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Reducing teachers’ perceived stress through an online wellbeing intervention: the role of socio-emotional competence and self-efficacy
Full text linkIntroduction: Teaching is a profession characterized by high emotional demands and exposure to multiple stressors, often leading to elevated levels of perceived stress. Self-efficacy and socio-emotional competence have been identified as key protective resources that enable teachers to cope more effectively with professional challenges. The present quasi-experimental study evaluated the effectiveness of an Online Wellbeing Course (OWC) in enhancing teachers’ socio-emotional competence and self-efficacy and reducing perceived stress.
Methods: A total of 151 in-service Italian teachers took part in the study, with schools randomly assigned to an experimental group (OWC; n = 72) or a control group (n = 79). Participants completed validated measures of perceived stress, socio-emotional competence, and self-efficacy at pre- and post-test.
Results: Teachers in the OWC group reported significant improvements in socioemotional competence and self-efficacy, as well as a reduction in perceived stress compared to the control group. Moreover, pre- to post-test gains in self-efficacy - but not socio-emotional competence - significantly mediated the relationship
between participation in the OWC and reductions in perceived stress.
Discussion: These findings provide empirical evidence for the effectiveness of online wellbeing interventions in supporting teachers’ psychological resources and reducing stress. Implications for teacher professional development are discussed
Use of AI-assisted writing tools for student self-assessment at school: survey on teachers’ perceptions and practices
Full text linkWriting is a complex, learned skill that requires continuous practice and support. Digital technologies, and more recently AI-assisted writing tools, have been introduced to enhance students’ writing and self-assessment, with potential benefits for motivation, accuracy, and collaboration. Their effectiveness, however, depends on how they are integrated into educational contexts and on teachers’ perceptions. This exploratory study, conducted between February and April 2025 with n. 1,072 pre-service teachers enrolled in qualification programs in Italy, examines perceptions and practices related to AI-assisted writing tools for student self-assessment. In this study, the construct was operationalised through a restricted set of widely used AI-based generative writing tools available at the time of data collection. Adopting a mixed embedded design that combines quantitative and qualitative analyses, the research found that most teachers expressed cautious
or sceptical views about their general usefulness, yet more positive attitudes emerged toward specific tools (e.g., ChatGPT) and sub-skills, especially spelling and text composition. Qualitative data indicated that teachers who experimented with such tools perceived benefits for student motivation, engagement, and skill
development, though concerns persisted regarding critical thinking and overreliance on algorithms. The findings underscore the need for targeted teacher training and further research to support the effective pedagogical integration of AI-assisted tools in writing instruction
Autodeterminazione, cura e ricerca nell’era digitale. Interessi antagonisti e modelli di bilanciamento
No full textIl volume raccoglie gli atti del convegno conclusivo del PRIN 2022 PNRR "Medical Informed Consent, Artificial Intelligence and Law", condotto dalle Università di Pavia e di Bergamo. Il dialogo tra gli autori è volto a misurare la tenuta del principio di autodeterminazione alla luce del ruolo che l’IA viene assumendo in ambito sanitario. Nel volume trovano spazio riflessioni dedicate, da un lato, all’autodeterminazione rispetto alle cure, il cui effettivo svolgimento può venire ostacolato da caratteristiche proprie dell’IA, e, dall’altro lato, all’autodeterminazione rispetto al trattamento di dati relativi alla salute, la cui tutela può risultare parimenti stridente con alcuni caposaldi dell’IA. Tutti i contributi sono animati dalla consapevolezza che l’evoluzione tecnologica comporta un miglioramento delle prestazioni mediche e della ricerca scientifica e sono accomunati dall’intento di trovare soluzioni di contemperamento tra autodeterminazione e valori antagonisti
Sitting arrangement and malpractice behaviours among higher education test-takers: On educational assessment in Nigeria
No full textIn this study, a cohort of 170 university students was observed for malpractice behaviour under three forms of sitting arrangement. The aim was to identify the conditions under which test-takers are more likely to engage in different forms of examination malpractice. The study was primarily concerned with providing answers to four research questions and testing four null hypotheses. Data were collected using an observation checklist conceived by the researchers. Data analysis was done using frequency counts, simple percentages and the Chi-square test of independence. It was determined, among other things, that many higher education test-takers participated in various forms of examination misconduct. Giraffing, copying from colleagues, script exchange, discussion with peers, using small papers containing answers, using phones, swaying seats, handwriting on desks, using headphones with recorded audio, and requesting invigilators for help are all manifestations of these behaviours. It was found that test-takers malpractice behaviour varied with the sitting arrangement used. Furthermore, the malpractice behaviours exhibited and the instances of cheating were not significantly dependent on gender, although males exhibited, on average, a higher rate of malpractice behaviours. However, students’ malpractice behaviours and the instances of cheating significantly depended on the sitting arrangement implemented. The educational assessment implications were examined considering these findings. Examiners wishing to limit examination fraud and improve efficient performance assessments may utilise one or more combinations of gender separation and inter-class test sitting arrangements
Toward a productive evolutionary understanding of music
No full textWe discuss approaches to the study of the evolution of music (sect. R1); challenges to each of the two theories of the origins of music presented in the companion Target Articles (sect. R2); future directions for testing them (sect. R3); and priorities for better understanding the nature of music (sect. R4). [in press, Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Projecting Places: Cinema’s Crimes Against Geography and the Case of the Vampirization of Italian Locations
No full textThe article examines the tension between filmic fiction and geographical referentiality, focusing on how cinema negotiates the relationship between narrative settings and actual locations. The case of *New Moon* (2009), the second film in the *Twilight* saga and an adaptation of a well-known literary work, shows how places initially imagined by the author—also through digital and cartographic tools—were later projected onto real geographies in the cinematic transposition. The adaptation process intensified the gap between fictional setting and filmed location, particularly in relation to the iconic Italian sites where part of the story was set and/or shot, revealing a broader mechanism in cinematic production: a cartographic logic in which the sign precedes and reshapes the referent. This displacement sparked confusion and public controversy, including media debates and institutional protests. At the same time, grassroots responses—such as fan-produced YouTube videos—did not oppose but rather embraced the substitution, illustrating how cinematic geography operates through processes of simulation, mediation, and reinterpretation
La responsabilità per danno all'immagine, da diffamazione e da lesione della privacy
No full textIl contributo analizza i criteri di quantificazione del risarcimento del danno da lesione dei diritti della personalità, segnatamente la riservatezza e la reputazion
Artificial intelligence as a catalyst for transformative assessment: designing teacher literacy at the crossroads of ethics, pedagogy, and human relationships
Full text linkThe rapid proliferation of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in educational
settings necessitates a redefinition of assessment practices, raising crucial questions
regarding the relationship between automation and pedagogical ethics. While AI
offers opportunities for efficiency and personalization, there persists a risk of a
technocratic drift that threatens the relational dimension of teaching. This study
explores the perceptions of trainee teachers regarding the integration of AI in
assessment, investigating the transformation of practices (RQ1) and the competencies
required for an “AI-literate” teacher profile (RQ2). Adopting a convergent mixedmethods
design, a survey was conducted on a sample of 662 teachers enrolled in
qualifying courses (60 ECTS) at the University of Foggia and the University of Bergamo.
Data collected via a CAWI survey were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation and
thematic analysis supported by text mining. The data reveal a “conscious resistance”:
despite possessing a good level of technical comfort, pedagogical trust in AI
remains low (M = 4.83/10). Inferential analysis highlights a training paradox: trust
does not correlate with the technical training received (ρ = 0.36), but rather with
the perception of concrete support (ρ = 0.57). Qualitatively, concerns regarding
dehumanization and a demand for a principle of subsidiarity emerge. The study
suggests that technical competence is insufficient for AI adoption. A Critical AI
Literacy that integrates ethics and pedagogy is required, restoring decision-making
control to the teacher to ensure fair and humanizing assessment
