The purpose of this study is to understand the dynamics of power experienced by teachers
with multiple stakeholders namely the learners, parents, the school management team and
the Department of Education in the management of learner discipline. The study also
investigated teachers’ knowledge of legislation and policy regarding discipline and the
perceptions of their authority and power in relationship to learner discipline.
The study on teachers’ experience and perceptions of learner (in)discipline was
conducted in an hitherto overlooked setting, namely the primary school. Media reports
and international surveys on discipline, violence and school safety pinpoint the need for
further research on this burning issue that is affecting our society.
In this study, all ten senior primary teachers participated. A qualitative approach was
used. Data was collected through classroom observation, interviews, written accounts and
document analysis. The participants were chosen by purposive sampling. The collection,
presentation and analysis of data were guided by the research questions, and by the
following concepts: French and Raven’s five bases of power (legitimate, coercive, expert,
reward and referent), structural power and the concepts of power over, power with,
power to and power from within, all through the lens of education for social justice. The
process of social justice requires an outlook of power with rather than power over. Power
with is a jointly developed power, that is, the power we achieve by working cooperatively with all concerned.
The findings indicate that teachers’ knowledge of legislation on discipline covers the
banning of corporal punishment but is vague and divided about the corrective measures
and the alternatives to corporal punishment. Teachers’ perceptions of their power to
control misbehaviour is one of powerlessness. This is caused by, among other factors,
the demands of macro structural forces and external factors beyond their control.
Teachers resort to negotiation and bargaining with learners to engage them in learning. In this struggle to manage indiscipline, teachers stand alone deprived of support from
parents, school administration and the Department of Education. Hence the dynamics of
power experienced by teachers with other stakeholders in the management of discipline is
not a transformational form of power or a social justice version of power with. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2012.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/8494 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Venkataramani, Anuradha. |
| Contributors | Hemson, Crispin Michael Cole. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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