Chapter 1 – Understanding the Characteristics of an Enabling Environment

An enabling environment is based on an individual’s ability to transform the resources at their disposal into concrete actions. This ‘capabilities approach’ was developed by Amartya Sen (Sen, 2000). On the one hand, it highlights the importance of self-determination, choice and freedom in learning, that is, the ability of an individual to engage in their own development. On the other hand, it aims to give individuals the means to transform resources into learning opportunities.

Solveig Fernagu Oudet (Fernagu, 2022) emphasises that the ability to learn and act is based on three fundamental needs:

• Autonomy: giving learners the freedom to choose and act.
• Relationship: creating links between learners and teachers to foster a climate of trust.
• Competence: offering tools and methods that allow learners to develop their skills and know-how.

This approach applies to the notion of “conversion”, the capacity of an individual to seize the resources at their disposal and transform them into actions and learning. For this to happen, the environment plays an essential role