My research focuses on understanding the role of social, emotional and behavioural (SEB) skills in promoting student success and well-being in school and higher education. During my PhD I examined the associations between these skills and other individual factors (e.g. motivation, engagement and self-regulated learning) and contextual factors (e.g. school climate and social support) that are critical to student outcomes. From a methodological perspective, I am also interested in the most effective ways to assess these skills (e.g. questionnaires and behavioural tasks). Furthermore, I am interested in exploring how SEB skills can support learning for students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs).

My second area of research is the psychology of creativity. Specifically, I am interested in understanding how to measure the various components of creativity (e.g. divergent thinking). Specifically, I am curious about the statistical tools that can improve the reliability of creativity measurement (e.g. Item Response Theory). Moreover, I am interested in the development of interventions that promote creativity, particularly among children and adolescents.

Keywords: soft skills; academic success; student engagement; learning disabilities; creativity.

Supervisor: Prof. Barbara Carretti
Co-supervisor: Prof. Chiara Meneghetti