Efficacy of a Computer-Assisted Instruction Program in a Prison Setting: An Experimental Study

The efficacy of using computer-assisted instruction (CAI) with inmates participating in a prison education program was examined through an experimental study. The researchers sought to address and correct many of the methodological flaws commonly present among studies that compare a CAI-plus-traditional-instruction combination to traditional-instruction alone. Seventy-one inmates were randomly assigned to either an experimental group that received a CAI-plus-traditional-instruction combination, or a control group that received traditional instruction only. Achievement scores of inmates in the experimental group were not significantly higher than those in the control group.