UNIVERSITY OF BERGAMO Department of Human and Social Sciences Ph.D. Course in “Human Capital Formation and Labour Relations” Curriculum: Clinical Psychology XXXI Cycle The operationalization of Adultcentrism and Black Pedagogy constructs to promote personal well-being in adult-child relationship: A first application in the context of teacher-student relationship and increase of Specific Learning Disorder diagnoses. Supervisors: Chiar.ma Prof.ssa Letizia Caso Chiar.mo Prof. Giuseppe Bertagna Doctoral Thesis Eleonora FLORIO Student ID: 57271 ACADEMIC YEAR 2017 / 2018 2 To my children, Roberto and Gabriele, who are teaching me every day what is not written in books 3 4 Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................ 7 Abstract ............................................................................................................................................... 9 Preface ............................................................................................................................................... 10 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 13 1.1. Adultcentrism ..................................................................................................................................... 13 1.1.1. Origins and Definitions of the concept of Adultcentrism ............................................................. 14 1.1.2. The image of the child ................................................................................................................... 16 1.1.3. How adultcentric bias affects the adult-child relationship ............................................................ 19 1.1.4. Adultcentrism in society ............................................................................................................... 20 1.1.5. Adultcentrism in child advocacy and medical care ....................................................................... 21 1.1.6. Adultcentrism in research with children ....................................................................................... 22 1.2. Black Pedagogy ................................................................................................................................... 24 1.2.1. Origin of the concept. .................................................................................................................... 24 1.2.2. Current functionality of the construct. .......................................................................................... 25 1.2.3. Italian legal framework. ................................................................................................................ 27 1.2.4. Necessity of an instrument. ........................................................................................................... 28 1.3. Teacher-student relationship ............................................................................................................. 29 1.4. Increase of Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) diagnoses ............................................................... 33 2. Aims of the study .......................................................................................................................... 37 2.1. Primary Objectives ............................................................................................................................. 37 2.2. Secondary Objectives ......................................................................................................................... 38 3. New measures ............................................................................................................................... 39 3.1. The Adultcentrism Scale: construction and preliminary validation ............................................. 39 3.1.1. Instrumentation ............................................................................................................................. 39 3.1.2. Participants and procedures ........................................................................................................... 39 3.1.3. Data Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 40 3.1.4. Results of pilot study ..................................................................................................................... 40 3.1.5. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 43 3.2. The Black Pedagogy Scale: construction and preliminary validation ........................................... 44 3.2.1. Instrumentation ............................................................................................................................. 44 3.2.2. Participants and procedures ........................................................................................................... 46 3.2.3. Data Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 47 3.2.4. Results of pilot study ..................................................................................................................... 47 3.2.5. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 53 3.3. Representations and Attitudes towards SLD diagnoses questionnaire (RADSA): construction and preliminary validation ....................................................................................................................... 54 3.3.1. Instrumentation ............................................................................................................................. 54 3.3.2. Participants and procedures ........................................................................................................... 55 3.3.3. Data analysis ................................................................................................................................. 56 3.3.4. Results of pilot study ..................................................................................................................... 57 3.3.5. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 64 4. Other measures ............................................................................................................................ 65 4.1. Organizational well-being .................................................................................................................. 65 4.2. Educational Styles .............................................................................................................................. 65 4.3. The ability to correctly recognize subtle maltreating situations .................................................... 67 4.4. The teacher-student relationship ...................................................................................................... 68 5. Data analysis ................................................................................................................................. 69 5 6. Participants and procedures ....................................................................................................... 70 7. Results ........................................................................................................................................... 72 7.1. Black Pedagogy Scale ......................................................................................................................... 72 7.2. Adultcentrism Scale and its relation with Black Pedagogy Scale .................................................. 81 7.3. Adultcentrism and Black Pedagogy in relation to other constructs .............................................. 88 7.4. Representations and Attitudes towards SLD diagnoses questionnaire (RADSA): relationships with Adultcentrism and Black Pedagogy. ............................................................................................... 97 8. Discussion ................................................................................................................................... 102 9. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 109 References ....................................................................................................................................... 111 Appendices ...................................................................................................................................... 128 Appendix I: Adultcentrism Scale ........................................................................................................... 128 Instrument ............................................................................................................................................. 128 Table of factors ..................................................................................................................................... 129 Appendix II: Black Pedagogy Scale ......................................................................................................