Disciplinary Procedures Used by Secondary School Teachers in Calabar Municipality, Nigeria

Authors: N. N. Nkomo, M. L. Mayanchi

Abstract:

The present study investigated various forms of disciplinary procedures or punishment used by teachers in secondary schools in Calabar Municipality, Nigera. There are agitations amongst parents and educators on the use of corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure against children. Those against the use of corporal punishment argue that this form of punishment does not teach, it only terminates behaviour temporarily and inculcates violence. Those in support are of the view that corporal punishment serves as a deterrent to others. This study sought to find out the most common measure of discipline employed by teachers in private and public schools. The study had three objectives, three research questions and two hypotheses. The design of the present study was the ex-post facto descriptive survey, since variables under study were not manipulated by the researcher. Teachers in Calabar Municipal Secondary Schools formed the population. A sample of 160 teachers was used for the study. The data collection instrument was a facts finding questionnaire titled Disciplinary Procedures Inventory. Data collected were analyzed using simple percentages and chi-square. The major findings were that physical measures such as flogging, exercise/drills, and painful postures were commonly used by teachers in secondary schools. It was also found that these measures were more often used in public schools. It was recommended that teachers should rather employ non-violent techniques of discipline than physical punishment.

Keywords: Discipline, non-violent punishment, physical punishment.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1124684

References:

[1] Seifert, T. H. & Vomberg, J. A. The new school leader for 21st century. Oxford: scarecrow press. May, 2002.
[2] Reyes, A. H. Discipline; Achievement, and race: is zero tolerance to the answer? Rowman and little field education. September, 2006.
[3] Fowers Braine Y. Recovering goodness, character unity types for positive psychology, 2008 18, 629.
[4] Imaguezor, M. V. Analysis of cases of violation of students rights in secondary schools in Edo State MED thesis, University Benin, Nigeria. September, 1997.
[5] Telep, V. Discipline for young children Retrieved on 28th September 2013 from www.ext.vt.edu
[6] Child Aid Society (CAS) Child discipline Retrieved from http://psychfullerton.edu/clindquist/dv/discipline.html on 10th September 2013.
[7] Greydamus, D. E., Patt, H. D., Spates, C. R.; Blake, A. E. & Patel, D. R. “Corporal punishment in school” Journal of Adolescent Health 32 (5), 385. March, 2003.
[8] Driekurus, R., Grunwald, B. B., and Pepper, F. C. Maintaining sanity in the classroom. Philadelphia: Accelerated Development. October, 1998.
[9] Mcmanus, M. Troublesome behaviour in the classroom 2nd ed London: Routledge. August, 1995.
[10] Nakpodia, E. D. Teachers disciplinary approaches to students’ discipline problems in Nigerian secondary schools. International NGO Journal 5(6), 141 – 151. June, 2010.
[11] Maphosa, C. & Shaumba, A. Educators disciplinary capabilities after banning of corporal punishment in South Africa. South Africa Journal of Education 30, 387. June, 2010.