Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the contribution of university education in a coercive environment to the development of scientific research skills among Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli occupation prisons, in addition to examining differences in research skills according to the variables of academic qualification and number of years of imprisonment. Methods: The study adopted the descriptive-analytical method. The sample consisted of 148 released prisoners out of a total of 490, representing approximately 30% of the study population. The sample was selected using a stratified method based on the academic qualification variable. A questionnaire measuring scientific research skills, consisting of 17 items distributed across five domains, was used after verifying its validity and reliability. Results: The results indicated that the degree of contribution of university education in a coercive environment to the development of scientific research skills among released Palestinian prisoners was moderate, with a relative weight of 67.13%. Conclusions: The study recommended several recommendations, most notably the need to enhance higher education programs in Israeli prisons and to develop their academic content in ways that more effectively contribute to improving prisoners' research skills. It also recommended integrating specialized training courses in research methodology, focusing on skills related to identifying and formulating research problems, as these areas received the lowest contribution ratings.