The Criminological Theory-Video Nexus: A Quasi-Experimental Design to Test the Effectiveness of Using the Movie “Freeway” as a Teaching Aid

A quasi-experimental design was used to test the effects of viewing the movie “Freeway” on theory assessment scores for selected groups of undergraduate Criminal Justice students. The quasi-experimental group viewed the video and participated in an out-of-class study session to apply criminological theories to the events in the movie whereas the control group received only regular classroom instruction. It was found that the quasi-experimental group theory scores were significantly higher than the control group’s scores. The policy implications are that Criminal Justice instructors should consider using alternative means of teaching criminological theory in addition to regular classroom instruction. Key terms: criminological theory, quasi-experiment, pedagogy, teaching aids