Lexical, Morphological, and Syntactic Characteristics of Verbs in the Spontaneous Production of Italian Children

This study investigates from a developmental point of view the lexical, morphological, and syntactic characteristics of verb production during the first stages of language acquisition. The spontaneous productions of children with different mean length of utterance (MLU) were analysed, examining the relative production of different types of verbs (transitive, intransitive, and mixed), the arguments expressed or omitted in the utterances containing a verb, the morphological inflections produced by the children for each verb, and the generalisation of the syntactic construction with which specific verbs were produced. Data are interpreted in support of the hypothesis that children have a limited abstract knowledge of verbs in the early period of multiword utterance production and that the process of abstractness and generalisation develops gradually on the basis of linguistic experience

The objective limits of the ne bis in idem in Italy between national and European rules

It is sure that the ne bis in idem constitutes a fundamental right, protected by a plurality of national (article 649 of the Italian Criminal Procedure Code) and European rules (article 50 CDFUE and article 4 protocol n. 7 ECHR). However, precisely the “multilevel protection” of fundamental rights that characterizes the Italian system risks - paradoxically - to become an obstacle to the wider operation of the guarantee. The provisions that identify the content of the double jeopardy both at national and European level are based upon different concept (identity of the fact; identity of the offence), with a negative effect about the identification of the objective limits of the ne bis in idem. At the same time, the interpretation of the same provisions by the national judges, ordinary and constitutional, and by the Supranational Courts makes the boundaries of the ne bis in idem generated by a final decision even more uncertain. We refer to the hypotheses in which the ne bis in idem is linked with “parallel proceedings”, where the same fact is sanctioned both by penal and administrative dispositions. The reconstruction of the guarantee provided for by the art. 649 of the Italian Criminal Procedure Code shall strengthen the legality principle and the implies, therefore, on one hand, to reconsider the sameness of the object of the different proceedings; on the other hand, to avoid casuistic solutions, in contrast with to the legality principle, about the duplication of the different proceedings having the same object

Videogame Addiction Scale for Children: Psychometric Properties and Gamer Profiles in the Italian Context

Given the few studies examining the evaluation of screening tools for videogame addiction among children aged 12 years and under, the present study analyzed (i) the psychometric properties (factorial structure, reliability indices and criterion validity) of the Italian version of the Videogame Addiction Scale for Children (VASC) and (ii) its construct validity using a person-centered approach. Two studies were carried out. In study 1, 728 participants completed a survey including demographic information, questions concerning the amount of time spent in playing videogames, and the Italian version of the VASC. In study 2, 1008 participants completed a survey comprising demographic information, the Italian version of the VASC, the Big Five Questionnaire for Children, and the social dimension subscale of the Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale. Findings supported (i) the four-dimensional first-order factor structure, (ii) full scalar invariance across age groups and partial scalar equivalence across gender, and (iii) reliability and criterion validity of the VASC. The construct validity of the VASC was confirmed by the identification of two distinct profiles (high videogame players vs. low videogame players) and their specific patterns of associations with personality traits and social self-concept. Interaction effects of gender × profiles on personality traits were evidenced. Overall, the findings provided validity for the use of the Italian version of the VASC and extending the body of literature on videogame addiction

La genitorialità reclusa: essere padri in carcere

Essere padri detenuti rientra nella categoria di genitorialità a rischio, in quanto la condizione di detenzione fa venire meno alcuni presupposti fondamentali dell’esercizio della funzione genitoriale. Il genitore dovrebbe riuscire trasmettere al bambino fiducia nelle sue capacità di crescita perché il bambino si nutre di questo e non di tutte le cose che gli possono essere date materialmente (Bouregba, 2004)1. Per i detenuti, la famiglia, molto spesso, costituisce la più importante fonte di speranza, benessere e legame con l’esterno (Magaletta, Herbst, 2001)2. Ma l'ingresso in carcere interrompe ed altera la natura bidirezionale e reciproca dello scambio comunicativo e interattivo genitore-figlio. Un padre detenuto non può esercitare nella contiguità fisica, spaziale e temporale il ruolo di genitore. Va inoltre considerato che stereotipi e pregiudizi possono contribuire a creare una rappresentazione culturalmente condivisa del detenuto come soggetto incapace di essere un buon genitore, e ciò potrebbe determinare, nei soggetti in questione, un vissuto di fallimento e di inadeguatezza rispetto alla percezione di sé come padre e al proprio ruolo (Cassibba, Luchinovich, Montatore, Godelli, 2008)3. Inoltre l’assenza di modelli di riferimento adeguati, le condizioni iniziali di svantaggio, la povertà degli strumenti cognitivi, comunicativi e relazionali disponibili, uniti all’esperienza di un contesto restrittivo quale il carcere, rendono difficile la costruzione e il mantenimento di un legame fra padre-figlio adeguato alle esigenze di sviluppo del minore e stabile nel tempo (Cassibba et al, op cit, 2008). Sulla base di tale impostazione teorico-concettuale, l'obiettivo del presente contributo è quello di presentare i dati preliminari di una ricerca che ha visto la collaborazione tra l'Università di Bari e di Modena e Reggio Emilia, coinvolgendo nel contempo le amministrazioni penitenziarie delle due rispettive regioni, con lo scopo di indagare l'auto-percezione del ruolo paterno in padri in stato detentivo, esplorando nel contempo la relazione tra tale forma di auto-percezione e lo stile di attaccamento dei partecipanti alla ricerca. Dal punto di vista metodologico, per la misurazione delle variabili in oggetto sono stati utilizzati l'Attachment Style Questionnaire- ASQ (Feeney, Noller e Hanrahan, 1994) e il questionario sull'Auto-percezione del Ruolo Paterno (Harter, 1982)

Short-Term Orchestral Music Training Modulates Hyperactivity and Inhibitory Control in School-Age Children: A Longitudinal Behavioural Study

Survey studies have shown that participating in music groups produces several benefits, such as discipline, cooperation and responsibility. Accordingly, recent longitudinal studies showed that orchestral music training has a positive impact on inhibitory control in school-age children. However, most of these studies examined long periods of training not always feasible for all families and institutions and focused on children’s measures ignoring the viewpoint of the teachers. Considering the crucial role of inhibitory control on hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity, we wanted to explore if short orchestral music training would promote a reduction of these impulsive behaviors in children. This study involved 113 Italian children from 8 to 10 years of age. 55 of them attended 3 months of orchestral music training. The training included a 2-hour lesson per week at school and a final concert. The 58 children in the control group did not have any orchestral music training. All children were administered tests and questionnaires measuring inhibitory control and hyperactivity near the beginning and end of the 3-month training period. We also collected information regarding the levels of hyperactivity of the children as perceived by the teachers at both time points. Children in the music group showed a significant improvement in inhibitory control. Moreover, in the second measurement the control group showed an increase in self-reported hyperactivity that was not found in the group undergoing the music training program. This change was not noticed by the teachers, implying a discrepancy between self-reported and observed behavior at school. Our results suggest that even an intense and brief period of orchestral music training is sufficient to facilitate the development of inhibitory control by modulating the levels of self-reported hyperactivity. This research has implications for music pedagogy and education especially in children with high hyperactivity. Future investigations will test whether the findings can be extended to children diagnosed with ADHD

Irescenari. Scenari agroalimentari e rurali: tra turbolenze e nuove sfide

Terzo Rapporto triennale sugli scenari evolutivi del Piemonte. Coordinamento scientifico Paolo Buran ; 2008/4- Indice #5- Il contesto #7- Le forze guida del cambiamento #11- La possibile evoluzione #18- Considerazioni conclusive #26- Riferimenti bibliografici #2

Teaching mathematics at distance: A challenge for universities

The focus of this research is how Sicilian state university mathematics professors faced the challenge of teaching via distance education during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic entered our lives suddenly, the professors found themselves having to lecture using an e-learning platform that they had never used before, and for which they could not receive training due to the health emergency. In addition to the emotional aspects related to the particular situation of the pandemic, there are two aspects to consider when teaching mathematics at a distance. The first is related to the fact that at university level, lecturers generally teach mathematics in a formal way, using many symbols and formulas that they are used to writing. The second aspect is that the way mathematics is taught is also related to the students to whom the teaching is addressed. In fact, not only online, but also in face-to-face modality, the teaching of mathematics to students on the mathematics degree course involves a different approach to lessons (as well as to the choice of topics to explain) than teaching mathematics in another degree course. In order to investigate how the Sicilian State university mathematics professors taught mathematics at distance, a questionnaire was prepared and administered one month after the beginning of the lockdown in Italy. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were made, which allowed us to observe the way that university professors have adapted to the new teaching modality: they started to appropriate new artifacts (writing tablets, mathematical software, e-learning platform) to replicate their face-to-face teaching modality, mostly maintaining their blackboard teacher status. Their answers also reveal their beliefs related to teaching mathematics at university level, noting what has been an advantageous or disadvantageous for them in distance teaching

Learning to play a musical instrument in the middle school is associated with superior audiovisual working memory and fluid intelligence: A cross-sectional behavioral study

Music training, in all its forms, is known to have an impact on behavior both in childhood and even in aging. In the delicate life period of transition from childhood to adulthood, music training might have a special role for behavioral and cognitive maturation. Among the several kinds of music training programs implemented in the educational communities, we focused on instrumental training incorporated in the public middle school curriculum in Italy that includes both individual, group and collective (orchestral) lessons several times a week. At three middle schools, we tested 285 preadolescent children (aged 10–14 years) with a test and questionnaire battery including adaptive tests for visuo-spatial working memory skills (with the Jack and Jill test), fluid intelligence (with a matrix reasoning test) and music-related perceptual and memory abilities (with listening tests). Of these children, 163 belonged to a music curriculum within the school and 122 to a standard curriculum. Significant differences between students of the music and standard curricula were found in both perceptual and cognitive domains, even when controlling for pre-existing individual differences in musical sophistication. The music children attending the third and last grade of middle school had better performance and showed the largest advantage compared to the control group on both audiovisual working memory and fluid intelligence. Furthermore, some gender differences were found for several tests and across groups in favor of females. The present results indicate that learning to play a musical instrument as part of the middle school curriculum represents a resource for preadolescent education. Even though the current evidence is not sufficient to establish the causality of the found effects, it can still guide future research evaluation with longitudinal data

Distance learning in Higher Education during the first pandemic lockdown : The point of view of students with special educational needs

The study investigates the perspective on distance learning (DL) of a sample of students with disability. Participants (N= 198; 62% females) completed an online questionnaire. The results highlight that students perceive both advantages and barriers, which vary as a function of the type of disability. This seems to suggest that DL potentials should be evaluated in relation to the specific vulnerabilities and educational needs associated with each type of disability, which might be accomplished by adopting the Universal Design for Learning framework. Also, it may be that the impact of DL depends on the discipline as well as on the teachers’ digital competences, which can make a great difference in the quality of the online lesson and in the overall didactic experience of students with SEN.Peer reviewe