Consuelo Mameli

Interactive micro-processes in classroom discourse: turning points and emergent meanings

Based on a qualitative analysis of classroom discourse in Italian primary schools, this paper analyses the micro-processes that are emergent moment-by-moment in the unfolding interactions between teacher and pupils. More in particular, our purpose is to identify the conditions under which the interactive orientation of a sequence changes. We argue that unpredictable emergent contributions function as turning points, re-directing and changing the sequence’s orientation. The results show that the turning points introduce changes in the sequences as far as three discourse characteristics are concerned: (a) communicative pattern; (b) lesson objective; and (c) role of primary knower. The discussion points out the importance of these results for the teachers’ work and training.

Triadické interakce ve výukové komunikaci

Tento clanek předklada kvalitativni analýzu triadických interakci, jež jsou zde definovany jako diskurzivni sekvence s minimalně třemi ucastniky (ucitel a alespoň dva žaci), na zakladě pozorovani ve výuce v italských primarnich skolach. Cilem bylo popsat různe typy triadických interakci a zdůraznit, jakým z působem mohou tyto třistranne výměny informovat o procesech vyucovani a uceni. Studie vychazi z datoveho korpusu tvořeneho dvaceti výukovými epizodami, ktere byly zaznamenany formou videonahravek. Výsledkem je analýza různých typů triadických interakcnich sekvenci, ktere ukazuji, jak tradicni IRF struktura může být v průběhu vznikajich diskurzivnich interakci obohacena jednotlivými ucastniky komunikace.

What can I do with my body? Boys and girls facing body dissatisfaction

Abstract The aim of this study is to investigate the role of body dissatisfaction (BD) – conceived here as predicting, predicted and mediating variable – in relation to media influence, body mass index (BMI) and body modification strategies among adolescents, with particular attention to gender differences. Specifically, we investigate, through a multivariated model, the direct and mediated effect of internalization and pressure to conform to aesthetic ideals and BMI on engagement in body modification behaviours, namely eating problems, attitudes toward cosmetic surgery, body art and physical activity. A questionnaire designed to assess all these dimensions was administered to 843 Italian adolescents aged between 15 and 18 years. The findings confirm the available evidence on BD as predicted by a number of sociocultural and personal variables, and as predictive of adolescents’ bodily attitudes and behaviours. Gendered differences in behaviours considered as ‘ways out’ from discomforting feelings about physical appearance are discussed.

Patterns of discursive interactions in primary classrooms: an application of social network analysis

This study aimed to investigate whether social network analysis (SNA) is a useful method for identifying different discursive patterns in everyday classroom activities. The material analysed came from 20 teacher-led lessons that were video-recorded in small-size classes in Italian public primary schools. SNA was used to measure classroom relations in terms of ties (in and out connections among individuals) and dialogues (duration of messages sent and received). The results highlighted two discursive patterns, which we called dominant and distributed. The dominant pattern was observed in lessons in which teachers limited pupils’ participation and governed discourse in a dyadic way. The distributed pattern of discourse offered children more opportunities to participate in the dialogues, to be connected with others and to engage in multiple interactions. Moreover, it exhibited adaptability with respect to children’s different attainment levels, within the constraint of the lesson’s subject. In conclusion, SNA enabled rigorous and original investigation of interactive processes in real classroom situations.

Development and Validation of an Enlarged Version of the Student Agentic Engagement Scale

The elusive character of student agency makes it a relevant construct to be investigated and measured. An initial effort in this direction was represented by the Agentic Engagement Scale, a five-item instrument designed to assess the degree to which students constructively contribute to the flow of the instructions they receive from the teacher. Despite its merits, in its current form this scale takes into account only a part of the wide range of student agentic expressions. In the present work, we propose an extension of the Agentic Engagement Scale from five to 10 items. Compared to the original scale, the new version covers a larger variety of proactive student contributions, such as those concerning peer interactions and those communications in which learners question or challenge the teacher’s instructions. The study was conducted on 1,064 Italian high school students equally distributed between males and females. Confirmative factor analysis endorsed the adequacy of a one-factor structure of the enlarged Agentic Engagement Scale, which showed good psychometric properties as well as positive associations with student motivation to learn and the other three aspects of engagement (i.e., affective, behavioral, and cognitive). The theoretical and practical implications of a more comprehensive scale of student agentic engagement are discussed.

School context and subjective distress: The influence of teacher justice and school-specific well-being on adolescents’ psychological health

Notwithstanding the large consensus on the idea that justice should be favoured in school contexts to promote student well-being, there is still a lack of research that has investigated how the experience of justice at school spreads impact on global adolescent psychological health. The aim of this study is to investigate the degree to which the experience of teacher (in)justice is possibly related to some of the indicators of adolescent global psychological health, namely individual and social functioning, psychological problems, and somatic symptoms. We also test the role of two components of school-specific well-being, i.e., emotional engagement and classroom connectedness, here considered as potential mediators between teacher justice and psychological health. Structural equation modelling indicated that teacher justice is positively associated with emotional engagement, classroom connectedness and individual functioning, and negatively related to psychological problems. The relation from teacher justice to individual functioning was partially mediated by emotional engagement and classroom connectedness. The relation from teacher justice to social functioning and somatic symptoms was fully mediated by classroom connectedness, while a partial mediation was found between teacher justice and psychological problems via classroom connectedness. These results are commented at the light of their implications for teacher practices.

Risky consumption, reasons for use, migratory status and normalization: the results of an Italian study on minors aged between 13 and 16

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the relationship between migratory status, the use of legal and illegal psychoactive substances and psychological disorders perceived in a sample of minors. Design/methodology/approach A transversal multicentre study was carried out with interviews with young people aged 13-16 years recruited from middle and high schools in Italy. Findings The results show the implementation of a process of normalization in terms of the presence of legal and illegal psychoactive substances in the living contexts of the minors, of their widespread early use and of a substantial indifferentiation in the reasons for use (e.g. pleasure, curiosity, fun). Youths born in Italy with at least one non-native parent are noteworthy for an elevated prevalence of perceived psychological disorders and for particular lifestyles linked to the use of marijuana, alcohol abuse and the intensive consumption of tobacco. Second-generation minors show symptoms of psychological malaise, anxiety and depression before which the use of substances appears to realize a particular form of self-cure. Research limitations/implications This study presents some objective limits that indicate prudence in generalizing the results: only those who obtained consent from their parents were interviewed and the information communicated in the interviews could have been influenced by various factors, including the situation and the location. The authors used a standard definition of binge-drinking (Valencia-Martin et al., 2008). Actually, different criteria (i.e. number of drinks, time of consumption, etc.) and formulations of the question are used in different surveys, showing that there is as yet no consensus definition of binge-drinking. Nevertheless, the term has become somewhat confusing as it is often used as a synonym of drunkenness, making cross-cultural comparisons difficult (Beccaria et al., 2014). These are aspects that limit the generalizability of the results to the interviews alone and do not allow for prevalence estimates. Nevertheless, the results offer useful indications for future prevention projects specifically oriented to early adolescence. Practical implications The results of the study, on the one hand, document the growing use of legal and illegal proactive substances among minors and the relative cultural trend in this particular age band, testified to by the high number of those who have been present in situations of consumption to whom the substances were offered; on the other, they evidence a subpopulation of youths born in Italy with at least one non-native parent (i.e. second generation of immigrants). These youths stand out for an elevated prevalence of perceived psychological disorders and for their particular lifestyles connected to the use of marijuana, alcohol abuse and the intensive consumption of alcohol. This is also the group with the highest percentage of mothers alone in the family. Social implications A group of adolescents living in a monoparental family, that is, with the mother alone emerges, and as the literature has shown, family structure and poverty are linked (Landale et al., 2011; Svensson and Hagquist, 2009). In fact, such mothers, even those with a high level of education, are mostly unemployed. Adolescents with a single parent often not only face resource deficits but also other risk factors, such as high family stress, inadequate supervision, multiple family transitions and frequent residential moves. Specifically, these second-generation adolescents are female and they manifest sensation-seeking behaviours, but without drug abuse. Originality/value The results of the study show new and little-known aspects of the multicultural Italian society that is changing profoundly that should be explored in more detail by targeted research that also focussed on structural factors relatable to specific social positions. In this framework, a particular subgroup, i.e. the second-generation minors, shows symptoms of psychic malaise, anxiety and depression in terms of which substance use seems to realize a form of self-cure.