Research

The Department of Educational Sciences carries out research activities congruent with its multi-faceted composition, in terms of the subject areas that make it up, as well as with its specific mission of teaching, training, and being linked to the territory. Within the Department, courses in the areas of pedagogy, psychology, and cultural tourism have been offered, not only at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, but also for the training and specialization of teachers, specialists in job placement, professional counselors and for several other professional figures needed on the regional territory.
The main research areas (Archaeological, Economic-legal, Philosophical, Linguistic-literary, Medical-health, Pedagogical, Psychological, Sociological and Historical-geographical), whose objectives are strictly linked to the teaching aims in the Department, are represented by groups and sub-groups developing different but complementary lines of research.
The apparent heterogeneity of subject areas gives the Department added value from a multidisciplinary perspective, as the Department serves a double mission:  to train (undergraduate, postgraduate and specialization courses, as well as refresher training for staff) and to operate in the territory through socially useful research-based activities, as many agreements, concluded with groups requiring support and counseling, show.
Alongside the aforementioned research areas, some departmental sections (Psychology, Philosophical and Social Sciences, Pedagogical Sciences and Historical, Social and Territorial Sciences), coordinate the objectives both of each research area and of their respective research labs.
 
Activities carried out in the period 2016-2018
The research activity of teaching staff and research fellows of the Department of Educational Sciences was carried out in twelve research laboratories:
  • Analysis of collective phenomena,
  • Social and intercultural phenomena;
  • Philosophy, science and society;
  • Geography of tourism;
  • Educational and didactic planning;
  • Life cycle psychology and its applications;
  • Social psychology: research methods and techniques;
  • Educational research;
  • Organizational health and Assessment and intervention methods on work-related stress;
  • Cognitive science;
  • History and Museum of Education, school and children’s books;
  • Behavioural observation methods.
In addition to these laboratories, the Department had an interdisciplinary macro-laboratory which became a place of experimentation and in-depth study of themes linked to the participated local development.
With regard to financed research projects, in the period 2016-2018, 12 local research projects (10 projects funded by the “2016/2018 Research Plan” and 2 CHANCE projects) and 9 international projects were funded in the Department, followed by a research and archaeological foreign excavation activity co-financed in the years 2018/2019.
Furthermore, 9 lecturers (3 associate professors and 6 researchers) were recipients of the " Funding for Basic Activities Related to Research " (FFABR).
As far as scientific production is concerned, in the period 2016-2018 the Department had to its credit a total of 540 publications, including 256 papers in scientific journals, 221 book chapters, and 21 books.
In the same period, 56 scientific and dissemination events were organized by
the Department, including conferences, conventions, seminars, and workshops.
Lastly, the Department teaching staff was actively engaged in editorial boards of scientific journals and book series, and some lecturers received scientific awards or prizes.
 
 
Research objectives for the period 2019-2021
The Department strategic objective is the promotion and implementation of quality and excellence in all research areas, also increasing results visibility in the respective scientific fields, as well as the promotion of its key role in meeting the needs of the territory, i.e. institutions, companies, non-profit activities.
In conformity with the provisions of the University Strategic Plan 2019-2021,
the Department has the following objectives:
  • To improve the visibility of the Department research results, through a process of communication and collaboration with funding bodies, the business world, institutions, society. In order to achieve this goal, the Department staff is engaged in the following activities: monitoring the impact of research funding policy; monitoring the implementation of Open Access to scientific publications; promoting and supporting scientific dissemination events as well as Departmental initiatives, even via multi-media channels (the latter being in line with the Third Mission activity and projects).
  • To improve and monitor researchers’ performance (with particular attention to new recruits), encouraging greater participation in public tenders and in international research groups. In order to achieve this objective, the Department staff is engaged in the following activities: researchers’ performance evaluation (biannual, between two assessments of research quality by the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes); financial and support services  for the presentation (as participants or coordinators) of new projects in international and national competitive tenders; awareness raising project on the simplification of the University procedures for funds management, in accordance with the rules in force and with the transparency law; promotion of international mobility , through the provision of funds for incoming and outgoing teachers, students and staff.

 

Last updated: 
19/06/2019 - 12:35