Learning experiences in a prison school from a socioeducational perspective

Abstract

The educational programmes implemented in the prison context constituted the foundation for the initiation of this research. Special attention was given to elements related to the family, community, social, and occupational spheres, with the aim of fostering dialogue around participants’ concerns and perceptions regarding the opportunities provided by education. The study was carried out in a prison classroom where face-to-face instruction is delivered at different educational levels, including initial programmes focused on the acquisition and consolidation of basic skills, compulsory secondary education, professional certification programmes, and basic vocational training cycles. The research received ethical approval from the Bioethics and Biosafety Committee of the University of Extremadura (Spain), as well as formal authorisation from the General Secretariat of Penitentiary Institutions of the Ministry of the Interior of the Spanish Government. A qualitative research design was adopted, using focus groups as the main data collection technique. The results provided relevant information on educational trajectories, early school leaving, educational experiences before imprisonment, current educational or training situations at the time of the focus groups, educational expectations, and factors influencing educational success. These factors include sentence length, age and participation in paid employment during incarceration. Qualitative content analysis was conducted through transcription and systematic coding using ATLAS.ti software. Previous research conducted in Spain and in other international contexts reports findings consistent with those obtained in this study. The results highlight the need to continue and expand this line of research to other penitentiary institutions in order to gain deeper insights into well-being, motivation, and educational engagement within prison education settings.