Ascione, A. & Amati, I. (2026). "Artificial Intelligence, Emotional Well-being, and Personalized Teaching in Secondary School: Theoretical Reflections and Empirical Evidence from an Italian Context". Open Journal of Humanities, 22: 467-497

This paper focuses on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in formal educational settings, particularly in upper secondary school (Secondaria di Secondo grado). The central aim is to examine AI’s capacity to support school inclusion and the emotional well-being of adolescents. Inclusive education is not achieved through mere physical access to learning environments; rather, it implies a systemic transformation of school cultures and teaching practices (Ainscow, 2020; Florian, 2019). The research draws on a systematic literature review of Scopus/WoS-indexed sources (2018–2024), organised around three thematic areas: UDL and AI; emotional well-being and affective computing; teacher mediation and ethical governance. It also presents a quasi-experimental study with a qualitative component conducted at a Technical Economic Institute in Bari (N=112 students, 4 classes; 11 teachers), lasting four months, using an AI-based adaptive learning platform. Findings show improvements in positive affect (d=0.62) and academic self-efficacy (d=0.74) in the experimental group relative to the control group. Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) showed greater gains in engagement, while teachers with lower digital literacy displayed resistance and difficulty in the pedagogical mediation of algorithmic outputs. The results, consistent with the international literature, situate the effectiveness of AI within specific parameters: quality of pedagogical mediation, robustness of the institutional context, the educational relationship, and equity of access, as suggested by the principles of the European AI Act (EU 2024/1689) and UNESCO Guidelines (2023).