Teaching in the Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project: Instructor Motivations, Barriers, and Perceptions

Abstract

Prison education programs provide a resource to incarcerated individuals that offer tutoring, community education classes, and college courses. The Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project (APAEP) offers courses to incarcerated individuals in Alabama prison facilities. Instructors who participate in these programs have expressed in past literature the importance of these courses, the motivations that keep them involved, and the barriers they face through these programs. Most of these instructors have stated that they enjoy teaching incarcerated individuals more than college students because of their eagerness to learn, course involvement, and the excitement for learning new material. In addition, prior research has shown that instructors face barriers (e.g., lockdowns) that prevent them from teaching in the way they have known in the college setting. The present study adds to the previous literature by also exploring instructors’ perceptions of incarcerated students and their own personal reflections of teaching in APAEP. Results show that instructors find that their students are engaging, eager to learn, and create critical discussions in the classroom. Instructors had a positive outlook on them before entering. After teaching, their positivity continued, but their awareness of prison reform grew as they were in their environment more. The issues that instructors face are problems getting into the facilities and classrooms, lockdowns, and relationships with correctional officers and the DOC. Instructors agreed that having a discussion board or mentor during their time teaching would be incredibly helpful for them during the semester.