Volunteer-based coral reef monitoring: reliability of data, environmental education and implications for conservation

Coral reefs are the most biodiverse ecosystems of the ocean and they provide notable ecosystem services. Nowadays, they are facing a number of local anthropogenic threats and environmental change is threatening their survivorship on a global scale. Large-scale monitoring is necessary to understand environmental changes and to perform useful conservation measurements. Governmental agencies are often underfunded and are not able of sustain the necessary spatial and temporal large-scale monitoring. To overcome the economic constrains, in some cases scientists can engage volunteers in environmental monitoring. Citizen Science enables the collection and analysis of scientific data at larger spatial and temporal scales than otherwise possible, addressing issues that are otherwise logistically or financially unfeasible. “STE: Scuba Tourism for the Environment” was a volunteer-based Red Sea coral reef biodiversity monitoring program. SCUBA divers and snorkelers were involved in the collection of data for 72 taxa, by completing survey questionnaires after their dives. In my thesis, I evaluated the reliability of the data collected by volunteers, comparing their questionnaires with those completed by professional scientists. Validation trials showed a sufficient level of reliability, indicating that non-specialists performed similarly to conservation volunteer divers on accurate transects. Using the data collected by volunteers, I developed a biodiversity index that revealed spatial trends across surveyed areas. The project results provided important feedbacks to the local authorities on the current health status of Red Sea coral reefs and on the effectiveness of the environmental management. I also analysed the spatial and temporal distribution of each surveyed taxa, identifying abundance trends related with anthropogenic impacts. Finally, I evaluated the effectiveness of the project to increase the environmental education of volunteers and showed that the participation in STEproject significantly increased both the knowledge on coral reef biology and ecology and the awareness of human behavioural impacts on the environment.

Collective actions for environmental monitoring and conservation: citizen science, informal environmental education, and participatory approach

This PhD was driven by an interest for inclusive and participatory approaches. The methodology that bridges science and society is known as 'citizen science' and is experiencing a huge upsurge worldwide, in the scientific and humanities fields. In this thesis, I have focused on three topics: i) assessing the reliability of data collected by volunteers; ii) evaluating the impact of environmental education activities in tourist facilities; and iii) monitoring marine biodiversity through citizen science. In addition to these topics, during my research stay abroad, I developed a questionnaire to investigate people's perceptions of natural areas to promote the implementation of co-management. The results showed that volunteers are not only able to collect sufficiently reliable data, but that during their participation in this type of project, they can also increase their knowledge of marine biology and ecology and their awareness of the impact of human behaviour on the environment. The short-term analysis has shown that volunteers are able to retain what they have learned. In the long term, knowledge is usually forgotten, but awareness is retained. Increased awareness could lead to a change in behaviour and in this case a more environmentally friendly attitude. This aspect could be of interest for the development of environmental education projects in tourism facilities to reduce the impact of tourism on the environment while adding a valuable service to the tourism offer. We also found that nature experiences in childhood are important to connect to nature in adulthood. The results also suggest that membership or volunteering in an environmental education association could be a predictor of people's interest in more participatory approaches to nature management. In most cases, the COVID -19 pandemic had not changed participants' perceptions of the natural environment.

Enhanced financial literacy through financial education and its impact on financial behaviour

This dissertation aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on the effect an enhanced financial literacy, through financial education, has on financial behaviour. We posit that financial literacy is enhanced through financial education courses, but it also significantly impacts the financial behaviour of individuals. Moreover, we argue that improved financial literacy plays a significant role in mitigating behavioural biases and an asset price bubble. Chapter 1 analyzes the impact of a financial education course in enhancing financial literacy in a high- school context. Students at specific schools in Tirana, Albania, are delivered a financial education course, which lasts one academic year. To understand the impact of this financial education course in enhancing financial literacy, PISA (2012) questionnaire on financial literacy is delivered to the students before and after the course is delivered. Chapter 2 analysis the impact of financial literacy in mitigating behavioural biases. We focus on the impact that enhanced financial literacy through the financial education course and financial education plays in reducing the propensity to mental accounting bias. Chapter 3 investigates how financial literacy affects the propensity to an asset price bubble occurrence. We posit that enhanced financial literacy through financial education reduces the probability of an asset price bubble occurrence. We find that financial literacy enhanced through financial education has a significant impact in the financial behaviour of the individuals.

The role of technology at school: new perspectives on distance education and cyberbullying

The integration of digital technology in school is a complex phenomenon that affects both teaching and peer relationships. Accordingly, the main aim of this dissertation was to investigate the implementation of distance education among Italian teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic and analyze peer relationships concerning cyberbullying and bullying. While the theoretical section provided an overview of the phenomena, four empirical studies were presented. The first one tested a moderated moderation model among 178 secondary teachers on the interactions among perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use of technology and online teaching self-efficacy. Findings showed that each variable significantly predicted the intention to use technology. In addition, a moderation effect of online teaching self-efficacy on perceived usefulness was found. The second study analyzed the differences in factors promoting the integration of digital technology among 357 teachers of different levels and subjects and their positive and negative experiences with distance education. Results revealed several differences in the function of the grade and subjects taught. Moreover, four main themes emerged from the content analysis. The third study investigated the dyadic perception of bullying and cyberbullying among 50 students using the eye-tracker. Findings showed that, despite differences among different kinds of bullying and cyberbullying, the victim and bully were the most observed roles. Finally, the last study tested two multiple mediation models among 563 students on the association between bullying, cyberbullying, and well-being, considering three different variables related to the school context (peer network, teacher support and school connectedness). The results highlighted the importance of peer networks and school connectedness in mediating the association between victimization, cybervictimzation and well-being. Taken together, the findings provided a rich overview of digital technology integration in schools, highlighting positive and negative aspects and its implications for future research and school policies.