Emanuela Inguaggiato
Papers
6
Total Citations
375
H-Index
5
About
Emanuela Inguaggiato is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of educational technology, cognitive neuroscience, and special education, with a particular focus on how Educational Robotics (ER) can strengthen Executive Functions in children. Her landmark 2017 pilot study — now cited over 200 times — was among the first to rigorously demonstrate that robot programming activities could meaningfully enhance higher-order cognitive skills, such as planning and cognitive flexibility, in preschool children. Building on this foundation, Inguaggiato has expanded her work to include vulnerable populations, conducting feasibility studies in children with Down Syndrome and broader special educational needs, recognizing that Executive Function impairments disproportionately affect these groups. Her 2020 randomized controlled trial further solidified the evidence base by confirming ER's cognitive benefits in typically developing 5- and 6-year-olds. Across her body of work, she advances a compelling argument: that the act of programming a robot — mentally sequencing complex actions before execution — serves as a powerful scaffold for developing the very cognitive processes that underpin academic learning. With nearly 375 cumulative citations, her research is reshaping how educators and clinicians think about technology-enhanced intervention in early childhood.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Educational Robotics in Down Syndrome: A Feasibility Study62 citations · 2018
- 3
- 4
- 5Robot Programming to Empower Higher Cognitive Functions in Early Childhood13 citations · 2019
- 6