Management of discipline in a post corporal punishment environment : case study of primary schools in the informal settlements in the North West Province

Abstract

The study deals with the management of discipline in a post corporal punishment environment in South Africa through a case study of selected primary schools in informal settlements in the North West Province. The following research questions were formulated:  What is the current thinking and practice of discipline in the primary schools in the informal settlements in the North West Province?  Which disciplinary measures and procedures are currently used in the selected primary schools?  How effective are the current management strategies of discipline used in the selected primary schools?  How can recommendations assist educators in selected primary schools to deal more effectively with disciplinary challenges? A literature review on the management of school discipline provided a conceptual framework for the empirical inquiry and indicated a lack of empirical studies on the management of discipline in primary schools in informal settlement in the North West Province. This matter is dealt with mostly frequently at high school level. An empirical study using qualitative research methods explored the management of discipline in twenty sampled primary schools in informal settlements in the North West Province, selected through purposive sampling. Data were gathered by in-depth interviews and focus groups with educators, principals and School Governing Body chairpersons. Data were categorized into themes. Findings showed that some educators still view corporal punishment as the most appropriate strategy to deal with ill-disciplined behaviour in schools; hence corporal punishment is still rife in some of the sampled schools. However, other participants agree that corporal punishment should not be accommodated as stipulated by the South African Constitution and other legal frameworks, instead effective alternative strategies should be deployed to handle ill-disciplined behaviour. Inhuman and outdated approaches should be avoided. Diverse ways of dealing with discipline which are goal oriented and foster good relations between the learner and the educator should be implemented. Sound relations in turn lead to the production of learners with the potential to become good citizens. Based on the literature and empirical inquiry, recommendations were made which advocate educator training on handling discipline in primary schools and the design of effective strategies to maintain sound discipline.