Conference Program

Since Ryan and Deci's (2017) studies, we have known that motivation is not represented only by an intensity scale (i.e. having more or less motivation), but also by what drives it. In fact, a distinction is made between intrinsic motivation, which is acting for what interests or pleases you, and extrinsic motivation, which is acting to achieve an external result (Germani, 2025). Intrinsic motivation «constitutes a natural inclination of students towards assimilation, mastery and a spontaneous interest in learning. It does not require external rewards or pressure, but is guided by personal interest, providing a lasting source of satisfaction and pleasure throughout the educational pathway» (Germani, 2025, p. 10). According to Cognitive Evaluation Theory, a theory that forms part of Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2002), interpersonal contexts characterised by communication and feedback systems influence the development of a sense of competence, i.e. the perception of being competent and autonomous. «In other words, when people perceive that they are successful in an activity thanks to positive feedback or optimal challenges, they are more likely to be intrinsically motivated to continue that activity» (Germani, 2025, p. 17). A sense of autonomy (or self-determination) is essential for sustaining intrinsic motivation. Although the feedback provided in the INVALSI certification is not presented in interpersonal contexts, it provides students with information on the text comprehension skills they have developed, based on what they have demonstrated they are capable of doing.

This paper reflects on the perceptions of Italian students regarding the descriptive feedback provided in INVALSI's national reading comprehension tests at the end of lower and upper secondary school. This qualitative study takes a descriptive-exploratory approach to investigate whether feedback from INVALSI certification leads students to reflect on their own learning, and whether this reflection affects their motivation to learn in the context of lifelong learning (Ouane, 2003). To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine students at the end of the first and second cycles of education. These were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis (Clarke & Braun, 2016), with the support of Maxqda software.

According to the students interviewed, evaluating learning through descriptive feedback is valuable because it shifts the focus from a single test to understanding the learning process. The students assigned the following functions to descriptive feedback:

- A diagnostic function, which is useful for identifying the skills demonstrated in an assessment and enabling students to recognise their strengths and weaknesses.

- A prospective function, which is useful for setting future goals and motivating students to achieve higher levels by setting concrete objectives.

- A reflective function, which is useful for encouraging critical analysis of study methods and strategies adopted to achieve specific learning outcomes.

Therefore, the results, as expressed by the students' voices, show that descriptions of skills achieved in INVALSI certification allow students to reflect on their sense of competence. Descriptions of skill levels that they can still achieve motivate students to guide their future learning.

In the current pedagogical/didactic debate, participation cannot be reduced to mere “presence” or a set of observable behaviours: rather, it is configured as a relational and cognitive-affective quality of the school experience, articulated in behavioural, emotional and cognitive dimensions (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004). In this context, engagement appears to be sensitive both to beliefs of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997) and to social conditions that support autonomy, competence and belonging (Ryan & Deci, 2000), calling into question concrete teaching choices and classroom management styles. This paper presents ongoing research (academic year 2025/2026) conducted at the 'Pignatelli' lower secondary school in Grottaglie (province of Taranto), in collaboration with three literature teachers, on three second-year classes (N = 67; aged 12–13). The sample includes one student with autism spectrum disorder with high support needs and four students with SLDs. The aim is to explore whether, and to what extent, an integrated teaching device (structured cooperative learning, short authentic tasks, digital micro-narratives and gamification with low technological complexity and high educational intentionality) can affect motivational processes and participation, while preserving accessibility and meaningfulness for heterogeneous profiles. The design is quasi-experimental with pre/post measurements and data triangulation, according to an educational research approach that focuses on consistency between hypotheses, tools and context (Lucisano & Salerni, 2002). On a quantitative level, the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI) is used for the cognitive and psychological component of engagement (Appleton, Christenson, Kim, & Reschly, 2006), accompanied by a brief measure of academic self-efficacy. On a qualitative level, systematic classroom observations, student logbooks and semi-structured interviews with teachers are collected to capture micro-dynamics of participation (turn-taking, quality of cooperation, persistence in the task, experiences of competence). Partial evidence (at mid-term) suggests an increase in dialogic participation in cooperative activities and an improvement in average psychological engagement, with more marked signs in students who were initially 'peripheral' in interactions. Looking ahead, the analysis discusses the conditions and limits of the device's transferability, avoiding 'technological' interpretations: what seems to drive motivation is not only the digital embellishment, but above all the pedagogical and didactic architecture that makes learning a practicable, recognisable and shared experience.

In recent years, Outdoor Education (Giunti et al., 2021) has established itself as an educational approach that incorporates digital technologies in schools, opening new perspectives for designing hybrid learning environments that integrate direct experience, environmental contact, and meaningful learning. Inspired by the principles of active education developed by John Dewey (2014) and the theories of experiential learning by David Kolb (1984) and place-based education by David Sobel (2004), it emphasizes hands-on practice, exploration, and reflection as central elements of the educational process. At the same time, the growing adoption of digital technologies in schools has opened new perspectives for designing hybrid learning environments that connect physical and virtual spaces.
This contribution aims to explore the integration of Outdoor Education and digital technological tools as a means to promote metacognition and student motivation. Additional theoretical references include the Self-Determination Theory by Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci (2023), which identifies autonomy, competence, and relatedness as the pillars of intrinsic motivation, and the studies on metacognition by John H. Flavell (1979), which emphasize the importance of awareness and control over one’s cognitive processes. The central idea is that the intentional use of technologies in outdoor school contexts can amplify opportunities for reflection, self-regulation, and active engagement.
Through mobile devices, data collection applications, augmented reality tools, digital e-portfolios, and collaborative platforms, students can document field experiences, formulate hypotheses, monitor their learning, and interact with peers in real time. In this scenario, technology does not replace direct experience; rather, it enriches it by acting as a cognitive and metacognitive mediator. For example, recording environmental observations through tablets or smartphones allows for subsequent critical re-elaboration in the classroom, fostering processes of planning, monitoring, and evaluating one’s own learning.
Moreover, the integration of outdoor and digital dimensions fosters deeper and more lasting motivation, thanks to the possibility of personalizing learning paths, receiving immediate feedback, and making progress visible. Inquiry-based activities supported by technological tools stimulate curiosity and a sense of self-efficacy, increasing both cognitive and emotional engagement. The collaborative dimension, mediated by shared digital environments, strengthens the sense of belonging to the group and the social construction of knowledge.
Finally, the contribution proposes an operational model for designing technologically enriched outdoor learning pathways, structured into three phases: metacognitive preparation (definition of objectives and strategies), field experience supported by digital tools, and structured post-activity reflection. This model highlights how the synergy between concrete experience and digital tools can transform the outdoor environment into a laboratory for reflective and motivating learning.
In conclusion, the conscious integration of technologies into Outdoor Education represents a strategic opportunity to promote transversal competences, autonomy, and active participation, contributing to a school system capable of combining innovation, nature, and student-centeredness.

This contribution presents a study aimed at investigating teachers’ perceived self-efficacy and emotional intelligence among pre-service and in-service teachers enrolled in the Italian specialization program for special education support (TFA). In increasingly complex and inclusive educational contexts, teachers are required to combine pedagogical expertise with socio-emotional competencies and a strong sense of professional agency. Within this framework, self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997) and emotional intelligence (Schutte et al., 1998) are considered key dimensions influencing instructional quality and student development. The study draws on Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2017), which conceptualizes autonomy, competence and relatedness as basic psychological needs underlying motivation and well-being. From an SDT perspective, teachers’ perceived self-efficacy can be interpreted as closely connected to the need for competence, while emotional intelligence supports the creation of autonomy-supportive and relationally attuned classroom climates. In turn, such environments foster students’ intrinsic motivation and engagement. Particular attention is given to teachers’ self-efficacy in implementing self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies in the classroom (Scierri, 2024), understood as the set of cognitive, metacognitive and motivational processes through which learners plan, monitor and evaluate their learning (Zimmerman, 2002). Despite its recognized relevance for academic achievement and long-term engagement, explicit instruction of SRL strategies remains limited in classroom practice. Promoting SRL - through goal setting, strategic planning, monitoring, and reflective activities - is especially relevant in inclusive settings, where differentiated instruction and personalized support are essential. Previous research has shown emotional intelligence to be positively associated with self-efficacy beliefs (Chan, 2004). From this perspective, effective teaching requires the capacity for emotional awareness and regulation in interpersonal contexts, with students, families and colleagues. Teaching therefore involves the responsibility for shaping the relational climate in which learning occurs (Marino et al., 2013). Teachers who feel competent and emotionally equipped may be more likely to adopt practices that nurture students’ autonomy and metacognitive awareness, thereby aligning instructional processes with SDT principles.

The study aims to explore: (1) the levels of perceived self-efficacy in implementing SRL strategies; (2) the levels of emotional intelligence; and (3) the relationships between these constructs. It is hypothesized that higher levels of emotional intelligence are positively associated with stronger perceived self-efficacy in promoting self-regulated learning. The convenience sample consists of 97 teachers attending TFA courses, including both pre-service and in-service participants. Data were collected through validated self-report instruments assessing perceived teaching self-efficacy - specifically related to SRL implementation (Scierri, 2024) - and emotional intelligence (Grazzani Gavazzi & Antoniotti, 2004). By integrating motivational and socio-emotional perspectives, this research contributes to the ongoing debate on teacher education and professional development. The findings may provide useful implications for the design of initial and in-service training programs, highlighting the importance of integrating socio-emotional training and reflective practices to strengthen teachers’ capacity to support inclusive and self-regulated learning environments.

Navigating uncertainty is one of the central developmental challenges facing adolescents. In a context marked by growing social inequalities, digital transformation, and geopolitical instability, supporting young people in constructing a meaningful life project is increasingly recognised as a protective factor against school disengagement and dropout (Ryan & Deci, 2017). This contribution presents findings from the Giovani SMArt project, a participatory action research initiative funded by Regione Lombardia and implemented in a valley community in northern Italy, involving a near-census sample of 1,229 students (48% male) attending four upper secondary schools (Giganti & Zambelli, 2025).

Drawing on a quantitative survey administered, the study examined the prevalence of school dropout risk factors - including migrant background, parental education and occupational status, special educational needs (SEN), and irregular schooling trajectories - and their associations with key psychosocial variables. The research focused particularly on adolescents' sense of meaning in life, measured through the Situational Meaning in Life Evaluation scale (SMILE; Zambelli & Tagliabue, 2024), alongside identity development (U-MICS; Crocetti et al., 2010), life satisfaction, and school climate.

Findings reveal that students who chose not to disclose their SEN status reported significantly greater difficulty finding meaning in life, particularly in terms of purpose and values. Girls reported higher levels of search for meaning than boys, suggesting gendered patterns in existential engagement. Students with migrant backgrounds showed greater reconsideration of commitments in both academic and social domains, indicating a more fluid and uncertain identity construction process. Irregular schooling trajectories were negatively associated with satisfaction toward school and self.

Among school-context variables, peer support and parental involvement emerged as significant protective factors. Students with higher dropout risk reported lower peer support and lower parental engagement in school life, while those with SEN or migrant backgrounds perceived less cultural acceptance and a weaker democratic climate within their schools and classrooms.

These findings informed a co-designed territorial intervention involving schools, social services, third-sector organisations, and local administrations. The data were shared with school principals, social workers, and municipal stakeholders to activate personalised support pathways and growth-oriented activities in sport, music, and the arts.

This study illustrates how data-informed participatory research can bridge psychopedagogical knowledge and local practice, supporting the co-construction of environments where adolescents feel recognised, capable of contributing, and motivated to remain engaged in learning.

In current learning environments, the need to promote meaningful educational pathways has led to an increasing emphasis on active teaching methodologies. Among these, Project-Based Learning (PjBL; Kokotsaki, Menzies & Wiggins, 2016) stands out as a pedagogical approach capable of placing the student at the center of the instructional process. However, for PjBL to translate into real and profound educational success, it is fundamental to analyze the motivational dynamics that support it.

The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of PjBL on student motivation, adopting Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2017) as the theoretical framework.

According to SDT, individuals are continuously driven by the need to satisfy three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which are considered essential for growth and well-being. When learning environments are designed to support these psychological needs, the foundation is laid to foster a motivated attitude toward study activities (Reeve et al., 2022).

From a methodological perspective, a systematic review was conducted with the aim of identifying studies demonstrating the effectiveness of PjBL in terms of satisfying basic needs. Having established specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, the analysis focused on 23 papers that confirm a positive relationship between adequately planned PjBL activities and the enhancement of the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

The analyzed literature thus highlights that the integrated satisfaction of these three psychological needs increases students’ autonomous motivation.

Within this scenario, the paper also emphasizes how the significant contribution of PjBL does not lie solely in the execution of a “task” or merely in the creation of a final product, but rather in the intentionality with which the process of supporting these needs is nurtured.

In contemporary learning environments shaped by digital transformation and widening inequalities, sustaining students’ motivation and participation requires pedagogical conditions that foster agency, recognition and belonging, drawing on teachers’ motivational resources (OECD, 2025). From this perspective, Self-Determination Theory (SDT) provides a useful framework for understanding how the quality of motivation—particularly when supported by experiences of autonomy, competence and relatedness—may translate into professional dispositions oriented towards more participatory and inclusive teaching practices (Ryan & Deci, 2017), including autonomy-supportive approaches (Reeve & Cheon, 2021; Reeve et al., 2022). This contribution investigates motivational processes among Italian specialist support teachers and examines the links between motivation to teach, perceived professional competence, orientations towards participation-rich practices, and the pedagogical use of technologies from an inclusive standpoint. The study builds on recent national research on specialist support teacher education and competencies, as well as technology-mediated inclusive practices (Balestra et al., 2024a, 2024b; Simone et al., 2025).

Data derive from an anonymous online survey administered at the end of the specialisation pathway (Summer 2025; N = 1,579) to participants enrolled in INDIRE-linked training routes for specialist support teaching. The questionnaire (Limone & Simone, 2022) includes 33 multiple-choice items organised into four areas: (1) general profile (e.g., age, qualifications, teaching experience); (2) motivation to teach and perceived competence relevant to the role; (3) teaching and relational experience (colleagues’ involvement, the quality of relationships with learners with disabilities and with the class as a group, and relationships with families); and (4) the use of educational technologies from an inclusion-oriented perspective (frequency and purposes of use, perceived effectiveness, challenges, and strengths). Items are formatted as 6-point semantic differential scales; a final open-ended question collects brief reflective narratives designed to elicit professional self-understandings, dilemmas, and perceived enabling conditions.

The analysis plan comprises three steps: (1) assessing internal consistency and, where appropriate, exploring the structure of motivational indicators and key sub-dimensions; (2) identifying motivational profiles through person-centred approaches (e.g., latent profile analysis or clustering), distinguishing more autonomy-aligned configurations from more controlled or externally regulated ones; and (3) examining associations between profiles and/or motivational indicators and participation-related variables, including propensity to collaborate with colleagues and families, orientations towards active and inclusive methods (e.g., cooperative and workshop-based approaches), and the use of technologies as mediators of agency and accessibility. Thematic analysis of open-ended responses will triangulate quantitative findings, further clarifying perceived enablers and obstacles in professional practice. The study aims to investigate how initial teacher education can support the development of a professional identity oriented towards fostering agency and active participation for all learners, offering insights for pedagogical innovation consistent with the values of democratic schooling and with teaching practices capable of sustaining motivation and belonging in inclusive contexts.