Introduktion: Föräldrar spelar en viktig roll när det handlar om utvecklingen av barns fysiska och psykiska hälsa, deras sociala kompetens, hur de klarar sin skolgång och vilka levnadsvanor de själva får i vuxenlivet. För att stötta föräldrar i att bli trygga i sitt föräldraskap så erbjuds föräldrastöd. Studier visar att asylsökande och nyanlända föräldrar i Sverige deltar i mycket lägre grad än vad svenskfödda föräldrar gör. Många rapporterar psykisk ohälsa och upplever svårigheter i sitt föräldraskap efter ankomsten till Sverige. Det finns en ideell förening som lyckats inkludera denna målgrupp och det är därför av intresse att undersöka hur de upplever det arbetet.  Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka kursledares erfarenheter av att arbeta med föräldrastöd till nyanlända och asylsökande föräldrar. Metod: I studien genomfördes individuella intervjuer med sex ledare från en ideell förening i Västra Mellansverige. Resultat: Resultatet visar att föreningen har anpassat verksamheten på en kulturell nivå för att kunna inkludera denna målgrupp. Många av ledarna har exempelvis liknande bakgrund som föräldrarna och kurserna erbjuds på föräldrarnas modersmål. Ledarna har vidare kunnat identifiera vissa behov och utmaningar som nyanlända och asylsökande uttryckt. Det handlar framför allt om hur det upplevs att komma till Sverige som förälder och hur man kan hantera föräldrarollen i det nya landet. Bland annat uttrycks ett behov att få veta mer om normer kring föräldraskap och barnuppfostran i Sverige eftersom det skiljer sig från hur det sett ut i deras hemländer. Slutsats: Föräldrastöd kan vara betydelsefullt för målgruppen nyanlända och asylsökande föräldrar. Genom att de får prata sitt eget modersmål kan de uttrycka sig på ett annorlunda sätt än vad de hade kunnat göra i en svensk kurs. Det är en trygghet för föräldrarna att möta en ledare som har förståelse för deras kulturella bakgrund och det gör det möjligt att diskutera känsliga frågor som exempelvis barnuppfostran och antiagalagen. Ledarna upplever att många föräldrar blivit tryggare i sitt föräldraskap och tänker att föräldrarna kan vara en enorm resurs för det framtida svenska samhället om de bara får rätt förutsättningar. / Introduction: Parents play an important role when it comes to the development of children's physical and mental health, their social skills, how they manage school and what living conditions they get as adults. To support parents in their parenting, parental support is offered. Studies show that asylum seeking and newly arrived parents in Sweden participate to a much lesser extent than Swedish-born parents do. Many people report mental illness and experience difficulties in their parenting after arriving in Sweden. There is a non-profit association that has managed to include this target group and it is therefore of interest to investigate how they experience this work. Aim: The aim of the study is to investigate the course leader's experience of working with parental support for newly arrived and asylum seeking parents. Method: Six individual interviews were conducted with leaders from a non-profit association located in the middle west of Sweden. Result: The result shows that the association has adapted the support on a cultural level to be able to include this target group. For example, many of the leaders have similar backgrounds to the parents and the courses are offered in the parents' native language. The leaders have also been able to identify certain needs and challenges expressed by newly arrived and asylum seekers. It is primarily about how it feels to come to Sweden as a parent and how to handle the parent role in a new country. More information is required about norms regarding parenting in Sweden as it differs from their home countries. Conclusion: Parental support can be important for newly arrived and asylum seeking parents in Sweden. By being able to speak their native language, they can express themselves in a different way than they could in a Swedish course. It feels safe for parents to meet a leader who understands their cultural background. It makes it possible to discuss sensitive issues such as parenting and the law of corporal punishment. The leaders mean that many parents have become more secure in their parenting and think that parents can be a huge resource for the future Swedish society if they only get the right conditions.

No description available.

Seulement une minorité d’adolescents qui consomment des substances psychoactives développe des problèmes significatifs reliés à cette consommation. Il importe donc de connaître et de comprendre les processus par lesquels se développe la consommation problématique afin de pouvoir la prévenir. Cette étude examine le rôle des symptômes dépressifs et des relations sociales dans le développement de la consommation problématique à l’adolescence. Plus précisément, elle vise à déterminer, à l’aide d’un devis longitudinal corrélationnel prospectif, si le soutien des pairs, le soutien des parents et la qualité de la relation maître-élève ont des effets modérateurs protecteurs sur la relation entre les symptômes dépressifs et la consommation problématique. L’échantillon utilisé pour cette étude est tiré de la Stratégie d’Intervention Agir Autrement et comprend 4473 adolescents. Des régressions linéaires multiples ont été effectuées et ont démontré que les symptômes dépressifs et le soutien des parents augmentent le risque d’une consommation problématique, alors que le soutien des pairs le diminue. De plus, les résultats confirment le rôle protecteur du soutien des pairs, mais indiquent que le soutien des parents exacerbe le lien entre les symptômes dépressifs et la consommation problématique. Par ailleurs, la qualité de la relation maître-élève est associée à une consommation moins problématique uniquement chez les jeunes qui n’ont pas beaucoup de symptômes dépressifs. Les implications de ces résultats sont discutées. / Of adolescents who use drugs, only a minority develops significant problems related to this drug use. It is then relevant to know and understand the processes by which this problematic consumption develops itself in order to be able to prevent it. This study examines the roles of depression symptoms and social relationships in the development of problematic drug use at the adolescence. More precisely, it aims at determining, with the help of a prospective correlational longitudinal design, if peers support, parental support and the quality of the teacher-student relationship have moderator effects on the relationship between depressive symptoms and problematic drug use. The sample used for this study is taken from the Stratégie d’Intervention Agir Autrement and is comprised of 4473 teenagers. Multiple linear regressions were completed and showed that depressive symptoms enhance the risk of a problematic drug use to be developed, whereas peers support impairs it. Contrary to what was expected, results show that parental support enhances the risk of developing a problematic drug use and that the teacher-student relationship has no significant impact. Moreover, peers support has a protective role, parental support intensifies the relationship between depressive symptoms and problematic drug use, whereas the quality of the teacher-student relationship attenuates it.

The purpose of this research was to determine teachers’ perceptions of the degree to which research-based characteristics exist in alternative high schools and programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the importance of these characteristics to effective education. In addition, this research investigated whether or not these perceptions were related to the teachers’ perception of efficacy. These seven characteristics were (a) clearly identified enrollment criteria, (b) low ratio of student to teachers, (c) one-to-one interactions between staff and students, (d) social skills instruction, (e) effective academic instruction, (f) parental involvement and parental support programs, and (g) specific training for teachers who are working with at-risk youth. Alternative school teachers were also administered the short form of the Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy (2001) Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale that is specifically designed to assess the respondents’ perceptions of their self-efficacy as teachers. The data show that alternative school teachers in Virginia ranked “low student to staff ratio” as the most important and “parental involvement and parental support programs” as the least important research-based characteristics for the academic focus of their schools. It was also evidenced by the data that none of the research-based characteristics were shown to have “strong evidence” of existence in Virginia’s alternative schools and programs. Finally, the data showed that there is a positive correlation between the existence of the research-based characteristics and the reported self-efficacy of the alternative school teachers.

La présente étude s’intéresse aux choix de filières de formation des filles comparées aux garçons. La présence des filles dans les filières de formation dans le domaine des sciences, de la technologie, du génie et de la mathématique (STGM) est moins importante que celle des garçons. Ce fait est documenté dans la plupart des pays industrialisés (OCDE, 2013). Les décideurs sont préoccupés par cette sous-représentation des filles et des femmes dans ces domaines et s’affairent à comprendre le phénomène, dans le but d’agir pour changer la situation (Drouin et al., 2008; MCCCF, 2011). Or, les facteurs d’influence pour expliquer cet écart entre les garçons et les filles sont nombreux et ne font pas l’objet d’un consensus dans la littérature (Ceci et al., 2009). Toutefois, plusieurs s’entendent pour dire que les mathématiques, importantes dans les profils de formation en STGM, et la façon dont les filles les perçoivent pourraient expliquer, en partie, leurs choix (Rowan-Kenyon et al., 2012 et Wang et al., 2013). Ces auteurs ont aussi suggéré que le contexte social et les croyances des filles au sujet des mathématiques seraient déterminants dans le processus de choix impliquant cette discipline. Un modèle théorique sociocognitif, inspiré par les travaux de Lent et al, (1994-2006), expliquant le processus de choix scolaires et professionnels a permis de conceptualiser les liens entre les déterminants socio-motivationnels spécifiques aux mathématiques. L’objectif général de la présente étude était de mieux documenter l’importance des mathématiques dans les choix de filières de formation menant aux carrières en STGM. Spécifiquement, nous avons examiné les relations entre le rendement en mathématiques, la perception des élèves quant au contexte social (soutien des parents et enseignants), leurs attentes de réussite, la valeur qu’ils accordent aux mathématiques (sentiment d’autoefficacité, anxiété, perception de l’utilité et intérêt) et les choix de filières de formation générale après leur secondaire (sciences humaines sans mathématiques, sciences humaines avec mathématiques, sciences de la santé et sciences pures). Nous avons exploré les distinctions entre les filles et les garçons. Pour ce faire, 1129 élèves finissants ont été questionnés au sujet de leurs motivations en mathématiques et de leurs intentions de formation post-secondaire. Par la suite, une comparaison entre les 583 filles et les 543 garçons a été réalisée par des analyses de régression logistiques multinomiales. Les résultats montrent que plusieurs déterminants permettent de dégager des similitudes et des différences quant aux choix de filières de formation des filles et des garçons. D’abord, il semble que pour la plupart des élèves, filles ou garçons, un rendement élevé et un important soutien des enseignants tel que perçu par les élèves à la fin du secondaire est davantage lié aux choix de filières en sciences pures et en sciences de la santé qu’en sciences humaines avec ou sans mathématiques. Toutefois, le soutien des parents perçu est plus déterminant pour les filles qui choisissent les sciences de la santé que pour les garçons. Le soutien des enseignants perçu est plus déterminant pour les garçons qui choisissent les sciences humaines que pour les filles. Aussi, un faible sentiment d’autoefficacité en mathématiques serait associé au choix de filières en sciences humaines, alors qu’une forte anxiété en mathématiques chez les filles serait associée aux filières en sciences de la santé. Pour les garçons, c’est davantage l’intérêt en mathématiques qui est déterminant pour choisir la filière des sciences pures. La perception de l’utilité des mathématiques est déterminante à la fois pour les garçons et pour les filles qui choisissent les filières de sciences les menant à des carrières en STGM. En somme, nos résultats suggèrent que le soutien en mathématiques de la part des adultes significatifs, tel que perçu par les élèves, est moins prépondérant que les attentes de réussite (sentiment d’autoefficacité et anxiété) et la valeur accordée aux mathématiques (intérêt et utilité perçue) pour comparer les garçons et les filles dans leurs choix de filières. À la lumière des résultats obtenus, il nous semble que l’implantation de mesures, dans les milieux scolaires, pour renforcer le sentiment d’autoefficacité des jeunes filles en mathématiques et surtout pour diminuer leur taux d’anxiété dans cette matière serait une voie prometteuse pour atteindre la parité entre les garçons et les filles dans les filières en STGM. / This study focuses on the choice of training options for girls compared to boys choice. The presence of girls in training courses in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is less important than that of boys. This is documented in most industrialized countries (OECD, 2013). Policymakers are concerned about the under-representation of girls and women in these areas and are working to understand the phenomenon in order to take action to change the situation (Drouin et al., 2008; MCCCF, 2011). However, the influencing factors to explain this difference between boys and girls are numerous and are not the subject of a consensus in the literature (Ceci et al., 2009). However, many agree that the mathematics major in STEM’s training profiles, and how girls perceive it might explain, in part, their choices (Rowan-Kenyon et al., 2012 and Wang et al ., 2013). These authors also suggested that, for girls, the social context and beliefs about mathematics would be decisive in the choice process involving the discipline. A socio-cognitive theoretical model, inspired by the work of Lent et al, (1994-2006), explaining the process of educational and occupational choices could help conceptualize the relationship between socio-motivational determinants in the field of mathematics. The main objective of this study was to better document the role of mathematics in the process of choice making leading to careers in STEM. Specifically, we examined the predictive value of mathematics performance, students' perception about the support of the social context (parents and teachers), their expectations of success and the value of mathematics (self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, interest and anxiety) on the choice of general education field after high school (social sciences/humanities with and without mathematics, health sciences and pure sciences). A comparison between girls and boys was made. To reach our goal, 1129 graduating students were questioned about their motivation in mathematics and their post-secondary education intentions. Thereafter, a comparison of the 583 girls and 543 boys was performed by multinomial logistic regression analyzes. The results show that several determinants can both compare and differentiate the choice of training options for girls and boys. First, it seems that for most students, boys and girls, high performance in mathematics and important support from teachers as perceived by the students at the end of high school is more related to the choice of pure science field and health sciences than humanities. However, the support of parents seemed to be more relevant for girls, than for boys, who choose the health sciences. Surprisingly, teacher support as perceived seems to be more relevant for boys than for girls who choose humanities. Also, a low sense of mathematical competence is associated with the choice of humanities courses, while a strong mathematics anxiety in girls is associated with health sciences sectors. For boys, it's greater interest in mathematics which is critical to choose the pure sciences field. The perception of the usefulness of mathematics is crucial for both boys and girls who choose science field leading them to careers in STEM. In sum, our results suggest that support in mathematics from the significant adults, as perceived by students, is less dominant than expectations of success (self-efficacy and anxiety) and the value placed on mathematics (interest and utility perceived) to compare boys and girls in their choice of field. In the light of the results obtained, we believe that the implementation of measures in schools to strengthen the self-efficacy of girls in mathematics and especially to reduce their anxiety levels in this area would be a promising way to achieve parity between boys and girls in STEM fields.

自我決定理論是個從環境脈絡、個體心理需求、動機型態來看待個體適應性行為的歷程理論。本研究之研究旨趣即是以自我決定理論之觀點，探討父母支持、教師支持、基本需求滿足、生涯自主動機、生涯定向及學習投入的現況及各變項在性別、年級、學校性質的差異情形，研究者乃根據上述變項提出兩個模式並予以驗證。 本研究以台灣地區北、中、南、東四個地區1120位高中生為對象，研究工具包括：研究者改編之「父母支持量表」、「教師支持量表」、「基本需求滿足量表」、「生涯自主動機量表」、「生涯定向量表」及「學習投入量表」。本研究採用單因子多變量變異數分析與潛在變項模式分析進行研究假設之驗證。 研究結果顯示： 1.現今高中生所知覺的父母支持及教師支持頻率偏高，基本需求滿足程度良好、生涯自主動機程度偏高、生涯定向程度中等、學習投入狀況積極。 2.女高中生比起男高中生，感覺到較高的父母支持、教師支持，並且在聯繫感的需求上獲得較高的滿足；高三學生比起高二學生而言，他們感覺到較高的教師支持，有著較高的生涯自主動機，對於未來生涯的目標也較為明確，高一的學生也比高二的學生感受到較多的教師支持；明星高中的學生比社區高中的學生感受到較高的父母支持，而社區高中的學生比明星高中的學生感受到較高的教師支持。 3.以父母支持、教師支持為自變項、基本需求滿足、生涯自主動機為中介變項，生涯定向為依變項的「生涯自主動機歷程與生涯定向模式」獲得支持。亦即高中生所知覺的父母支持、教師支持會正向影響個體的基本需求滿足程度，基本需求滿足程度會進一步正向影響生涯自主動機，再透過生涯自主動機對生涯定向產生正向影響。 4.以父母支持、教師支持為自變項、基本需求滿足、生涯自主動機、生涯定向為中介變項，學習投入為依變項的「生涯自主動機歷程與生涯定向、學習投入模式」獲得支持。亦即生涯自主動機、生涯定向對學習投入有正向影響，且父母支持及教師支持對學習投入有直接正向影響。 最後，研究者根據研究結果提出建議，以供高中父母、教師、輔導單位、高中生及未來研究者參考。

Seulement une minorité d’adolescents qui consomment des substances psychoactives développe des problèmes significatifs reliés à cette consommation. Il importe donc de connaître et de comprendre les processus par lesquels se développe la consommation problématique afin de pouvoir la prévenir. Cette étude examine le rôle des symptômes dépressifs et des relations sociales dans le développement de la consommation problématique à l’adolescence. Plus précisément, elle vise à déterminer, à l’aide d’un devis longitudinal corrélationnel prospectif, si le soutien des pairs, le soutien des parents et la qualité de la relation maître-élève ont des effets modérateurs protecteurs sur la relation entre les symptômes dépressifs et la consommation problématique. L’échantillon utilisé pour cette étude est tiré de la Stratégie d’Intervention Agir Autrement et comprend 4473 adolescents. Des régressions linéaires multiples ont été effectuées et ont démontré que les symptômes dépressifs et le soutien des parents augmentent le risque d’une consommation problématique, alors que le soutien des pairs le diminue. De plus, les résultats confirment le rôle protecteur du soutien des pairs, mais indiquent que le soutien des parents exacerbe le lien entre les symptômes dépressifs et la consommation problématique. Par ailleurs, la qualité de la relation maître-élève est associée à une consommation moins problématique uniquement chez les jeunes qui n’ont pas beaucoup de symptômes dépressifs. Les implications de ces résultats sont discutées. / Of adolescents who use drugs, only a minority develops significant problems related to this drug use. It is then relevant to know and understand the processes by which this problematic consumption develops itself in order to be able to prevent it. This study examines the roles of depression symptoms and social relationships in the development of problematic drug use at the adolescence. More precisely, it aims at determining, with the help of a prospective correlational longitudinal design, if peers support, parental support and the quality of the teacher-student relationship have moderator effects on the relationship between depressive symptoms and problematic drug use. The sample used for this study is taken from the Stratégie d’Intervention Agir Autrement and is comprised of 4473 teenagers. Multiple linear regressions were completed and showed that depressive symptoms enhance the risk of a problematic drug use to be developed, whereas peers support impairs it. Contrary to what was expected, results show that parental support enhances the risk of developing a problematic drug use and that the teacher-student relationship has no significant impact. Moreover, peers support has a protective role, parental support intensifies the relationship between depressive symptoms and problematic drug use, whereas the quality of the teacher-student relationship attenuates it.

This study investigated teachers' and learners' perceptions of the causes of poor performance in Mathematics among Grade 9 learners in Durban's Ethusini Circuit of KwaZulu-Natal Province. By using a phenomenographic research design, a sample of 15 Grade 9 learners who take Mathematics, one Grade 9 Mathematics teacher and one Mathematics head of department was selected purposively from three high schools in the Ethusini Circuit. The three schools are one former model C school, one ordinary government school and one private school. Focus group and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from the participants. The data were analysed by transcribing the focus group and semi-structured interviews; thereafter, the transcriptions were coded into themes and categories. The results of this study indicate that teachers and learners perceive that poor performance in Mathematics in Grade 9 is due to CAPS curriculum challenges, such as overloaded and advanced content, and insufficient time to complete the curriculum. Parental support, English (first additional language) as a language of learning and teaching, methods of teaching (such as the talk and chalk method), and learners' negative attitude towards Mathematics were also cited. From these findings, recommendations for revisiting the CAPS curriculum and other areas of need, as well as topics for future research were suggested. / Dinyakišišo tše di nyakišišitše ka ga maikutlo a barutiši le a baithuti ka ga dilo tšeo di bakago go se šome gabotse ka thutong ya Dipalo gareng ga baithuti ba Kreiti ya 9 ka Sedikothutong sa Ethusini ka Durban ka Phrobentsheng ya KwaZulu-Natal. Ka go šomiša mokgwa wa dinyakišišo wa fenomenokrafiki, sampole ya baithuti ba 15 ba Kreiti ya 9 bao ba ithutelago Dipalo, morutiši o tee wa Dipalo ka go Kreiti ya 9 le morutiši o tee yo e lego hlogo ya lefapha la Dipalo o kgethilwe ka maikemišetšo go tšwa dikolong tše di phagamego tše tharo ka Sedikothutong sa Ethusini. Dikolo tše tharo tše ke sekolo se tee seo se bego se le sa motlolo wa C, se tee sa tlwaelo sa mmušo le se tee ke sekolo sa phraebete. Sehlopha seo se nepišitšwego le dipoledišano tša dipotšišo tšeo di beakantšwego peleng di šomišitšwe go kgoboketša tshedimošo go tšwa go bakgathatema. Tshedimošo e sekasekilwe ka go ngwalolla dipoledišano tša dipotšišo tša sehlopha seo se nepišitšwego le tšeo di beakantšwego peleng; ka morago ga fao, dingwalollo tše di filwe dikhoutu go ya ka merero le magoro a tšona. Dipoelo tša dinyakišišo tše di laetša barutiši le baithuti ba bona gore go se šome gabotse ga baithuti ka thutong ya Dipalo ka go Kreiti ya 9 ke ka lebaka la ditlhohlo tša lenaneothuto la Setatamente sa Melawana ya Tekolo ya Lenaneothuto (CAPS), go swana le diteng tša thuto tšeo di tletšego kudu le tšeo di gatetšego pele kudu, le nako ye e sego ya lekana ya go fetša lenaneothuto. Thekgo ya batswadi, Seisemane (polelo ya gae ya tlaleletšo) bjalo ka polelo ya go ithuta le ya go ruta, mekgwa ya go ruta (ya go swana le mokgwa wa go bolela le go ngwala ka tšhooko letlapeng), le maikutlo ao a sego a loka a baithuti go Dipalo le tšona di filwe bjalo ka dilo tšeo di bakago se. Go dikutollo tše, ditšhišinyo tša go etela leswa lenaneothuto la CAPS le makala a mangwe ao o hlokago šedi, gammogo le dihlogotaba tša dinyakišišo tša ka moso le tšona di ile tša šišinywa. / Lolu cwaningo luphenye imibono yothisha kanye neyabafundi yezimbangela zokungasebenzi kahle esifundweni seziBalo kubafundi beBanga le-9 kuSekhethi yase-Ethusini eThekweni esifundazweni saKwaZulu-Natali. Ngokusebenzisa isakhiwo sokucwaninga esisezingeni eliphezulu, isampula yabafundi abayi -15 beBanga le-9 abathatha iziBalo, uthisha oyedwa weBanga le-9 kanye nomphathi oyodwa womnyango weziBalo bakhethwa ngenhloso ezikoleni ezintathu eziphezulu kuSekhethi yase-Ethusini. Lezi zikole ezintathu esisodwa semodeli C, esisodwa sikahulumeni ojwayelekile kanye nesisodwa isikole esizimele. Iqembu lokugxila kanye nezingxoxo ezihlelwe kahle zisetshenzisiwe ukuqoqa imininingwane evela kubahlanganyeli. Imininingwane yahlaziywa ngokubhalwa kweqembu okugxilwe kulo kanye nezingxoxo ezihlelwe kahle; emva kwalokho, imibhalo ivezwe ngendlela engaqondile ezindikimbeni nasezigabeni. Imiphumela yalolu cwaningo ikhombisa ukuthi othisha kanye nabafundi babona ukuthi ukungasebenzi kahle esifundweni seziBalo kuBanga lesi-9 kungenxa yezinselela yezifundo ezibandakanya isifundo esifundwayo seCAPS, njengokuqukethwe okugcwele kakhulu nokuthuthukile, kanye nesikhathi esinganele sokuphothula izifundo ezibandakanya isifundo esifundwayo. Ukusekelwa kwabazali, isiNgisi (ulimi lokuqala olwengeziwe) njengolimi lokufunda nokufundisa, izindlela zokufundisa (njengeyokufundisa lapho uthisha ebhala ebhodini), kanye nesimo sengqondo esingesihle sabafundi maqondana neziBalo nakho kuveziwe. Ukusuka kulokhu okutholakele, kuphakanyiswe ukuphinda kuphinde kufundwe izifundo ezibandakanya isifundo esifundwayo seCAPS kanye nezinye izindawo ezidingeka, kanye nezihloko zocwaningo lwakusasa ziphakanyisiwe. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum and Instructional Studies)

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Ongoing public concern has been expressed concerning the improvement of academic performance of learners in selected Bushbuckridge rural schools, South Africa. Statistics gathered since 2008 demonstrate that the overall performance of secondary schools in the Grade 12 examinations in this region has been consistently poor. This study focused on the stakeholder perceptions of effect of indiscipline on academic performance of learners in selected Bushbuckridge rural schools. Lack of learner discipline in this region prompted this investigation. The general aim of the study was to understand manifestations of indiscipline in relation to learner performance in selected Bushbuckridge rural schools. The study used qualitative research methods and the sample comprised four secondary schools selected by purposive sampling. Individual structured interviews and focus group interviews were used to gather data. In each school, one school management team (SMT) and three educators participated in individual interviews, while four learners participated in focus group interviews. The findings indicated that schools which yielded poor academic performance were faced with learners’ disciplinary problems, which manifested in poor class attendance, late coming, persistent class disruptions, learners’ retaliation when disciplined by educators, alcohol and drug abuse, mocking and ignoring educators and plagiarism. Educators in school C and D lacked a disciplinary mechanism to enforce discipline in their classes since corporal punishment was abolished, hence the poor academic performance of learners. The implementation of the Integrated Quality Management Systems (IQMS), a departmental strategy aimed at developing educators in order to equip them with all the necessary skills to ensure the success of their schools which is measured against the academic achievement of the learners, had predominantly failed in schools to reach its goal. Educators mainly relied on parental support to deal with serious learner offences but this strategy was largely inadequate. The conceptual framework, ‘putting a plan into practice’, was used to explain the importance of learner discipline for the betterment of academic performance by expounding the five pillars that can be used to attain quality schools. These pillars, if put into practice, create an organizational climate which provides both educators and learners with an opportunity to function as partners in defining and creating success in schools. / Educational Studies / D. Ed.