School based restorative practices as alternative to punitive practices in influencing positive behaviour in deviant pupils in Zambia.
Date
2020-12
Authors
Muleya, Gistered
Kapembwa, Ruth
Simuyaba, Eunifridah
Njobvu, Tommy
Simui, Francis
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Journal of Education and Research Vol. 8 No. 12
Abstract
This paper explores school based restorative practices as alternative to punitive practices in influencing the
behaviour of deviant pupils in selected secondary schools in Kabwe District. A qualitative case study with
Unstructured Interviews and Focus Group Discussions were conducted among thirty-six (36) participants
consisting of two (2) school administrators, ten (10) teachers and twenty-four (24) pupils. The findings
revealed that the main restorative practices used in schools include manual work, detention, dialogue with
parents, counseling, and suspension. The study further revealed that the restorative practices were not
helping in influencing positive behaviour in pupils but rather making them more stubborn and repeating
offensive behaviors. This is contrary to the general perspective that restorative practices in schools create a
positive school culture and climate that helps pupils to reintegrate into the learning environment. It is
therefore imperative for education leaders to invest in sensitizations of pupils and training of teachers in
restorative practices in order for them to understand and appreciate the logic behind adopting these
approaches for ease of implementation and achievement of the desired result.
Description
Keywords
Restorative practices. , Alternatives. , Punitive practices; , Behaviour. , Deviant pupils