Maura Striano

University of Naples Federico II Italy

Maura Striano, Fulbright scholar, Fulbright alumna and PHD in Educational Sciences at the University of Perugia is associate professor of General and Social Education at the Department of Theories and Methods of Human and Social Sciences at the University of Naples, Federico II. She teaches General Pedagogy, Pedagogy of Marginality and Deviance and Didactics and Special Education in the degree courses in Psychological Sciences and Techniques and Rehabilitation (Faculty of Medicine). She is coordinator of the Section of Pedagogical and Philosophical Sciences in the Department of Theories and Methods of Human and Social Sciences. She is Scientific Responsible of the Pedagogy section of the Center for Active and Participatory Inclusion for Students at the University of Naples Federico II. She is the Scientific Responsible for the University of Naples Federico II in the Interuniversity Research Center on Pragmatism, Knowledge Construction and Education. She is Coordinator of the Phd course in Psychological and Pedagogical Sciences. She is member of the Board of Directors of the John Dewey Society and of the Executive Board of the International Council for Philosophical Inquiry with Children (immediate ex past vice president). She is co-director of the series Impariamo a Pensare (Liguori); Dewey Studies (Fridericiana University Press) and of the international review Educational Reflective Practices. Her research and studies have been constantly developed referring to Dewey\'s educational and philosopical works and studies. Her main research topic is thus the possibility to educate for a reflective thinking at different levels. From this main topic stem different research paths: a) the attention given to cognitive processes- considered as the funding structures of reflective thinking - ad to the possibility of a cognitive education has lead her to develop a research focus on the most interesting and innovative curricula ad educational programs aimed at promoting the development of thinking processes as well as on the mind structures and their evolution in a costructivist, contextualist and culturalist perspective; b) the interest for education as a social process has lead her to develop another research focus, aimed at the study of the social contexts of learning and of their educational function; c9 the attention given to inquiry as an educational device has lead her to study the educational and training implication of inquiry intended as a reflective process. She has also developed research paths and studies aimed at defining an episthemological space for social education studies with different focuses (on the social nature of knowledge ad of scientific knowledge, on the social nature of educational action, on the different forms of reflection imbedded in educational action and the social nature of reflective thinking underliying educational action as well ) . Her most recent research is focused on adult learning, the construction of supportive learning environments, the development of personal and professional identities, the development of educational practices to support social inclusion.

Maura Striano

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