Manuela Maria LOMBARDO
Ascolta
Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Edificio 15, Palermo, 90128, Italy.
e-Mail: manuelamaria.lombardo@unipa.it
Education
- Master's Degree in Quaternary, Prehistory and Archaeology – University of Ferrara
Current Positions
PhD Student in Health Promotion and Cognitive Sciences
PhD project title and a short abstract
PhD project title
Museum and emotion: a new educational paradigm for learning, wellbeing and emotional literacy
Abstract
The project aims to investigate the educational potential of museums as experiential and formative environments for promoting emotional literacy and psychosocial well-being among preadolescents. It reconceptualizes the museum not as a mere repository of knowledge, but as a dynamic space for immersive learning: moving away from traditional transmissive teaching, the project prioritizes direct experience, interaction with cultural heritage, and emotions as drivers of meaningful learning.
The overarching objective is to assess how a playful-experiential activity in a museum context – specifically an Archaeological Park – can develop emotional and relational competencies in preadolescents, fostering self-esteem, empathy, emotional awareness, and subjective well-being. The intervention involves an educational workshop that stimulates emotional engagement and personal reflection, employing play, movement, and observation as primary channels of expression.
The project generates empirical evidence on the psycho-educational impact of museum experiences. It highlights the social and transformative role of museums as inclusive and accessible spaces attuned to the needs of new generations. In an era when emotional and relational challenges are increasingly critical in developmental stages, the museum emerges as an ideal laboratory for cultivating empathy, emotions, listening, self-awareness, and human connection.
Supervisor: Prof. Gioacchino Lavanco
Main research areas of interest
Museum Education, Experimental Pedagogy, Emotional Literacy, Inclusive Education
Researcher ID