Little is known about which educational activities are most associated with incarcerated adults’ literacy and numeracy skills. The present study examines whether informal engagement in reading, writing, and numeracy activities (e.g., reading newspapers or using calculators) is associated with incarcerated adults’ literacy and numeracy skills. Using the 2014 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)—U.S. Prison Study, numeracy/literacy skills were predicted from engagement in reading, writing, and numeracy activities. Literacy skills were higher among incarcerated persons who engaged in an increasing amount of writing activities along with those who completed postsecondary coursework in prison. Literacy skills and numeracy skills were not significantly associated with engagement in reading activities and numeracy activities, respectively. Findings highlight promising strategies for restructuring prison education.

对于哪种教育活动与被监禁的成年人的识字和计算能力最相关，人们所知甚少。本研究研究了非正式参与阅读，写作和计算能力（例如，阅读报纸或使用计算器）是否与被监禁的成年人的识字和计算能力有关。使用2014年国际成人能力评估计划（PIAAC）-美国监狱研究，可以通过参与阅读，写作和计算能力来预测计算能力/识字能力。在从事越来越多的写作活动的被监禁人员中，以及在监狱中完成大专课程工作的人员中，其识字能力更高。读写能力和计算能力分别与阅读活动和计算能力的参与没有显着相关。调查结果突出显示了重组监狱教育的有希望的战略。