NICOLINA PASTENA

Nicolina Pastena is an academic affiliated with the Department of Classical, Linguistic and Educational Studies at the University of Salerno. Her work focuses on special education, disability studies, educational neuroscience, and policy-making in education. She has collaborated with multiple departments, including Pharmaceutical Sciences, to explore interdisciplinary topics like cortisol levels in learning environments and embodied cognition.

Her research interests emphasize the intersection of neurobiological factors and educational outcomes, with a particular focus on learning disorders, teacher training for disability inclusion, and pedagogical innovation. She has published extensively on topics such as autopoiesis theory in education, capability approaches for future generations, and the role of corporeality in cognitive development.

Recent work includes studies on pre-service teachers' attitudes toward disability, the neurobiological underpinnings of learning disabilities, and the integration of mythopoiesis and tradition in citizenship education. Her 2023 monograph, 'Intellectual Disability and Rett Syndrome: From Biogenesis to the Life Project,' highlights her interdisciplinary approach to disability research.

Her articles often bridge theoretical frameworks like embodied cognition with practical educational strategies, emphasizing the need for inclusive pedagogies grounded in neuroscience and systemic theories.