Incarcerated Adults in Career and Technical Education Programs: A Pilot Study of Student Engagement

• In Event: Career and Technical Education SIG Paper Session: Administration, Organization, and Programming

Abstract

While much is known about student engagement in community colleges and four-year institutions, little is known about the implications of engagement for incarcerated students in a technical college setting. This exploratory quantitative study sought to explore incarcerated student engagement in career and technical education (CTE) by utilizing a new survey instrument, the Incarcerated Student Engagement Questionnaire (ISEQ), to systematically collect data in the areas of program engagement, academic engagement, and student aspirations. The results indicated that students enrolled in CTE classes through the technical college exhibited high levels of engagement. Factors of engagement were predictive of overall student satisfaction. Additionally, engagement factors were predictive of students’ perception of courses inspiring them to think in new ways.

Authors

• Frankie Santos Laanan, University of Utah
  Presenting Author

• Lee Williams Weldon, University of Alabama
  Presenting Author

• Michael Bohlig, University of Texas at Austin
  Presenting Author