Adjunct Professor, Psychology
Ph.D. Università della Svizzera Italiana, Switzerland
M.S. Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Italy
B.A. Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Italy
Office: Kaletsch Campus, Faculty Office 8
Phone: +41 91 986 53 04
Email: abova@fus.edu
Dr. Bova's research activity has been centered on the strict relationship between communication, psychology and education. His first area of research interest is the stream of research on family argumentation. This research aimed at identifying the functions of argumentation in discussions between parents and young children during mealtimes. His second, and most recent, main area of research interest is the stream of research on argumentation in institutional learning contexts. The purpose of this research is to describe and analyze how the argumentative practices in the classroom are managed by teachers and students both at undergraduate and graduate level. The results his research activity have been published in some of the most important scientific journals in the fields of argumentation theory, psychology and communication (e.g., Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, Discourse Studies, Appetite, Journal of Argumentation in Context, Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict) and presented at many international scientific conferences.
He was visiting doctoral researcher (2011 – 2012) in the Department of Speech Communication, Argumentation Theory and Rhetoric at the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands), and visiting postdoctoral researcher (2013 – 2015) in the Department of Psychology at the Utrecht University (Netherlands).
Dr. Bova is also Swiss National Science Foundation Researcher in the Institute of Argumentation, Linguistics and Semiotics at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Lugano, and a member of the National Register of Psychologists and Psychotherapists in Switzerland and in Italy.
Publications:
Arcidiacono, F., & Bova, A. (Eds.) (in press). Interpersonal Argumentation in Educational and Professional Contexts. New York: Springer.
Bova, A. (in press). The role of teacher in promoting argumentative interactions in the learning contexts of higher education. In F. Arcidiacono & A. Bova (Eds.), Interpersonal Argumentation in Educational and Professional Contexts. New York: Springer.
Bova, A., Arcidiacono, F., & Clément, F. (in press). Implicits in children’s socialization: Argumentation around what is taken for granted within family interactions. In C. Ilie & G. Garzone (Eds.), Argumentation in real and virtual environments: Cross-disciplinary perspectives. Amsterdam: Benjamins.
Bova, A. (2015). Promoting learning and development of students through argumentative interactions in the classroom. A study of the teacher’s questions in the learning contexts of higher education. Teaching Innovations, 28(3), 130-144. doi: 10.5937/inovacije1503130B
Bova, A. (2015). A study of undergraduate and graduate students' argumentation in learning contexts of higher education. In B.J. Garssen, D. Godden, G. Mitchell, & A.F. Snoeck Henkemans (Eds.), Proceedings of the Eighth Conference of the International Society for the Study of Argumentation (pp. 173-185). Amsterdam: Sic Sat.
Bova, A. (2015). Favoring argumentative disciplinary discussions in the classroom. A study of teacher's questions at undergraduate and graduate level. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 7, 97-108. doi: 10.1016/j.lcsi.2015.09.001
Bova, A., & Arcidiacono, F. (2015). Beyond conflicts. Origin and types of issues leading to argumentative discussions during family mealtimes. Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict, 3(2), 263-288. doi 10.1075/jlac.3.2.02bov.
Bova, A. (2015). Children's responses in argumentative discussions relating to parental rules and prescriptions. Ampersand, 2, 109-121. doi: 10.1016/j.amper.2015.08.002
Bova, A. (2015). “This is the cheese bought by Grandpa”. A study of the arguments from authority used by parents with their children during mealtimes. Journal of Argumentation in Context, 4(2), 133-157. doi: 10.1075/jaic.4.2.01bov
Arcidiacono, F., & Bova, A. (2015). Activity-bound and activity-unbound arguments in response to parental eat-directives at mealtimes: Differences and similarities in children of 3-5 and 6-9 years old. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 6, 40-55. doi:10.1016/j.lcsi.2015.03.002
Bova, A. (2015). Adult as a source of expert opinion in child’s argumentation during family mealtime conversations. Journal of Argumentation in Context, 4(1): 4-20. doi: 10.1075/jaic.4.1.01bov
Arcidiacono, F., & Bova, A. (2015). A Study of the Arguments Used by Undergraduate and Graduate Students During Disciplinary Discussions in the Classroom. In R.V. Nata (Ed.), Progress in Education vol. 33 (pp. 31-50). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers. ISBN: 978-1-63482-202-2
Bova, A., Arcidiacono, F. (2014). “You must eat the salad because it is nutritious”. Argumentative strategies adopted by parents and children in food-related discussions at mealtimes. Appetite 73:81-94. IF: 2.541 doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2013.10.019
Bova, A., & Arcidiacono, F. (2014). Types of arguments in parents-children discussions: An argumentative analysis. Rivista di Psicolinguistica Applicata/Journal of Applied Psycholinguistics, 14(1): 43-66. doi: 10.1400/222847
Awards and Honors:
Fellowships for Advanced Postdoc Mobility funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
Fellowships for Early Postdoc.Mobility funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
Fellowships for prospective researchers funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
Project “Dote Ricerca” funded by the Region of Lombardy and by the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan (Italy)
Areas of Research:
Argumentation and Argumentative skills; Classroom discussions; Family socialization and Parent-Child conflicts; Verbal interactions and Conversation analysis.