Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Management at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2014. / This study was influenced by a variety of disciplinary problems experienced by
educators in rural secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal. Educators regard discipline as a
problem which they have to endure everyday. Teaching and learning have become
difficult in some schools, and impossible in others, because some educators do not
understand how to foster discipline in classrooms. The concern here is quality
management and the fostering of disciplinary measures in schools. One of the important
characteristics of an effective school is good discipline. The problem is that effective
school discipline does not happen by chance; it has to be planned and implemented in
an organised manner.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the nature of discipline, and how principals
of schools in rural secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal perceive and manage discipline
in their schools.The researcher chose Zululand district in KwaZulu-Natal as the field of
study because that is where most rural schools are. The “mixed method research
design” (the quantitative and qualitative approaches) was used in combination to
provide a better understanding of research problems. Two hundred and sixty (260)
schools were randomly selected. Data were collected by means of questionnaires and
interviews.
The following are some of the key findings that emanated from the empirical study:
Schools have the following policies: discipline policy; code of conduct for
learners; code of conduct for educators and alternatives to corporal punishment
but their implementation is poor.
Principals of schools still regard corporal punishment as a disciplinary option.
Schools in rural KwaZulu-Natal still resist the use of alternative punishments.
Schools have the problem of dysfunctional members of the governing bodies.
Parents do not cooperate with schools.
A high percentage of educators are not willing to enforce discipline.
On the basis of the above findings the researcher recommends among other measures that
principals of schools should implement the policies they have put in place. The Department of
Education should empower newly appointed principals by giving them an induction course in
management in order to ensure that they have the required skills. Principals should receive
training in changes that are taking place in education; for instance, the implementation of
alternatives to corporal punishment, legislation and regulations that govern discipline and
punishment in schools and parent involvement strategies. Principals must work collaboratively
with the school governing body, educators, learners and parents to formulate a unifying mission
and develop school rules that will take care of discipline, the indispensable foundation for all
other scholastic success.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uzulu/oai:uzspace.unizulu.ac.za:10530/1361 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Kapuela, Ingrid Sibongile |
| Contributors | Duma, M.A.N. |
| Publisher | University of Zululand |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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