Raffaella C. STRONGOLI
Associate professor of Didactics and Special Education and lecturer in Didactics and Methods and Techniques of Educational Design, Organization and Research. PhD in Language Studies and Intercultural Education, founding member and board member of the Association Orti di Pace Sicilia. She has participated in numerous international research projects and scientific and publishing initiatives on the themes of environmental education, educational innovation and valuing differences. In particular, for the project "Task 21 "EdTech & AI: Creating pedagogical material for the 21st century," she was responsible from the pedagogical point of view for an international pilot teaching experiment of flipped classroom in the Course of Methods and Techniques of Educational Design, Organization and Research (CdlM 85 Pedagogical Sciences and Educational Design) from 2019 to 2024. He is a member of the research and working group of the Italian Society of Pedagogy (SIPED) "Pedagogy of the Environment, Agenda 2030, Sustainability of Wellbeing. Next Generation EU, Justice, Educational Resilience." As part of research projects promoted by the University of Catania, she has been a component of several research projects (FIR, FIRD, PIACERI) and is currently PI of the Starting Grant research project "EcoDidactics, Educational Innovation and Learning Environments" (EcoDiAmbi). The main lines of investigation of her research activity are related to: educational models and teaching practices in an ecological perspective with particular reference to the design of ecodidactics, design of educational spaces and outdoor learning experiences, educational metaphors related to learning-teaching processes, design of medial and flipped learning approach-inspired educational paths, gender, feminist and ecofeminist education.
Academic and Research Activities
From 6 November 2025
Qualified for Full Professorship in the Academic Recruitment Field 11/D2 – Didactics, Special Pedagogy and Educational Research during the Fifth Quarter (Ministerial Decree No. DD 1796/2023), within the framework of the National Scientific Qualification (ASN) 2023/2025.
From 1 July 2024
Associate Professor of Didactics and Special Pedagogy, Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania.
From 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2024
Fixed-term Researcher (art. 24, paragraph 3, letter b, Law No. 240/2010) in Didactics and Special Pedagogy, Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania.
From 8 July 2020
Qualified for Associate Professorship in the Academic Recruitment Field 11/D2 – Didactics, Special Pedagogy and Educational Research, Fourth Quarter, Call D.D. 2175/2018, National Scientific Qualification.
From 4 December 2017 to 4 May 2021
Fixed-term Researcher (art. 24, paragraph 3, letter a, Law No. 240/2010) in Didactics and Special Pedagogy, Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania.
From 16 August 2016 to 3 December 2017
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Educational Models and Training Processes: Design and Evaluation of Outdoor and Land-based Educational Practices (M-PED/01–M-PED/04), Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania (art. 22, Law No. 240/2010). Scientific supervision: Prof. Maria Tomarchio.
31 October 2016
Subject Expert in Didactics and Special Pedagogy (M-PED/03), Master's Degree Programme in Pedagogical Sciences and Educational Planning, University of Catania.
Education and Training
26 October 2015
Ph.D. in Linguistic Studies and Intercultural Education with Excellent evaluation, University of Enna “Kore.”
Doctoral Thesis: The Metaphor of Cultivating the Land in an Educational Perspective.
27 June 2013
Postgraduate Specialization in Design, Implementation, and Monitoring of Pedagogical Activities for the Rehabilitation of Students with Behavioural and Learning Difficulties, with honours (70/70 cum laude). Interregional Catalogue of Advanced Training.
26 July 2011
Master’s Degree in Pedagogical Sciences with honours (110/110 cum laude), Faculty of Education, University of Catania.
Thesis: The National Association for the Interests of Southern Italy: Genesis of a Development Model for the Mezzogiorno.
19 November 2008
Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Training Sciences with honours (110/110 cum laude), Faculty of Education, University of Catania.
Thesis: Edgar Morin: A Bibliographical Review.
Editorial Responsibilities and Membership in Scientific Committees
Since July 2023
Member of the Editorial Board of the Class A scientific journal I Problemi della Pedagogia.
Since 2023
Member of the Editorial Committee of the international scientific journal European Journal of Educational Sciences.
Since 2022
External Reviewer for the Class A scientific journal Pedagogia Oggi.
Since 2022
Member of the Scientific and Referee Committee of the peer-reviewed scientific series Ecologie della formazione, FrancoAngeli Editore.
Since 2021
Member of the International Scientific and Referee Committee of the peer-reviewed series LIMEN. Studi e ricerche pedagogiche oltreconfine, PensaMultimedia Editore.
Since 2021
Member of the Scientific Committee of the peer-reviewed series ERICA, FrancoAngeli Editore.
Since 2020
Member of the International Scientific Committee of the peer-reviewed series DiScuTerE. Didactics between School, Territory, and Education, FrancoAngeli Editore.
Since 2020
Reviewer for the international scientific series La Libreria di Stardi, Sinestesie Edizioni.
Since 2020
Member of the Scientific and Referee Committee of the series Tascabili Bonanno Pedagogia, Bonanno Editore.
Since 2017
Co-Director of the scientific series EducAzione. Pedagogy and Didactics, A&G Cuecm Publishing House.
Research Leadership and Participation in Research Groups
From 7 February 2025 to present
Scientific Coordinator of Work Package No. 3 Training for Digital Education, within the project Advanced Learning Multimedia Alliance for Inclusive Academic Innovation (ALMA), M4C1 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The WP aims to enhance university teaching staff’s competencies in designing and implementing digital education.
From 14 October 2024 to present
Principal Investigator of the interdepartmental research project Unsustainable Inequalities: Faces and Profiles of Educational Poverty between Justice, School System, and Inclusive Policies (InDieSPI), funded under Line 1 “Collaborative Research,” University of Catania, involving the Departments of Education, Humanities, and Law.
Since June 2021
Member of the research group of the Italian Society of Pedagogy (SIPED) Environmental Pedagogy, Agenda 2030, Well-being Sustainability, Next Generation EU, Justice, and Educational Resilience, coordinated by Prof. Pierluigi Malavasi, Prof. Maria Luisa Iavarone, and Prof. Cristina Birbes.
From 8 November 2022 to 31 December 2024
Principal Investigator of the research project EcoDidactics, Educational Innovation and Learning Environments (EcoDiAmbi), Starting Grant, Intervention Line 3, University of Catania (Prot. No. 0437964).
From 28 February 2022 to 31 August 2024
Member of the international Erasmus+ research group Share the Music for Inclusive Learning in Education (Project No. 2021-1-EL01-KA220-SCH-000032762).
From 1 October 2020 to 31 October 2022
Scientific Coordinator for pedagogical and didactic tasks in the Erasmus+ international research project Be You: Building Entrepreneurial Mindset in Youth for a Sustainable Society (2020-2-FR02-KA205-01841).
From 1 July 2020 to present
Member of the research project Time and Times of Education (TEMPO), University of Catania (PIA.CE.RI. 2020–2022).
Since 2020
Scientific Director of the Educational Research Laboratory (LRE) and the Educational and Didactic Design Laboratory (PED), Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania.
Since 2020
Member of the Permanent Laboratory for Educational Innovation, Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania (approved 22 May 2020). The Laboratory promotes and develops research and training on innovative teaching in school, university, and adult education contexts.
From 1 October 2019 to 31 July 2022
Scientific Coordinator for pedagogical and didactic tasks in the Erasmus+ project Task 21: EdTech & AI—Creating Pedagogical Material for the 21st Century (2019-1-FR01-KA203063063).
2017–2019
Member of the interdisciplinary pedagogical research group, FIRD Project Education and Change. Models for Educational Innovation, Sustainable Development, and School Institutions, University of Catania.
2014–2017
Member of the University Research Project FIR Nature–Culture Axis: Educational Design, Integrated Training System, and Territorial Configuration, University of Catania.
Institutional Roles
From 5 October 2024 to present
President of the Master’s Degree Programme (LM-85) Pedagogical Sciences and Educational Planning.
2019–4 May 2021 and from 1 July 2021 to present
Member of the Quality Assurance Management Group, LM-85 Master’s Degree in Pedagogical Sciences and Educational Planning.
2019–4 May 2021 and from 1 July 2021 to 4 October 2024
Member of the Internship Committee, LM-85 Master’s Degree in Pedagogical Sciences and Educational Planning.
From 11 September 2023 to 4 October 2024
President of the Internship Committee, L-19 Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Training Sciences.
From 13 February 2023 to 4 October 2024
Digital and Social Communication Officer for the L-19 Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Training Sciences (management of the degree website, Facebook and Instagram pages, and institutional communications).
From November 2022 to 4 October 2024
Member of the Quality Assurance Management Group, L-19 Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Training Sciences.
2018–4 May 2021 and from 1 July 2021 to 4 October 2024
Member of the Internship Committee, L-19 Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Training Sciences.
Membership in Scientific Societies and Research Councils
Since 2025
Member of the Scientific Council of the Inter-University Research Centre on Teacher Professionalism (CRESPI).
Since 2025
Member of the Italian Society for Educational and Training Research (SIREF).
Since 2024
Member of the Italian Society of Special Pedagogy (SIPeS).
Since 2017
Member of the Italian Society for Educational Research (SIRD).
Since 2015
Member of the Italian Society of Pedagogy (SIPed).
Awards and Recognitions
2022
Riccardo Massa Award for the monograph Verso un’ecodidattica. Tempi, spazi, ambienti (Pensa Multimedia, Lecce, 2021).
2019
SIPED Award 2019 (SSD M-PED/03 Researchers) for the monograph Metaphor and Pedagogy. Educational-Didactic Models in an Ecological Perspective (FrancoAngeli, Milan, 2017).
Last updated: 10 November 2025