RESEARCH PARADIGM

Bryman and Bell (2011a) described a paradigm as the entire collection of beliefs, values and techniques shared in a given setting or a community. In this study, a paradigm embraces thinking habits of a researcher and rules of procedures guiding the methods and procedures. This study adopted the interpretivist paradigm. Interpretivism is an “opposite of a positivist paradigm which deals mostly with the differences between people and the objects within the natural sciences settings” (Bryman & Bell, 2011a: 14). The interpretivist paradigm is described as a lens through which a researcher defines his or her worldview within the social sciences where people and their institutions are viewed in contrast to the natural sciences. The interpretivist paradigm “explains human action and human behaviours” (Bryman & Bell, 2011a: 16). In this study, the researcher defines the learning of offenders in the prison environment through the lens of an adult educator, where andragogical principles are applied. The significance and relevance of the paradigm to the offenders participating in adult education programmes offered in correctional facilities highlights the level of their transformation and empowerment. However, Bryman and Bell (2011a: 18) confirmed this notion thus: “taking an interpretative stance can mean that the researcher may come up with surprising findings or at least findings that appear surprising if a largely interpretivist stance is taken”. People react differently to things that could lead to their empowerment and transformation. Although learning or education may have empowered one, it may not fundamentally transform another, despite what the theories say.

Through the interpretivist lens, the researcher looked at perceptions, feelings, ideas, thoughts and actions as heard or observed by information-rich informants, namely the offenders and officials directly affected by the phenomenon (Van Wyk, 2013). While the interpretivist paradigm can use both qualitative and quantitative designs, the former is more dominant. With interpretivism, the approach and methods for data collection and analysis are of a qualitative nature. The design of the research is flexible and in this study, semi-structured and unstructured observations, interviews and document reviews were utilised in a flexible manner.

People experience events in their lives that sometimes trigger either good or painful experiences; they critically reflect on such experiences in different forms and, through that process of reflection, they become aware of some meaning-making schemata or perspectives, and that develops into either a new or revised belief which becomes transformative (Kucukaydin & Cranton, 2012). Knowles’ (1980) theory of andragogy supports the transformative paradigm where the success of adult learners is anchored in their will to be empowered and become self- directed. Adult learning principles as espoused in andragogy are embedded in empowerment and a transformative ethos, particularly the readiness to learn principle. The notion of providing correctional education in prisons, also stems from society’s belief that offenders must be empowered, rehabilitated and reintegrated, based on the ecological system and the four theories of correctional behaviour discussed throughout the study.

Sugarman (2001) defines a developmental task or teachable moment as one that arises at a certain period in a person’s life, the successful achievement of which leads to happiness and success with later tasks; while lack of achievement leads to unhappiness, social disapproval, and difficulty with later tasks. Have the offenders found the appropriate moments in their lives to focus on educational programmes perhaps as source of their happiness or being pushed? This study has yet to find out; hence the interpretivist lens of the researcher facilitates the understanding of this.

Daloz (in Mezirow & Associates, 2000) identified transformative learning as perspective transformation, a paradigm shift, whereby we critically examine our prior interpretations and assumptions to form new meaning – the “why”. This perspective transformation is achieved through (1) disorienting dilemmas, (2) critical reflection, (3) rational dialogue, and (4) action. The offenders go through these transformative stages in their lives, and part of that transformation is when they are in incarceration; another stage of transformation is when they

decide to join and participate in the educational programmes. It is that awareness of their lives that makes transformative process a relevant paradigm for this study.

Another set of phases that Daloz (2000) states as a process when people go through transformation involve seven steps or a continuum, as explained below. This continuum is considered relevant for this study of offenders in educational programmes.

(i) Experiencing a disorienting dilemma – being in correctional environment is a disorienting predicament.

(ii) Self-examination – by the time they reach the stage of joining education programmes, they would have gone through introspection.

(iii) Critical assessment of assumptions – rehabilitation/empowerment process

(iv) Recognising that others have gone through a similar process – mentoring processes provided and locating good role-models

(v) Exploring options – keep exploring options they have (are they good or bad?)

(vi) Formulating a plan of action – decision-making time to plan towards transformation path. (vii) Reintegration – preparing for the future.

Against this backdrop, this thesis intimates that adult educators should become change agents in the transformative learning of their learners. Therefore they should be aware of their own tuition methods for adults and strive to apply them. It is through application of empowering methods in teaching that the learners become aware of their potential in learning. The study of offenders transforming their lives by participating in educational programmes translates to their quest to become better citizens, particularly in taking charge of their lives against the prison odds to learn. That desire should be complemented by the educators’ ability to apply empowering methods to enhance the teaching and learning for offenders.

The selection of research methods for this study was embraced within the qualitative interpretivist paradigms and transformative theory. This entailed narrative data collection with semi- and unstructured interviews and observations to collect and analyse data.