Moral Education In a Correctional Setting

Inmates of the Texas Department of Corrections enrolled in basic education classes were studied to analyze the effect of teaching style on the moral development of the students. Teaching style was measured by the Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS), which determines the degree to which a teacher adopts a pedagogical or andragogical style. Moral judgment, based on Kohlberg's theory, was measured by the Ethical Reasoning Inventory (ERI). The purpose of the study was to determine what effect teaching style alone, independent of a moral education program or curriculum, would have on the development of moral judgment in prison inmates. Results can be used for curriculum and teacher-training components in correctional education programs.