Exploring the U.S. Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies Prison Study: Skills, Work Experience, Education, and Training in Prison

• In Event: 44.044 - What the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies Says About Adult Skills, Employment, Education, and the Workforce

Abstract

Purpose
This session will provide a snapshot of the skills of U.S. incarcerated adults and compare them with those of the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) U.S. household population. The presentation will be based on the findings of the PIAAC Prison Study (that will be released in fall 2016) and Household study that were conducted in 2014.

Perspectives
PIAAC measures key cognitive skills of adults and the relationships between individuals’ educational background, workplace experiences and skills, and use of information and communication technology. In the United States, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) collected U.S. household data in 2011-2012. Twenty-three other countries also participated in this round of data collection. In 2013-2014, NCES expanded the U.S. sample by 3,600 through a second round of data collection, oversampling young adults, unemployed adults, and older adults. In addition, during the second round, NCES conducted a study of incarcerated adults in U.S. federal, state, and private prisons. The U.S. Prison Study is designed to provide information about education, job training, and skill use (Literacy, numeracy, and ICT) of incarcerated adults.

Data Source & Methods
A nationally representative sample of over 1,300 adults between the ages of 16 and 74 incarcerated in 98 federal, state, and private prisons participated in the PIAAC U.S. Prison Study from February through June of 2014The same procedures and instruments (including the direct assessment) used in the first round of PIAAC household data collection was used in the prison study. However, the household background questionnaire (BQ) was modified to include questions regarding the incarcerated experiences and activities in prisons and their access to academic programs and other learning activities (e.g. education completed during prison, and involvement in nonacademic programs such as employment readiness classes).

Interviewers conducted the prison-specific background questionnaire on a laptop computer. After completing the BQ, inmates who were familiar with computers, and who were willing to take an online version of the assessment, took the direct assessment on the laptop computer; the remaining inmates took the paper-and-pencil version of the assessment. The majority of inmates took the direct assessment on the laptop.

Results/Conclusions
Data will provide information on the relationship between literacy, numeracy, and digital problem-solving skill levels of incarcerated adults and their participation in various formal and non-formal educational activities, and skills training in prison, and compare their skills with those of adults living in households. Skill levels will also be examined by demographic characteristics including age, gender, race/ethnicity, and nativity.

Significance
The PIAAC U.S. Prison Study will provide detailed data on the skills of incarcerated adults to correctional researchers, administrators, and policymakers who are concerned about developing educational and training policies and programs on prison population. The presentation will explore information on the skills and education of incarcerated adults, and how to improve opportunities to prepare for their readiness when they return to society. Finally, increased awareness and knowledge of PIAAC will help to promote continued participation at the national and state level in the upcoming PIAAC study in 2021.

Author

• Katie Landeros, American Institutes for Research