Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Doctorate of Education

Department

Interdisciplinary Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Deborah Baness King, Chair

Second Advisor

Dr. Matthew Cooney

Third Advisor

Dr. Robert Morley

Abstract

This exploratory qualitative research with an interpretative phenomenological design seeks to understand how postsecondary education programs influenced incarcerated individuals and their post-release success. Postsecondary education prison programs have long been subject to criticism, as they provide incarcerated individuals with access to knowledge and social ideals that challenge the traditional power structures and social expectations in carceral settings (Castro et al., 2018). The primary research question: What role did social identity play in postsecondary prison education programs, with emphasis on their impact on recidivism and support for post-release reintegration for formerly incarcerated students? Findings from this study indicate that finding a salient student identity during incarceration played a meaningful role in shaping participants' educational persistence, self-concept, and post-release decision-making. These results suggest that postsecondary prison education programs may be the most impactful when they intentionally cultivate identity transformation as part of their pedagogical and support structures. Future research should further examine how specific program features, institutional contexts, and individual characteristics interact to strengthen or inhibit the formation of durable student identity.

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