Theoretical models of parenting that explain parenting behaviors (e.g., Belsky's (1984) model) generally lack consideration of cultural variables among various ethnic groups, particularly Chinese Americans. One such concept is guan that literally means training (Chao, 1994) (or called training parenting attitude in the present study). Moreover, literature has shown that acculturation and family socioeconomic status significantly influence parenting attitudes and behaviors pertaining to various forms of punitive parenting, namely, authoritarian parenting, corporal punishment, and child physical abuse among the Chinese American population. The training parenting attitude (as a culture-specific parenting attitude) and disciplinary belief (as a traditional parenting attitude) are taken into consideration in the proposed theoretical models of parenting for Chinese Americans.One hundred and seventeen Chinese American mothers who have at least one child in the age range of 4 to 12 years old participated in this study. Structural equation modeling was used to test viable models of punitive parenting. Results indicated that the originally proposed primary model was incorrectly specified. The primary model was then respecified and re-estimated by eliminating the unreliable measures and correlating between the error terms of some observed variables. Consistent with the theory of planned behavior, results indicated that Chinese American mothers with favorable attitudes toward authoritarian parenting were more likely to engage in authoritarian parenting behavior. However, neither acculturation nor family socioeconomic status was found to significantly influence either parenting attitudes or behaviors pertaining to authoritarian parenting. Discriminant function analysis was performed to predict thelevels of engagement (i.e., presence or absence) in corporal punishment and physical abuse from a set of predictors. Findings revealed that only the discriminant function for corporal punishment was significant. Authoritarian parenting and disciplinary belief were found to be the most significant predictors of the levels of engagement in corporal punishment.Further research is needed to explore the predictors for the engagement in authoritarian parenting, corporal punishment, and child physical abuse among the Chinese American population. In addition, professionals should interpret parenting behaviors in terms of the cultural meaning of Chinese American parents. Finally, the limitations of the present study include the lack of access to a diversified sample, self-report bias, low reliabilities of some measures, and the weaknesses of structural equation modeling along with discriminant function analysis. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

This qualitative research study was conducted to ascertain how urban school leaders conceptualized school discipline policies in ways that supported the education of students of color as well as how their values and beliefs informed the implementation of school discipline policies in ways that supported the education of students of color. Urban school leadership participants’ experience was primarily in the nation’s largest school district, New York City. Two research questions guided the framework of this study: (a) How do urban school leaders conceptualize school discipline policies in ways that change the way students of color are disciplined? and (b) How do the values and beliefs of urban school leaders inform their implementation of school discipline policies in ways that support the education of students of color? Qualitative research methodology was used for this study. Data were collected through individual interviews with participants and expert participants. The findings and data analysis constructed a road map for culturally relevant school leaders to conceptualize and implement school discipline policies to support students of color in schools and change the way they were disciplined.

This dissertation historicizes the formation of the school-prison nexus and its impact within the nation’s broader carceral landscape in the decades following the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown. It uses Boston as a case study to examine the fusion of law enforcement and educational policy during the postwar period. Through the legal contest over Boston Public School’s Code of Discipline in the early years of court-ordered desegregation, the project analyzes how these policies and the statistical discourses they perpetuated about Black criminality furthered the expansion of law enforcement, promoted punitive education reforms, diminished the democratic functions of schools, and facilitated untold numbers of students into under- and unemployment as well as the criminal justice system. In doing so, the work makes explicit the role of schools in spurring mass incarceration by implementing policies that unjustly targeted and punished Black youth.

Public school systems are required to provide a safe learning environment free of violence and disruption. For students who threaten the learning of themselves or others, schools frequently develop a disciplinary alternative education placement. Students with a history of behavior problems at school are at greatest risk for future behavior problems and academic failures. In response to evidence that removal discipline techniques had little efficacy, schools have focused on identifying alternative methods of maintaining order and safety. This study evaluated the outcomes of an elementary-level alternative discipline placement with unique intervention programming. The program includes interventions to increase the effectiveness of traditional alternative discipline placements. Activities focus on promoting social competence and developing social information-processing skills intended to increase the behavioral and academic success of student participants. The program excludes students from the general student population and consists of a behavior management system with gradually increasing behavior expectations, reinforcements and consequences, focused social skills lessons, counseling, and parenting classes. Participants were consistently lower performing academically than control group students both before and after the program. However, students who experienced fewer discipline removals after the program had higher report card grades. Overall, participants had a decrease in discipline removals after participating in the program but continued to have more lost instruction days due to discipline than control group students. The higher grade level students had less behavior improvement following the program than younger students. No relation was found between a student’s level of success in the program and their academic or behavioral performance changes. Future research needs include a comparison of students referred for persistent misbehavior and those referred for a single, serious incident and the need to assess the specific skills addressed in the program. / Department of Educational Psychology

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study aims to research discipline in schools and I explored alternative forms of discipline. The literature indicates that alternative forms of discipline exist to the canings that were inflicted in the past, which have now been outlawed. However, effective alternatives to corporal punishment are not obvious. Before deciding on alternatives, it is advisable that teachers go through an experimental phase, and be prepared to make adjustments along the way. The literature also shows that classes with fewer behavioural problems have teachers who tend to use non-violent and child-centred approaches to classroom discipline. Studies show that the vast majority of disciplinary problems result from the circumstances in which such learners find themselves, which are characterised by problems at home, learning barriers, trauma, and ineffective teaching methods. I conclude that the application of corporal punishment aggravates such problems, rather than solving them. Present-day educators are required to fill a greater pastoral role than they did in the past, as learners nowadays tend to face many more difficult challenges than they used to do in the past and also are likely to experience less support outside the school. Most educational psychologists recommend that educators place learners, in cases of them suffering from emotional problems, child abuse, sexual abuse, HIV/AIDS, or alcohol and drug abuse, in an intensive process of counselling, with them being referred to experts in the fields of reference (Porteus et al., 2001:45). I conclude that attempts to improve classroom discipline can be effective if the whole school community is involved. One of the ways in which the whole school community can become involved in attaining a better discipline system is through the adoption of a code of conduct that is arrived at by means of consultation, persuasion and agreement with all role-players concerned. The maintenance of such a code is, however, only likely to be successful if it is strictly enforced and the appropriate sanctions are imposed against those who violate it. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie doen navorsing oor dissipline in skole, en spesifiek alternatiewe vorme daarvan. Die literatuur dui op die bestaan van alternatiewe vorme van dissipline na die afskaffing van lyfstraf in Suid-Afrikaanse skole. Alternatiewe vorme van dissipline is egter nog nie duidelik sigbaar nie. Voordat daar besluit kan word oor alternatiewe vorme is dit egter raadsaam dat onderwysers eers eksperimenteer en die haalbaarheid van alternatiewe vorme probeer vasstel. Die literatuur dui aan dat klaskamers met min of geen dissiplinêre probleme, onderwysers het wat nie-geweldadige en kindergesentreerde benaderings volg. Studies dui aan dat kinders met dissiplinêre probleme uit huise kom met leerprobleme, trauma, en oneffektiewe onderrig metodes. My gevolgtrekking is dat lyfstraf sulke problem vererger, eerder as om dit op te los. Daar word van hedendaagse onderwysers verwag om meer as ooit tevore 'n pastorale rol te vervul. Sielkundiges adviseer dat leerders met ernstige dissiplinere problem eerder na deskundiges verwys behoort te word in plaas daarvan om dit in die klaskamer te probeer oplos. My gevolgtrekking is dat klaskamer dissipline kan effektief toegepas kan word indien die hele skool, ouers en gemeenskap betrokke word. Dit kan slegs geskied met 'n gedragskode wat deur wye konsultasie, beraadslaging en in ooreenstemming met al die rolspelers daar gestel word. Die handhawing van so ʼn kode kan slegs slaag indien dit streng toegepas word en indien daar strafmaatreëls in plek is vir diegene wat die kode verbreek.

The framework of this study was monitoring classroom management strategies and student behaviors in the classroom, then providing strategies and feedback to increase effective classroom management and decrease problem student behaviors. There were 15 evidence–based practices that were researched and used in the study. Specifically teachers were asked to focus on 5 of them. These practices were: using 5 positive feedback comments to 1 negative comment; having classroom rules and expectations that were posted, taught, practiced, consistent, and positively reinforced; using an attention getting cue that had been taught, practiced and positively reinforced; having continuous active supervision including moving and scanning; and managing minor problem behaviors positively, consistently and quickly. Teachers filled out a self–assessment tool on how well they think they implemented these strategies in the classroom, and then received coaching sessions on how to use them more effectively in the classroom. These coaching sessions were given throughout the study as teachers had days where they needed positive reinforcement themselves. The results of these coaching sessions and the use of the strategies are presented in this study.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education