To punish or Discipline? Teachers' attitudes towards the abolition of corporal punishment

• Main Author: Cicognani, Loretta
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: punish; corporal; abolition; attitude; teacher; discipline; punishment
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10539/175

Master of Education - Educational Psychology === In the last decade, corporal punishment in South African schools was banned. This is in keeping with international trends of recognising of the rights of the child and the South African Constitution. Despite the legal ban, newspapers and limited research reveal that corporal punishment practices are sill occurring in schools. Government has made efforts to curb the continuing use of corporal punishment. This research explores teachers’ attitudes towards the ban of corporal punishment as well as the alternate discipline strategies teachers are using to discipline their learners. The research methods adopted were quantitative questionnaires and qualitative written responses. Results of this study suggest that teachers still view corporal punishment as having a place in education. Teachers are concerned amongst others about their personal safety and feel the administering of corporal punishment will ensure their safety. Teachers’ do report that they have found alternatives that do work, however, they still feel that the training that is provided is not able to meet their needs in the classroom situation.