Towards an Index for Embodied Education: a preliminary matrix of indicators for inclusive feasibility
Parole chiave:
Embodied Education, inclusione trasformativa, praticabilità didattica, formazione docenti, Index for Embodied EducationAbstract
This paper takes as its hypothesis that the move from a theoretical awareness of Embodied Education to its actual application in teaching does not depend solely on teachers' favourable attitudes, but on the integrated configuration of training-related, organisational, spatial, methodological and cultural factors that condition its feasibility in real educational settings. From this perspective, embodied inclusion is understood as a design criterion capable of affecting participation, the accessibility of activities and the quality of learning environments. Building on an earlier exploratory questionnaire-based survey conducted at e-Campus University, within the fifth cycle of the 30-CFU qualification pathways under Article 13 (2025), the paper examines the gap between recognising the educational value of the body and movement and their actual integration into classroom practice. The paper re-reads this evidence as a set of indicators of perceptions, declared practices, perceived barriers, training needs, and conditions for the adoptability of Embodied Education, also with a view to subsequently extending the investigation to teachers already in service across schools of different types and levels. The methodology comprises an exploratory re-analysis of the data collected through the questionnaire, oriented towards identifying those indicators alongside the operational proposals connected to the feasibility of Embodied Education. The innovative element lies in constructing a preliminary matrix of inclusive feasibility for Embodied Education, derived from the dimensions of the survey instrument and oriented towards observable indicators relating to teacher education, instructional design, participation, accessibility, environments, bodily and multimodal mediators, technologies, and organisational culture. The matrix is intended as an exploratory and interpretive–operational device that may contribute to defining the Index for Embodied Education.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Daniela Maggi, Antonio Balestra, Cristiano Zappa, Giulia Rocchi, Paola Cortiana
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