NCJ Number
209637
Journal
Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 56 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2005 Pages: 65-86
Date Published
March 2005
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This 2003 study replicated a 1993 project the author conducted to measure how instructors from Ball State University (Muncie, IN) who participated in prison college programs perceived inmate students' academic ability compared to that of regular Ball State students.
Abstract
In the current study, 111 questionnaires were sent to teachers who had participated in the prison program; 57 surveys were used in the analysis. The questionnaire measured instructors' perceptions of inmate-students' academic abilities compared to regular Ball State students, as well as instructors' perceptions of the comparative effort level of the two student groups. The questionnaire also measured instructors' perceptions of the prison's conduciveness to the educational process. The latter assessment focused on staff commitment to the program, class space, and library and technological resources available to inmate-students. Both the previous and current study samples agreed that inmates have academic ability equal to that of regular Ball State students, and they indicated that inmate-students put more effort into their courses than the regular college students. The sample groups from the previous and current studies disagreed on the suitability of prison conditions for the educational process. Whereas the first study was favorable toward staff commitment to the program, respondents in the second study did not believe corrections officials fully encouraged inmates to enroll in college courses, and they assessed facilities to be inadequate; however, both groups agreed the prison library and technological resources were inadequate for the educational process. 6 tables and 19 references