Impact Evaluation of the TYRO Couples Project

The TYRO Couples curriculum Is based upon the Couples Communication curriculum, and was developed by a Christian, non-profit organization in Ohio called The RIDGE Project. The purpose of TYRO Couples is to provide training and opportunities for participants from families affected by the incarceration of a father to practice healthy relationship skills that build a foundation for healthy and successful marriages and lifelong partnerships. Curriculum components also address healthy financial and employment skills. Previous research suggests the TYRO Couples curriculum is efficacious in increasing skills related to: relationship building, couples communication, conflict resolution, and relationship satisfaction.

Typically, TYRO Couples is delivered in-person in a classroom setting. Using an in-person format results in a more personal, organic experience for participants but it requires a commitment that is difficult for some of them are unable to make because of the time and effort that is necessary to meet in a specific place for a predetermined amount of time. On-line access does not offer the same experience as in-person service delivery, but it does offer greater accessibility for participants to learn at their own pace in a self-directed learning environment of their own choosing. In theory, both formats offer program participants different types of access to service delivery and it is not clear if there is a disparate impact on the educational outcomes that define program benefits, which are improved attitudes, expectations and behaviors that promote healthy family relationships and economic stability for their households.

Testing the delivery format of TYRO Couples is important for several reasons. First, more research is needed to better understand which prison-based learning methods are more effective on marriage/intimate partner relationship and economic stability outcomes. Although there are some previous studies of best practices for prison-based learning, there are no studies, to our knowledge, that examine the effectiveness of on-demand learning on relationship and economic outcomes among couples affected by incarceration. Second, previous studies suggest that on-demand learning can be a helpful tool that empowers learners to digest the course material at their own pace. Learner control is a theory that derives from several motivational theory underpinnings, which includes attribution theory, motivation theory, and information processing theory. Previous research guided by learner control theory suggests that self-guided, on-demand learning is positively related to greater learner satisfaction and higher levels of learning compared with those who did not use this format.

Therefore, it is important that effective, prison-based learning methods are identified and used so that program participants can experience the most robust relationships and economic stability outcomes. Informed by the self-efficacy and learner control theory, the purpose of this study is to assess the extent to which TYRO Couples training delivered in an on-demand format has a disparate impact compared to in-person services on marriage/intimate partner relationships and economic stability outcomes among couples facing incarceration.