Collegio dei Docenti
Assistant professor of General Psychology
I teach courses on Principles and History of Psychology for the 1st degree in Psychology and on General Psychology for the 1st degree in Science of Motor and Sport Activity at the University of Palermo.
My methodological interests include quantitative and mixed methods research, experimental and behavioral methodologies, cluster analysis, multivariate analysis, and structural equation modeling.
My main research interests lie in the area of cognitive processes, decision-making, and communication with a specific focus on shared decision-making, doctor-patient communication, preventive and screening behaviors
e-Mail dario.monzani@unipa.it
List of courses
https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/m/dario.monzani/?pagina=insegnamenti
List of publications
https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/m/dario.monzani/?pagina=pubblicazioni
Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Edificio 15, Palermo, 90128, Italy.
e-Mail: lucia.maniscalco04@unipa.it
Education
-
Master's Degree in Pedagogical Sciences (LM-85)
Current Positions
PhD Student in Health Promotion and Cognitive Sciences
PhD project title and a short abstract
Laboratory Teaching and Inquiry-Based Laboratory: Learning for Competencies. Research with Teachers.
The doctoral journey, developed from 2021 to 2025, explores teacher training through laboratory teaching and Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL), promoting a competency-based approach. The research highlights the need for flexible teaching methods that contrast traditional models and accommodate students' diverse learning styles. Through the laboratory as a space for experimentation and reflection, students do not merely follow instructions but analyze and adapt knowledge, transforming it into transferable skills. The study underscores the central role of schools in fostering cognitive development and active student participation and reaffirms the importance of continuous teacher training to ensure high-quality education. The adoption of Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) enables students to develop critical and hypothetical-deductive thinking, enhancing their problem-solving abilities. The research, conducted at the University of Palermo, is based on an experimental study demonstrating how laboratory teaching significantly enhances competency development, redefining learning toward greater autonomy and practical application.
Supervisor: Prof.ssa Giuseppa Cappuccio
Main research areas of interest
- laboratory’s teaching;
- teacher training;
- sustainability,
- innovative teaching methodologies.
Disciplinary field: Experimental pedagogy (PAED/2B)
Researcher ID
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7507-0236
Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Edificio 15, Palermo, 90128, Italy.
e-Mail: maria.moscato01@unipa.it
Education
Master’s Degree in Lifelong Learning Sciences (LM-57)
Current Positions
- Research fellow
- Assistant Professor
- PhD Student in Health Promotion and Cognitive Sciences
PhD project title and a short abstract
PhD project title
Inclusion as a Vector of Well-Being: UDL and Teacher Training in Lower Secondary School (Inclusione come vettore di ben-essere: UDL e formazione degli insegnanti nella scuola secondaria di primo grado)
Abstract
The concept of inclusion has increasingly become central to contemporary pedagogical discourse, establishing itself as a foundational dimension of modern education systems. This paradigm shift has moved the focus from categorising educational needs to valorising individual specificities, aiming to provide tailored responses that guide students' educational pathways based on their characteristics and potential. From this perspective, inclusive education must be understood as a dynamic process that engages the entire educational system, modifying structures that hinder students' full participation. It unfolds within a relational framework characterised by continuous interaction between individuals and their environment, underscoring inclusion as a fundamental right ensuring the necessary conditions for academic success, far beyond mere access to educational opportunities. Building on these premises, this study examines the role of Universal Design for Learning in the professional development of lower secondary school teachers, highlighting how the adoption of a Teacher Professional Development Research model for promoting inclusive practices can influence both teachers’ agentive professionalism and students’ learner agency. The first part of the thesis outlines the theoretical framework of inclusion, exploring its philosophical and pedagogical foundations while conceptualising the school as a laboratory of democracy. The second part presents an empirical study conducted through the Teacher Professional Development
Research paradigm and a Mixed Methods approach. The study involved 20 teachers, analysing their professional growth and its impact on classroom dynamics through focus groups, questionnaires, logbooks and classroom observations. The findings indicate that the programme enhanced teachers' awareness of inclusion and agency, fostering more flexible teaching practices and greater student engagement. The results confirm that a systemic and transformative approach to inclusion can drive meaningful changes in educational practices and stakeholder engagement.
Supervisor: Prof.ssa Francesca Pedone
Main research areas of interest
Special Pedagogy and Inclusive Education, with a particular focus on the themes of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Outdoor Education, the development of educational communities, and participatory research processes, with special attention to the paradigms of Action Research and Human-Centred Design Research, as well as the professional development of teachers and educators.
Researcher ID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6082-1068
Psicologa. PhD e Professore Ordinario di Psicologia dello Sviluppo e Psicologia dell’Educazione. Esperta di Psicologia dello Sviluppo Tipico e Atipico e Disturbi dell’Apprendimento Scolastico.
Insegna Strumenti e Tecniche per la Valutazione dello Sviluppo Tipico e Atipico alla LM Psicologia del Ciclo di Vita, Psicologia dello Sviluppo e dell’Educazione applicata all’esercizio fisico alla LM in Scienze e Tecniche delle Attività Motorie Preventive e Adattate e delle Attività Sportive, Psicologia dell’Handicap al CdS in Scienze delle Attività Motorie e Sportive.
E’ Coordinatore del Master in “Disturbi e/o Disabilità dell’Apprendimento nello Sviluppo” presso l’Università di Palermo.
E’ Socio AIRIPA (Associazione Italiana Ricerca e Intervento nella Psicopatologia dell’Apprendimento) e socio AIP ((Associazione Italiana di Psicologia, Sezione di Psicologia dello Sviluppo e Psicologia dell’Educazione).
E’ iscritta all’Albo degli Psicologi della Regione Sicilia n. 1617.
Email: marianna.alesi@unipa.it
091-238 97702
Curriculum
Consiglio Scientifico
Assistant professor of General Psychology
I teach courses on Principles and History of Psychology for the 1st degree in Psychology and on General Psychology for the 1st degree in Science of Motor and Sport Activity at the University of Palermo.
My methodological interests include quantitative and mixed methods research, experimental and behavioral methodologies, cluster analysis, multivariate analysis, and structural equation modeling.
My main research interests lie in the area of cognitive processes, decision-making, and communication with a specific focus on shared decision-making, doctor-patient communication, preventive and screening behaviors
e-Mail dario.monzani@unipa.it
List of courses
https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/m/dario.monzani/?pagina=insegnamenti
List of publications
https://www.unipa.it/persone/docenti/m/dario.monzani/?pagina=pubblicazioni
Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Edificio 15, Palermo, 90128, Italy.
e-Mail: lucia.maniscalco04@unipa.it
Education
-
Master's Degree in Pedagogical Sciences (LM-85)
Current Positions
PhD Student in Health Promotion and Cognitive Sciences
PhD project title and a short abstract
Laboratory Teaching and Inquiry-Based Laboratory: Learning for Competencies. Research with Teachers.
The doctoral journey, developed from 2021 to 2025, explores teacher training through laboratory teaching and Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL), promoting a competency-based approach. The research highlights the need for flexible teaching methods that contrast traditional models and accommodate students' diverse learning styles. Through the laboratory as a space for experimentation and reflection, students do not merely follow instructions but analyze and adapt knowledge, transforming it into transferable skills. The study underscores the central role of schools in fostering cognitive development and active student participation and reaffirms the importance of continuous teacher training to ensure high-quality education. The adoption of Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) enables students to develop critical and hypothetical-deductive thinking, enhancing their problem-solving abilities. The research, conducted at the University of Palermo, is based on an experimental study demonstrating how laboratory teaching significantly enhances competency development, redefining learning toward greater autonomy and practical application.
Supervisor: Prof.ssa Giuseppa Cappuccio
Main research areas of interest
- laboratory’s teaching;
- teacher training;
- sustainability,
- innovative teaching methodologies.
Disciplinary field: Experimental pedagogy (PAED/2B)
Researcher ID
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7507-0236
Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Edificio 15, Palermo, 90128, Italy.
e-Mail: maria.moscato01@unipa.it
Education
Master’s Degree in Lifelong Learning Sciences (LM-57)
Current Positions
- Research fellow
- Assistant Professor
- PhD Student in Health Promotion and Cognitive Sciences
PhD project title and a short abstract
PhD project title
Inclusion as a Vector of Well-Being: UDL and Teacher Training in Lower Secondary School (Inclusione come vettore di ben-essere: UDL e formazione degli insegnanti nella scuola secondaria di primo grado)
Abstract
The concept of inclusion has increasingly become central to contemporary pedagogical discourse, establishing itself as a foundational dimension of modern education systems. This paradigm shift has moved the focus from categorising educational needs to valorising individual specificities, aiming to provide tailored responses that guide students' educational pathways based on their characteristics and potential. From this perspective, inclusive education must be understood as a dynamic process that engages the entire educational system, modifying structures that hinder students' full participation. It unfolds within a relational framework characterised by continuous interaction between individuals and their environment, underscoring inclusion as a fundamental right ensuring the necessary conditions for academic success, far beyond mere access to educational opportunities. Building on these premises, this study examines the role of Universal Design for Learning in the professional development of lower secondary school teachers, highlighting how the adoption of a Teacher Professional Development Research model for promoting inclusive practices can influence both teachers’ agentive professionalism and students’ learner agency. The first part of the thesis outlines the theoretical framework of inclusion, exploring its philosophical and pedagogical foundations while conceptualising the school as a laboratory of democracy. The second part presents an empirical study conducted through the Teacher Professional Development
Research paradigm and a Mixed Methods approach. The study involved 20 teachers, analysing their professional growth and its impact on classroom dynamics through focus groups, questionnaires, logbooks and classroom observations. The findings indicate that the programme enhanced teachers' awareness of inclusion and agency, fostering more flexible teaching practices and greater student engagement. The results confirm that a systemic and transformative approach to inclusion can drive meaningful changes in educational practices and stakeholder engagement.
Supervisor: Prof.ssa Francesca Pedone
Main research areas of interest
Special Pedagogy and Inclusive Education, with a particular focus on the themes of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Outdoor Education, the development of educational communities, and participatory research processes, with special attention to the paradigms of Action Research and Human-Centred Design Research, as well as the professional development of teachers and educators.
Researcher ID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6082-1068
Psicologa. PhD e Professore Ordinario di Psicologia dello Sviluppo e Psicologia dell’Educazione. Esperta di Psicologia dello Sviluppo Tipico e Atipico e Disturbi dell’Apprendimento Scolastico.
Insegna Strumenti e Tecniche per la Valutazione dello Sviluppo Tipico e Atipico alla LM Psicologia del Ciclo di Vita, Psicologia dello Sviluppo e dell’Educazione applicata all’esercizio fisico alla LM in Scienze e Tecniche delle Attività Motorie Preventive e Adattate e delle Attività Sportive, Psicologia dell’Handicap al CdS in Scienze delle Attività Motorie e Sportive.
E’ Coordinatore del Master in “Disturbi e/o Disabilità dell’Apprendimento nello Sviluppo” presso l’Università di Palermo.
E’ Socio AIRIPA (Associazione Italiana Ricerca e Intervento nella Psicopatologia dell’Apprendimento) e socio AIP ((Associazione Italiana di Psicologia, Sezione di Psicologia dello Sviluppo e Psicologia dell’Educazione).
E’ iscritta all’Albo degli Psicologi della Regione Sicilia n. 1617.
Email: marianna.alesi@unipa.it
091-238 97702
Curriculum