review, I focus on adapted versions of two widely used self-efficacy scales in the world: the Norwegian Teachers Self-Efficacy Scale (NTSES) and the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES). Based on a thorough search in the Web of Science (WOS), I will attempt to answer the following research question: What adaptation and validation procedures did the authors of studies using NTSES and TSES instruments choose, and what were their outcomes? The aim of the article is to help other researchers who are contemplating which scale to adapt, how to proceed with adaptation, and how to verify its psychometric properties. The article covers a total of 16 studies from journals and conference proceedings indexed in Web of Science. Based on the results, it is essential to consider cultural adaptation of the scales and not solely focus on linguistic translation.

Why do I assess? Construction and validation of the Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment scale (CoVI)

Irene Dora Maria Scierri — 2024-06-25

The study outlines the construction and validation process of the Teacher’s Conceptions of Assessment scale (CoVI), designed to evaluate primary and secondary school teachers’ perceptions of student learning assessment purposes. The validation sample comprises 1,545 serving teachers nationwide. The CoVI scale, subjected to both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, demonstrates robust psychometric properties and encompasses the following dimensions: assessment as accountability (Acc), verification of learning outcomes (AoL), teaching and learning improvement (AfL), and self-regulation and sustainability of learning (AaL). The scale addresses a gap in available instruments in the field by focusing on the specificities of different assessment approaches, including AfL and sustainable assessment, which have been less empirically explored.

A world to be discovered. The voice of professionals on the affective-sexual dimension for people with intellectual disabilities

Debora Aquario — 2024-06-25

The issue of affective and sexual relationships in intellectual disability (ID) has been hidden and even denied for a very long time. The research focuses on the point of view of professionals working in the field of ID. Through a qualitative-quantitative research design, the aim was, on the one hand, to understand whether sexuality and affectivity are topics that are addressed within the various structures through projects or courses, and, on the other hand, to give space to the representations, practices, and experiences of the professionals themselves. Data show an acknowledgement of the importance that people with ID can have sexual and affective experiences, but, at the same time, a gap in daily practices, which is attributed to three reasons: the lack of training; the idea that there are needs that are more important to work on; the difficulty of sharing ideas about this topic in the team.

Assessment processes and digital devices: Aspects of distance learning

Daniela Di Donato — 2024-06-25

The aim of the paper is to investigate the assessment practices implemented during the period of distance learning caused and “favoured” by the Covid-19 closure, which will start in March 2020. The empirical research is based on a quantitative approach, involving 1148 Italian teachers who responded to a battery of items, some of which focused on the assessment practices used in distance learning. The research shows a heterogeneous picture of assessment practices. The emergency context seems to be a generator of possible changes in teaching, provided that the assessment strategies, the design of learning tests and the feedback devices are strengthened by the awareness of the potential of digital environments and by the pedagogical intention to structure tests and coherent objectives.

Learning styles and linguistic attitudes in students with Specific Learning Disorders in secondary schools

Luca Clementi — 2024-06-25

This research investigates the challenges faced by students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs) in studying Spanish as a Foreign Language, with a particular emphasis on their perceptions and perspectives. For this purpose, two questionnaires were administered to 76 secondary school students with SLDs in the province of Pesaro and Urbino. The first questionnaire, CHAEA Junior, identified the predominant learning style, while the second provided a detailed examination of the students’ attitudes towards studying Spanish. This analysis included an evaluation of the teaching techniques adopted by instructors, the effectiveness of the materials used, and the characteristics of the learning environment. The combined analysis of the collected quantitative data revealed the presence of elements perceived as non-inclusive, thereby prompting significant pedagogical reflections on teaching practices and the educational ecosystem as a whole.

Book review: R. Sani, Unum ovile et unus pastor. La Compagnia di Gesù e l’esperienza missionaria di Padre Matteo Ricci in Cina tra reformatio Ecclesiae e inculturazione del Vangelo, Venezia, Marcium Press, 2023

Franco Cambi — 2024-06-25

Book review: Irene Biemmi, Barbara Mapelli, Pedagogia di genere. Educare ed educarsi a vivere in un mondo sessuato, Mondadori Education, 2023

Simona Frabotta — 2024-06-25

Book review: Massimo Mugnai, Come non insegnare la filosofia, Raffaello Cortina Editore, Milano, 2023

Manlio Antonio Forni — 2024-06-25