Le azioni educative in prospettiva trasformativa nei contesti penitenziari: il ruolo della ricerca-formazione

The social and emancipatory approach of the transformative learning is guiding the Forward research-learning in correctional settings. Specifically transformation is referred to different dimensions like individual, Public and historical collective ones as they all allow to “perceive social, political, and economic contradictions, and to take action against the oppressive elements of reality (Freire, 1970, p.17). Reflexive capacity is combined with the power of the Public of managing learning actions in order to transform contexts, and communities. The object of investigation in Forward reasearch-learning is the educational role of organisations and institutions with multicultural features and the way individuals can intervene on them with transformative purposes. Research-learning pathway as described in the essay allowed researchers to identify some components of penitentiary settings that influence the way through which cultural diversity of prisoners is being managed and can be improved in the view of transformative learning processes penitentiary professionals can activate towards themselves as well as towards the penitentiary settings they work for. The essay wants to analyse the research-learning process that has been undertaken with penitentiary professionals through the use of active development methodologies. These latter ones allowed to understand theories in use in professional practice and produce institutional learning.