Emotion recognition ability (ERA) is a core component of social cognition and behavioral regulation. While previous studies have focused on individuals with neuroanatomical impairments, little is known about multisensory emotion misperception in typically developing children with behavioral difficulties. This study explored the relationship between multisensory emotional confusion and behavioral problems in early childhood, using the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy – Second Edition, Revised Version (DANVA-2-RV) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire – Teacher Version (SDQ-TV). Data were collected from three first-grade classes in two public elementary schools in Southern Italy. Both institutions are inclusive, but only typically developing children were included in the normative sample. Forty children (mean age = 6.1 years; 21 males) completed the DANVA-2-RV to assess recognition of basic emotional expressions, while their main teachers completed the SDQ-TV to evaluate behavioral functioning. Results showed that multisensory emotional confusion was consistently associated with behavioral maladjustment. Moreover, the emotional confusion index emerged as a significant predictor of behavioral difficulties, highlighting its potential as an early indicator of socio-emotional vulnerability. These findings support the inclusion of confusion metrics in assessments and emphasize the importance of early interventions to strengthen children’s socio-emotional skills.

In the current educational context, international institutions are being called to rethink education and declining new strategies that aim to teach sustainable behaviors. From this perspective, the present study aims to investigate the attitudes towards the sustainability of trainee teachers, verifying their connection with psycho-social variables, such as environmental identity and sense of community responsibility, and exploring their most common dispositions. In total, 126 Italian preservice teachers were involved in a mixed method study where they were asked to complete a questionnaire and participated in focus groups. The use of a combination of quantitative–qualitative methodologies has allowed us to obtain in-depth information about sustainability education. Quantitative data showed a virtuous circular relationship between environmental identity, attitudes towards education for sustainability, and the sense of community responsibility. Qualitative data showed the high frequency of two key action verbs, avoid and respect, but no specific reference to the educational field. After creating the target concept ‘to teach’, we observed a worrying absence of lemmas related to emotional dimension, and that the communication perspective is set on adults’ point of view, rather than on pupils. Limitations, strengths, and practical implications have been extensively discussed, especially in relation to the field of teacher education.

Background: Emotion recognition ability (ERA) plays a central role in children’s socio-emotional functioning, supporting early social interactions. This study examined whether ERA shows a pre–post change in a classroom-based training context and explored the association between ERA and socio-emotional adjustment. A secondary aim was to compare ERA between children with and without behavioral difficulties. Methods: A quasi-experimental study using a controlled non-randomized pre–post design was conducted. The sample included 159 children attending four public elementary schools. Study 1 compared an experimental and a control group assessed before and after the intervention using the DANVA-2-RV. Study 2 examined associations between ERA and behavioral functioning assessed via teacher reports (SDQ-TV) using correlational and group comparison analyses. Results: In Study 1, multivariate analyses revealed a significant main effect of Time, indicating overall variation across assessment points, whereas the Time × Group interaction was not statistically significant. Follow-up analyses were therefore interpreted descriptively. In Study 2, lower ERA was associated with higher socio-emotional difficulties, particularly peer problems. Conclusions: Across both studies, ERA varied over time regardless of group condition and was linked to socio-emotional adjustment in early childhood. However, the findings do not support a causal interpretation attributing these changes to the intervention. Future randomized studies are needed to determine whether targeted interventions can effectively modify ERA.

L’adozione della tecnologia per strutturare setting di apprendimento immersivo potrebbe fungere da strumento di potenziamento delle competenze e abilità acquisite e costituisce anche una preziosa risorsa per il potenziamento di quelle più critiche. Porre i sistemi di realtà virtuale immersiva al servizio della didattica rappresenta un’occasione di imparare, sperimentare e sviluppare le proprie potenzialità in un ambiente di apprendimento situato. Il presente paper affronta, quindi, le dimensioni principalmente coinvolte nell’apprendimento mediato dalle realtà immersive, con particolare riferimento allo sviluppo cognitivo e alle abilità sociali. Tale revisione punta a fornire una cornice teorica e metodologica utile a offrire una panoramica sulle esperienze più recenti che la letteratura presenta, in ottica di didattica immersiva.