Outdoor Education as potential inclusive approach. A research into Kindergatens of Bologna Municipality

Abstract

This paper will describe the various stages of a qualitative research study conducted within the
context of Bologna Municipality Kindergartens, in order to explore whether an inclusive approach
can be supported by Outdoor Education, and the reasons why such a match was valuable. This
study involved four Kindergartens’ Coordinators (Head Teachers), who has been interviewed
with the purpose of collecting and understanding their opinion about: firstly, what reasons
allowed Outdoor Education to spread into their Kindergartens; secondly, how their educational
services deal with pupils’ inclusion. In other words, this investigation is about Outdoor Education
as supportive approach for pupils’ inclusion. The data collected through interviews were elaborated
with an analytical method, inspired by the Grounded Theory. Finally, it’s been possible to
provide some specific answers to the question that gave rise to this research.