Date of Award
1998
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
Abstract
This study was designed to investigate whether participation in a parentingEducation program was effective in the acquisition of parenting skills knowledge and in the alteration of attitudes toward children with incarcerated mothers. The sample consisted of 60 women, all of whom were incarcerated in one of two female prisons and were mothers. Thirty participants comprised the experimental group and were enrolled in a parentEducation program (the independent variable). The remaining 30 participants comprised the no-treatment control group. The dependent variable of knowledge of parenting skills was measured using the Project REACH ParentEducation Instrument, which was developed for this study. The dependent variable of attitude toward children was assessed using the Index of Parental Attitudes (IPA). The participants completed both instruments at the pre-test administration and again at the post-test administration 12 weeks later. The independent variable, the parentEducation program, was comprised of parentEducation classes that met once a week for a two hour long group session for a period of 12 weeks. Results of the two analyses of covariance demonstrated a lack of significance in relation to the null hypotheses and suggested that the independent variable of the parentEducation program did not significantly effect the acquisition of parenting skills knowledge or the attitudes toward children of experimental group in comparison to the control group. While there were no significant results in relation to the null hypotheses, the ANCOVA analyses demonstrated significant findings for the covariates, the pre-test scores on the two instruments used in the study. These findings suggest that the pre-test administrations of the Project REACH ParentEducation Instrument and the IPA were significant predictors of how the participants would score on the post-test administrations of these instruments. Discussion of these results, implications, and recommendations for future research are presented.
Recommended Citation
Spring, Jennifer Bowes, "The Effect Of ParentEducation On Knowledge Of Parenting Skills And Attitude Change Of Incarcerated Mothers" (1998). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 882.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/882