09/10/2025 – Maria Paola PALADINO

Abstract

In a functionalist perspective, educational institutions are expected to carry out both an educational function (i.e., equipping students with knowledge and skills) and a selection function (i.e., channeling the best students into the best tracks). Some institutions, however, place particular emphasis on selection, making it a central element of their institutional narrative. In this talk, I will present a series of studies investigating the messages that university students derive from such narratives, with a focus on independent norms, innatism of abilities, and learning mindsets, as well as their impact on students’ sense of identity compatibility with the academic context.

M.P. Paladino

M.P. Paladino