Abstract not available. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2005.

This small-scale study was designed to investigate post-corporal punishment disciplinary strategies used by level one educators in an ex-HOD secondary school in South Durban. This qualitative study gathered data through the case study approach for the following key questions : 1. What are the challenges being faced by educators in maintaining pupil discipline? 2. What strategies do educators employ to cope with post apartheid reforms such as large, multiracial classes, abolition of corporal punishment and the removal of a guidance counsellor? 3. What are the educators' perceptions of the support they receive from the school and the community, if any, in dealing with pupil indiscipline? As this research examines educators' perceptions on pupil discipline, it naturally lends itself to the qualitative research design. Within the qualitative design the case study provides the opportunity to obtain first hand information which can be used to do an in depth analysis of how educators relate to various factors and processes regarding learner discipline in the school under study. In order to obtain a full picture of discipline in the school under study the investigator obtained data through semi-structured interviews, observations of managers', level one educators' and pupils' behaviour as well as review of documents such as the staff minute books and the educators' discipline records. In response to the numerous post apartheid reforms that schools find themselves experiencing, schools need to develop strategies such as teamwork, collaboration, delegation and open communication. The collective creativity and energy generated as a team is what is needed to face the reforms that schools are constantly being bombarded with. It is these reforms which can adversely affect the discipline of learners if not anticipated timeously by monitoring mechanisms in the school. These monitoring mechanisms such as regular networking can result in improvement to present policies and procedures so that they can align themselves with these post apartheid educational reforms. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

This study examines the attitudes and perceptions of students who are beaten or physically punished at Amaqadi C.P. School. The response of the school to the South African Schools Act no 27 of 1996 ruling against the exercising of corporal punishment of students is assessed. Observations, interviews, questionnaires and the school record books were the research tools used in this thesis. Most students and teachers favour the continued use of corporal punishment. Even the provincial education minister has shown support for its retention. Various reasons are given by the teachers and students for their support of corporal punishment. Evidence suggests that students are beaten because of the lack of alternative ways of discipline and because corporal punishment is still routinely used in the home. There are many reasons for the retention of corporal punishment in this school but most of these rest on parents, teachers and students. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 1999.

Some of our teachers are so imbued with the idea that violence solves problems for them at school that they don't realize that there is an effective alternative discipline that is humane and violence free. They are not alone in this trap. Parents and learners too also strongly believe that inflicting reasonable pain is morally an acceptable disciplinary measure, and a deterrent. This study seeks to understand the reasons that make teachers perpetuate the culture of corporal punishment today, despite the fact that the 1996 South African Schools Act abolished the practice in all public and private institutions by declaring that the use of any form of physical punishment is unlawful and unconstitutional. Anyone, therefore, who contravenes the act, is guilty of an offence. This legal concept seems to be confined within public and private institutions, and does not extend to the parents at home and to society at large, where the culture of physical punishment is still widely practiced. From the point of view of Systems Theory we regard a school as a social system. Regard for the perspectives of the people involved in this human system is important in identifying problem situations, exploring them, and developing a grounded theory to account for them. In this study I employ the Primary Research Paradigm and use surveys as a means of collecting the research data. Winberg (1997:30) says that Primary research occurs through direct interaction between the researcher and the researched. It is sensitive and sees with the eyes of the researched and walks in their shoes. I use triangulation, combining conversations, interviews, observations, questionnaires and documentary analysis to collect data on the feelings, attitudes and perceptions of teachers, learners and parents. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.

Thesis (Psy. D.)--Indiana University of Pennsylvania. / Includes bibliographical references.

Alternative to corporal punishment in schools is a worldwide practice. Most countries have banned the use of corporal punishment in schools and have promulgated laws and adopted policies aiming to enforce the practice of alternative to corporal punishment. South Africa is one of the countries that have introduced policy on alternatives to corporal punishment. However, this policy does not provide details on how School Management Teams (SMTs) and teachers should support the implementation of alternatives to corporal punishment; as a result, schools end up having different approaches in as far as implementing alternatives to corporal punishment is concerned. There is also a serious problem of indiscipline in schools and this has since attracted growing attention of researchers in South Africa and the whole world. There are serious offences by learners in schools which range from serious criminal ones such as drug abuse, assaults, theft, murders and rapes to less serious ones such as truancy, incomplete projects, absenteeism and lateness, dodging and bunking of classes in schools. This study therefore sought to investigate how SMT and teachers support the implementation of alternatives to corporal punishment in schools. This was a multi case study of four secondary schools in the King Williams Town Education District which was conducted through qualitative research approach. Interviews and documentary analysis were used to collect data and a total of 16 participants (four principals, four SMT members and eight teachers) were selected. From the data, it emerged that some teachers were fixed in using corporal punishment to discipline learners in schools. The data also showed that the alternatives to corporal punishment (ATCP) policies were inconsistently applied as schools had different approaches in as far as how ATCP is implemented and that some schools had no ATCP policies at all. It also emerged from the data that school leadership was a problem in as far as supporting the implementation of ATCP in schools as in some schools the issues of disciplining learners was centralised in the principal’s office. It also became clear that the majority of participants did not understand the national policy on ATCP. There were no indications of parental involvement in the implementation of ATCP in schools. It can be concluded that the channels of communication among principals, SMTs, teachers with regards to the implementation of ATCP was problematic as there were no clear roles as to how each of these officials should implement ATCP. Some teachers still perceived the ATCP as unsuitable for maintaining discipline in rural schools and their discipline strategies were still characterized by punitive measures which border on corporal punishment. School discipline was not seen as a societal matter where other relevant stakeholders could play a pivotal role in learner discipline. This had a negative impact on the school discipline. Learners had no responsibility on maintenance of positive school atmosphere as they were not in any way part taking in the maintenance of discipline in schools. This study therefore recommends a comprehensive framework for the implementation of ATCP that will give details on the roles of SMTs and teachers in the implementation of ATCP in schools. It is recommended that this framework be inclusive of parents and other community stakeholders who would give different perspectives on the implementation of ATCP in schools as education is a societal matter. It is also recommended that more research be conducted that will deal with urban schools and on the involvement of parents and other stakeholders in the implementation of ATCP.

The aim of the current study was to determine the occurrence and effects of corporal punishment in the South African environment. Special attention was paid to themes that were derived from the literature. These themes were immediate compliance, aggression and the parental influence of corporal punishment. This was a quantitative study which utilised a survey developed by the researcher using previous literature on the topic of corporal punishment. The sample was taken from four different schools in the Johannesburg area. The sample consisted of one hundred and twenty one children within middle childhood (N=121). It was found that corporal punishment is occurring in South African homes. It was also found that children do not feel indifferent about the use of corporal punishment. When it came to the use of corporal punishment and socio-economic status, it was found that there is a significant correlation between the two. / Social Work / M.Diac (Play therapy)

The aim of the current study was to determine the occurrence and effects of corporal punishment in the South African environment. Special attention was paid to themes that were derived from the literature. These themes were immediate compliance, aggression and the parental influence of corporal punishment. This was a quantitative study which utilised a survey developed by the researcher using previous literature on the topic of corporal punishment. The sample was taken from four different schools in the Johannesburg area. The sample consisted of one hundred and twenty one children within middle childhood (N=121). It was found that corporal punishment is occurring in South African homes. It was also found that children do not feel indifferent about the use of corporal punishment. When it came to the use of corporal punishment and socio-economic status, it was found that there is a significant correlation between the two. / Social Work / M.Diac (Play therapy)

The purpose of the study was to examine the perceptions of learners and teachers on the alternatives to ‘Alternatives to Corporal Punishment’ (ATPC) in particular and discipline generally in the King William’s Town Education District in two high schools. The study ascended as a result of the decline of learner’s discipline in high schools. This study is located in the interpretive paradigm and adopted a qualitative research approach using questionnaires, interviews focus groups and field notes in the collection of data. The Data revealed that schools were using different strategies to maintain learner’s discipline such as Code of Conduct, Disciplinary hearing, Safety and Security Committee, Educators, Corporal Punishment, Alternative methods to Corporal Punishment and the role of parents. It further revealed that the Department of Education is not supportive in the maintenance of discipline in the schools under study in King William’s Town District. The conclusion that was arrived at was that all the stakeholders should agree upon and be acquainted with the Code of Conduct and rules that are guiding the schools. The study came up with the proposal that learners should know the consequences of transgressing the Code of Conduct. To address disciplinary problems, the study came up with the key recommendation that all stakeholders must have ownership and to work as a team in the implementation of those policies.

The researcher aimed to investigate the laws and policies regulating the use of corporal punishment in Swaziland schools by benchmarking these against HRL, and to investigate the non-compliance of selected schools in the Hhohho and Manzini regions with these legal prescripts. This was done in the two participating schools in the study. The study employed the qualitative approach, using two cases to source the information from the participants. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect the data from the participants. The principals and their deputies were interviewed, whilst the teachers and learners responded to questionnaires. The literature review revealed that the teachers tend not to adhere to the prescripts in respect of the abuse of corporal punishment. The literature review focusing on the Swaziland situation brought to light that the teachers go beyond the legal prescripts when administering corporal punishment. The results indicated that in Swaziland corporal punishment is legal while, according to the Human Rights Law, it is a crime. The study indicated that teachers do not adhere to the legal prescripts on corporal punishment. Of the ten requirements for corporal punishment, the teachers complied fully with only two. It was also found that the teachers were not conversant with the legal prescripts. Some of the requirements did not seem viable to them to comply with. The researcher recommended that the Swaziland Constitution be aligned with the Human Rights Law, and that principals monitor the abuse of corporal punishment. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)