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In this study, we adopt an ecological perspective to reflect on how a specific Italian school cluster adapted to the challenges of the COVID‐19 pandemic by focusing on how students experienced the interplay between continuity and change in school teaching and learning practices caused by the pandemic. Specifically, the study investigates how the school's physical/virtual learning system was (re)configured to provide new opportunities for learning to a thousand‐plus population of primary and secondary students, and how they reacted to the transition to distance learning in terms of participation, autonomy, motivation and engagement. The research adopts a mixed method approach, based on school management system data and a survey tool, and analyses the students' response to the emergency from the perspectives of the students themselves, their teachers and their parents. While these converged in positive evaluation of the experience, a number of lessons were learnt, such as the importance of building on favourable pre‐existing conditions and leveraging a solid shared school culture to promote a prompt reaction to the emergency. Significantly, students with an immigrant background displayed varying degrees of participation in online activities. Overall, for each of the three stakeholder groups surveyed, solid pre‐existing digital competence levels and close collaboration within the school community were the most important factors for non‐traumatic transition to distance learning. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic? Research on the relationship between the COVID‐19 pandemic and the effects on teaching and learning processes is constantly increasing.Most recently published studies focus on higher education, while very few investigate the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on K‐12 education.Very few papers have studied the interplay between change and continuity within an educational ecosystem in times of crisis.What this paper adds? This is one of the first studies to analyse the process of systematic transition from onsite learning to online learning within the Italian school system in response to the pandemic.This study employs a multiple perspective research approach to analyse Emergency Remote Education in a sizeable school cluster, with a specific focus on student response.Teachers, students and their families all saw solid pre‐existing digital competence and close school community collaboration as key factors facilitating rapid adjustment to the emergency.Implications for practice and policy Having a solid common school culture to rely on facilitates prompt emergency reaction.Encouraging the creation of professional communities of practice that comprise both expert and novice teachers can help prepare educators to deal with an educational emergency through adoption and appropriate use of technological solutions.Collaboration between school and families proves to be a key factor for dealing with emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prato, located in central Italy, is the most multi‐ethnic city in the country, hosting 20 per cent foreigner residents. It is home of one of the largest Chinese communities in Europe, specialising in the textile sector. Yet economic success does not translate into educational success for the first‐ and second‐generation Chinese students living in Prato. Early school leavings represent a pressing issue in Prato's educational system, with 16.2 per cent of all students leaving school before graduating from high school. Among foreigner students, the problem is even more alarming, reaching 50 per cent. The highest leaving rate is recorded among Chinese students. This paper examines the phenomenon of early school leavings within the Chinese community in Prato – a super‐diverse city with highly interrelated migrant dynamics. The article works to critically assess educational policies, local statistics, and ethnographic findings derived from participant observation and in‐depth interviews with headmasters, teachers, and students from one middle school (Scuola Mazzoni), three high schools (Liceo Copernico, Dagomari High School, Datini High School), and one Chinese school (Istituto Internazionale di Educazione e Mediazione Culturale) in Prato. The paper aims to explore and analyse causes for early school leaving within the Chinese community, such as flaws in the Italian legislation in conjunction with the chronic shortage of funds for schools, the clash of educational style, and the lack of parental involvement. Finally, the paper examines strategies implemented by schools in Prato in an effort to redress the phenomenon and how the low educational engagement affects the cultural, social, economic, and symbolic capital of Chinese students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst the link between young people's well‐being and the creative arts is strengthening, there is a lack of research which focuses on the roles that artists play to help teachers and parents engage young people in the creative arts. This paper explores the benefits of and barriers to artists working in education in six European countries (England, Iceland, Germany, Greece, Italy and Austria). Using the '5A's model of creativity' and a view of professional development taking place within 'landscapes of practice', the data were analysed in order to explain how creativity is operationalised in the different contexts. Our study highlights the need for policy at a national and transnational level to value the creative arts in order to help teachers cross boundaries and utilise the full potential of the creative arts in schools. Our study also highlights that further research is needed into how artists shape teaching and curriculum and how schools engage parents in the creative arts in order to build an evidence‐base relating to young people's positive mental health that can affect policy at these levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the educational outcomes and the human capital accumulation of a cohort of youths, focusing on their family origin. Using a unique survey of a Northern Italian province traditionally interested by large internal migration inflows especially from the South, we find that migrants' children have a higher probability of early dropout, especially in the case of males. This evidence calls into question the integration of internal migrants, for whom education plays a crucial role, even in a period in which foreign immigration seems to be of major concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses non-compulsory secondary school enrolment of immigrant students in Italy. Such enrolment implies a voluntary decision and can influence future career paths in the labour market. The results show that the enrolment rates of immigrants are lower than those of Italians. Immigrant students prefer vocational schools and shorter-term education. The pattern of these preferences remains constant across the throughout Italy, even if Italy presents strong differences in the economic development of its regions, with rich Northern and poor Southern regions. The enrolment rates of second-generation immigrant students differ from those of first-generation students, but the size of this component is still too small to indicate a clear trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Summary: Splenectomy/asplenia is a condition associated with immune‐compromission and specific vaccines are recommended for these patients, including the anti‐COVID‐19 vaccine. Among the high‐risk group for which vaccination was prioritized in Italy, the immunocompromised patients after therapies or treatments were included. The Apulian regional archive of hospital discharge forms was used to define the list of splenectomized Apulian inhabitants, considering data from 2015 through 2020. The overall vaccination status of asplenic patients was assessed via data collected from the Regional Immunization Database. The history of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and the infectious disease outcomes were extracted from the Italian Institute of Health platform "Integrated surveillance of COVID‐19 cases in Italy". 1219 Apulian splenectomized inhabitants were included; the incidence rate of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection was 15.0 per 100 persons‐year with a proportion of re‐infection equal to 6.4%; the proportion of hospitalization was 2.9%, with a case‐fatality rate of 2.6%. The vaccine coverage (VC) for the anti‐COVID‐19 vaccine basal routine was 64.2%, for the first booster dose was 15.4%, and for the second booster dose was 0.6%. A multifactorial approach is needed to increase the vaccination uptake in this sub‐group population and to increase the awareness of the asplenia‐related risks to patients and health personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Fulfilling educational needs in pain management should be a lifelong process, even involving physicians board certified in pain medicine such as the anesthesiologists/pain therapists. The aim of the study was to investigate Italian anesthesiologists' self‐perceived competency, confidence, and interest to attend educational programs in relation to their seniority in pain management. Methods: SIAARTI members were sent an online questionnaire addressing the following items: education, skills (both soft and hard skills), technical expertise and engaged to participate between December 2020 and January 2021. Participants rated their competence based on the following range (no knowledge, knowledge, competence) while their agreement to attend educational courses was assessed using a 5‐point Likert‐type scale. Results: Less than one in four participants declare to be dedicated to pain medicine activity with greater proportion among older (over 61 years) compared to younger ones (31–40 years). Regarding cancer and chronic noncancer pain a positive gradient of self‐perceived competence has been observed in relation to seniority. In contrast, no gradient of self‐perceived competence was reported about musculoskeletal and low back pain. Participants self‐perceived competent in both opioid use and prevention of opioid‐related adverse event while feeling less competent when managing drugs with abuse potential. The lowest competence has been observed in pediatric pain along with the lowest interest to attend educational courses. Participants were much and very much interested to education regarding cancer, noncancer, musculoskeletal, and low back pain, invasive analgesic procedures but less regarding items for which they declared less competence, such as use of pain scales, pain management in children, and use of drugs with abuse potential. Conclusion: This work provides first evidence of a summative assessment of competency and related educational needs' profile of anesthesiologists/pain therapists thus paving the way for developing a nationwide educational program to improve chronic pain care in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The authors discuss the role of peer networks in shaping the decision to enroll at university. Using panel data from Italy, they apply innovative statistical methods to study a sample of students as they complete high school and decide whether or not to attend university. Methods: The authors use simultaneous autoregressive (SAR) models to analyze a four‐wave panel database of Italian students. They explore the role of endogenous, exogenous, and correlated peer effects in relation to the decision about whether or not to enroll at university. Results: The findings suggest that endogenous peer effects exert a significant influence on the probability of enrolling after controlling for homophilous preferences and a range of variables. Exogenous peer effects do not appear to influence this outcome. Sensitivity tests suggest that the results of the estimation are robust to selection. Conclusions: This article contributes to an emerging body of literature on the use of SAR models to study peer effects, illustrating its considerable potential in the study of educational outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite rhetorical agreement amongst all major political‐economic actors around the importance of education policy in the knowledge economy, the reform of education systems remains a complex political endeavour. The article explores the politics of education policy by focussing on its multi‐dimensionality. It argues that education systems simultaneously perform three functions: they distribute educational opportunities; they provide skills to the labour market; and they are a source of public sector employment. It is argued that policy change in one dimension is likely to trigger spill‐over effects onto the others, giving rise to complex political dynamics at the intersection of the parliamentary and corporatist arenas. It is in this context that centre‐left and centre‐right parties (try to) pursue distributional goals whilst being pressured by different interest groups. The theoretical argument is explored empirically through a detailed reconstruction of over a decade of intense reform activity in the Italian upper‐secondary education system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores higher education students' beliefs and attitudes concerning language learning and use in the context of learning mobility, when lingua francas - including English - are used. Data were collected through a questionnaire administered to 141 Erasmus students at an Italian University. The open-ended questions were analysed using a constructivist grounded theory approach, and findings checked against the quantitative data. The analysis distinguishes between respondents' beliefs, that is, overt convictions influencing learning behaviour, and attitudes operating below the level of awareness. Findings address three main issues: (1) the apparent contradiction between the respondents' attitudes and beliefs regarding the opinion that lingua francas offer valuable language-learning opportunities; (2) their implicit questioning of the language-culture nexus; and (3) the study sheds light on code choice and negotiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Undue concerns about the consequences of fever and its inappropriate management have been documented worldwide among physicians. However, no data exist on medical students. We investigated the perception, knowledge and attitude towards childhood fever among final‐year medical students. Methods: Between June and September 2021, final‐year medical students of six Italian universities were invited to complete an online survey on their conceptions and attitude towards pharmacological and non‐pharmacological management of childhood fever. History of relevant personal or second‐hand experience with childhood fever was also addressed. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. Results: Of 1095 (69%) final‐year medical students, 756 completed the survey. Many students believe that high fever might cause brain damage, would recommend physical methods and alternate two drugs for fever. Most students do not think that fever has mainly beneficial effects. In Northern Italy, students are less likely to believe that fever might lead to brain damage (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.33–0.94), and in Southern Italy students are more likely to advise physical methods (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.22–2.57) and less likely to believe that fever has mainly beneficial effects (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.39–0.77). History of a relevant personal episode of fever during childhood was not associated with these outcomes. Conclusions: Misconceptions about fever are common among final‐year medical students in Italy. Cultural factors rather than individually learned traits might underlie these beliefs. Medical students are a promising target for educational interventions to improve childhood fever management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A'Hearn, Delfino, and Nuvolari recently argued in this journal that the indicator function of age heaping for education, and numeracy in particular, is quite limited. In contrast, we show empirically that by applying the methodological elements that were developed over the past decade, age‐heaping‐based numeracy research can be an important tool for economic history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children who develop Acute Kidney Injury may start renal replacement therapy (RRT) in Paediatric or Neonatal Intensive Care Units (hereafter PICU or NICU); RRT can be delivered either by paediatric dialysis nurses or by critical care nurses. In both case, nurses devoted to this task must have a high level of competence in providing care to children receiving haemodialytic treatment in a specific technological environment. Aim: The objective of this research was to investigate which models have been adopted to organize nursing care in RRT management in different Italian PICU and NICU, and to explore the training of ICU nurses on the management of RRT. Methods: A multi‐centre survey was conducted through an online questionnaire directed to the Italian PICU and NICU nurse coordinators. Results: A total of 15 Intensive Care Units (12 PICU and 3 NICU) in 12 hospitals were involved. The mean nurse/patient ratio in these units is 1:3. In 72.7% of critical care units, dialysis treatment is delivered by critical care nurses belonging to the unit itself, while in 27.3% of units paediatric dialysis nurses are in charge of dialysis treatment in collaboration with critical care nurses. In 25% of surveyed units there is some structured form of collaboration between Paediatric Dialysis nurses and critical care nurses. However, 75% of units did not respond to this specific question. The different units adopt various forms of RRT training for nursing staff. Conclusion: The scenario resulting from this analysis showed how in our sample of Italian hospitals there is no standard practice for RRT nursing management. In addition, although various forms of training for nursing staff exist, a proper educational programme and/or a standardized specific training about RRT management for nursing staff is not in place in the surveyed hospitals. Relevance to clinical practice: The lack of standardized protocols or guidelines for RRT delivery to critically ill children can compromise their safety. The structuring of these protocols and the production of best clinical practice guidelines would allow standardization of the nursing management of the RRT and of the corresponding training. This may help to provide the proper care and to guarantee the patients' safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines differences in home computer and internet access among Italian households between 2005 and 2016. The results indicate that while computer and internet penetration has increased across all educational levels and geographical areas, digital inequalities related to education still persist and are substantial, especially in the South. Additionally, the findings suggest that the digital gap at the bottom of the education distribution is widening over time. Access among households whose reference person has primary education or less lags behind that of households with lower secondary education. Policy measures to promote and support the adoption of digital technologies among the most educationally disadvantaged households may need to be strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows that a shift towards a more centralized school system can benefit countries that are characterized by poor levels of human capital and large regional disparities in education. In 1911, Italy moved from a fully decentralized primary school system towards centralization through the Daneo‐Credaro Reform. The design of the Reform allows us to compare treated municipalities with those that retained school autonomy. Our quasi‐experiment, based on propensity score matching (PSM), shows that centralization substantially increased the pace of human capital accumulation. Treated municipalities were characterized by a 0.43 percentage‐point premium on the average annual growth of literacy between 1911 and 1921. We discuss some of the channels through which the new legislation affected primary schooling and literacy, with important implications for long‐term economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1977, Italy adopted a policy to fully include students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms. This study surveyed the attitudes of Italian teachers towards inclusive education 40 years after this reform. The data were collected from 153 basic school teachers using the Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusion Scale (TAIS). The results indicate that the Italian teachers had a high level of commitment to inclusive education. Approximately 90% of the respondents agreed that students with special educational needs should be educated in mainstream classrooms, and only 7% felt that they should be transferred to special education classrooms instead. To improve the quality of inclusive education, the teachers most frequently mentioned the need for more in‐service training, smaller class sizes, and additional help from support teachers and therapists in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss the issue of how schools should be financed, concentrating on the role of private funding and public funding via subnational governments as accountability mechanisms in the provision of educational services. The historical evolution of school regulation in Italy and Spain has created differences in the percentage of pupils who attend private schools, the percentage of private school funding coming from public and private sources and the percentage of public school funding that comes from central or local government sources. We take advantage of these institutional diversities rooted in history to estimate the disciplining role of these different sources of funding in the context of an educational production function using Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data. Our results provide support to both accountability mechanisms and point to the presence of an important interplay between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the brain drain issue has gained such momentum that it has become necessary to adopt tools and methods to take a picture of a phenomenon that is, by its very nature, dynamic and changeable (Portes, ; Meyer, ; Ackers, 2005 Scott, ). This particular study focuses on clarifying the reasons why Italian scientists choose to look elsewhere for the best place to conduct their scientific research, and in what way their scientific experience abroad shapes the image of the Italian scientific system. A first exploratory analysis involving 83 in-depth interviews with Italian scientists (mathematicians, engineers and physicists) working in Europe was conducted based on qualitative and quantitative analytical methods, and the content emerging from these interviews was used for a systematic mapping of the situation that provided the foundations for our preparation of a second tool - a questionnaire - that was subsequently used to conduct a much more broad-based survey that involved 602 respondents. While our findings add complexity to existing theories on the brain drain and brain circulation, they also confirm the potential of highly skilled migration to improve the national development of Italian academic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cesarean delivery rates are rising due to multiple factors, including less use of operative vaginal delivery and vaginal birth after cesarean delivery, which often reflect local obstetric practices. Objectives of the study were to analyze the relations between cesarean delivery, these practices, and perinatal outcomes.Material and Methods: We included all deliveries in the 72 hospitals of Lombardia, a region in northern Italy, during the year 2013. The delivery certificate was used as data source. Pearson's correlation coefficient and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis.Results: We included 87 896 deliveries. The number of deliveries per hospital ranged from 140 to 6123. The rate of cesarean delivery was 28.3% (range 9.9-86.4%), operative vaginal delivery 4.7% (range 0.2-10.0%), and vaginal birth after cesarean 17.3% (range 0-79.2%). We found a significant inverse correlation between rates of overall cesarean delivery and operative vaginal delivery (r = -0.25, p = 0.04). The correlation between rate of overall cesarean delivery and vaginal birth after cesarean was also inverse and significant (r = -0.57, p < 0.001). There was no association between overall cesarean delivery rate and the rates of Apgar score at 5 min <7 in term and late preterm neonates (r = -0.92, p = 0.46) and of perinatal mortality (r = -0.19, p = 0.13), respectively. The associations were independent of hospital volume of activity.Conclusions: An obstetric practice that encourages vaginal instrumental delivery in delayed second stage of labor or vaginal birth after previous cesarean delivery, could reduce the rising cesarean delivery rate. This will require a change in obstetric culture, continuing education of healthcare providers, and leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended contact has demonstrated its effectiveness in promoting more positive intergroup attitudes among children in previous experimental research. The current project evaluates the use of extended contact interventions involving story-telling in two novel school settings: the United States ( N = 213) and Italy ( N = 222) among children aged 5-12 years. Findings indicate support for the effectiveness of the interventions in these two locations among younger minority and majority children but call into question the durability of positive outcomes. Applications and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: In recent years, the continuous improvements in molecular biology techniques have made it possible to detect carriers for several genetic conditions, including cystic fibrosis (CF). In some countries, CF carrier screening is offered to increasing subset of the general population. Offering of carrier screening at a population level should not be decided by local health authorities only, without consulting citizens' preferences. One way to involve citizens in the decision process might be to a Citizens' jury, a method of deliberative democracy. Objective: The object of the study is to produce a recommendation statement about CF carrier screening using a Citizens' jury. As this is a new method in the field, the study also provided the opportunity to evaluate its effectiveness. Design: The project is designed and managed by an executive committee. The whole process is superintended by a multidisciplinary scientific committee. The 16 members of the jury attend a 1 day meeting, assisted by a non‐medical and unbiased facilitator. Informative material was prepared and distributed 15 days before the jury meeting; during the meeting, experts and witnesses interact directly with all the jurors through questions and answers. Results: All except one member of the jury felt positively about the Health Service actively providing population carrier screening for CF. The final statement was available to public, clinicians, researchers and decision‐makers. Discussion: In general, a Citizens' jury is a feasible method for involving citizens in public health decision‐making process and in particular for obtaining a community view about CF carrier screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The relationship between oral language and the writing process at early acquisition stages and the ways the former can enhance or limit the latter has not been researched extensively. Aims The predictive relationship between kindergarten oral narrative competence and the first- and second-grade written narrative competence was explored in a 3-year longitudinal study. Among the first and second graders, the relationship between orthographic competence and narrative competence in written productions was also analysed. Sample One hundred and nine Italian children participated in this study. Measures Kindergarteners produced an oral narrative, whereas the first and second graders produced a written narrative. The oral and written narratives were analysed in terms of cohesion, coherence, and structure. The first-grade orthographic competence was assessed via a dictation task. Results Multiple linear regression and mediational analyses were performed. Kindergarten oral narrative competence affected the first- and second-grade written narrative competence via a mediational effect of orthographic competence. Conclusion The results suggest the importance of practicing oral narrative competence in kindergarten and first grade and the value of composition quality independent of orthographic text accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intermittent catheterisation (IC) is considered the gold standard for bladder dysfunction‐related voiding problems following spinal cord injury (SCI). Despite this, up to 50% of individuals were no longer using IC 5 years after discharge from the rehabilitation centre. Hence, we initiated the IC Education Programme to offer standardized IC training and improve adherence. The programme was a European initiative undertaken by eight rehabilitation centres in Norway, France and Italy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the IC Education Programme. The control group comprised individuals with SCI discharged from one of the participating rehabilitation centres using IC up to 1 year before the Education Programme was initiated. A questionnaire was sent by post to this group before the IC Education Programme started. The second group comprised individuals who had participated in and been discharged using the IC Education Programme; they received the questionnaire up to 1 year after programme initiation. Anonymous responses from the two groups were compared to assess outcomes such as ongoing use of IC, satisfaction with training and attitude towards bladder issues. Three hundred sixteen responses (from 500 questionnaires sent) were received from the control group (63%) and 84 (of 142) from the IC Education Programme group (59%). The IC Education Programme significantly increased the percentage of individuals still using IC during the first year at home (99 vs. 83% for the Education Programme and control groups, respectively; p < 0·05) and improved satisfaction with training in IC. Individuals who had participated in the IC Education Programme were also significantly less bothered by bladder issues than the control group (overall SF‐Qualiveen index 1·58 vs. 1·76, respectively; p = 0·032). The IC Education Programme improved the standard of care following SCI as it enabled more individuals to continue with IC up to 1 year after discharge, and improved training satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the saliency effect for word beginnings reported in children with dyslexia (Marshall & Van der Lely, 2009) can be found also in typically developing children. Thirty-four typically developing Italian children aged 8-10 years completed two specifically designed tasks: a production task and a perception task. Both tasks used nonwords containing clusters consisting of plosive plus liquid (e.g. pl). Clusters could be either in a stressed or in an unstressed syllable and could be either in initial position (first syllable) or in medial position (second syllable). In the production task, children were asked to repeat the nonwords. In the perception task, the children were asked to discriminate between two nonwords differing in one phoneme belonging to a cluster by reporting whether two repetitions were the same or different. Results from the production task showed that children are more accurate in repeating stressed than unstressed syllables, but there was no difference with respect to position of the cluster. Results from the perception task showed that children performed more accurately when discriminating word initial contrasts than when discriminating word medial contrasts, especially if the cluster was unstressed. Implications of this finding for clinical assessments are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]