NATIONAL PHD IN HERITAGE SCIENCE

Thesis title: Narrating the Museum to Enhance Cultural Heritage through User Profiling and Personalization of the Message. The case of the National Roman Museum

This doctoral research examines how museums can act as agents of social change by integrating Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), Digital Storytelling (DST), and Virtual Reality (VR) into inclusive communication and education practices. Grounded in theories of experiential and situated learning, constructivism, and participatory museology, the study investigates how narrative forms—particularly digital ones—foster 4 C’s skills, digital competencies, well-being, and social inclusion. A quasi-experimental, mixed-methods design was implemented at the National Roman Museum (MNR), involving both staff and student participants. Staff training in VTS enhanced professional identity and well-being, while student interventions combining VTS, 360-degree virtual tours, and DST workshops demonstrated selective but significant gains in communication, digital skills, well-being, and social inclusion. Correlational analyses confirmed the interrelated nature of the 4C’s, with critical thinking emerging as an integrative construct. Findings highlight the transformative potential of narrative-driven, digitally enriched museum education. The research contributes theoretically by bridging constructivist learning, accessibility standards, and participatory museology; methodologically by validating quasi-experimental approaches in museum contexts; and practically by offering replicable models for inclusive programming. The conclusion positions museums as dynamic laboratories of cultural innovation and democratic participation, capable of transforming heritage into a shared, lived resource that empowers diverse audiences to co- create meaning in the 21st century.