Teachers’ perceptions on the use of corporal punishment in selected public secondary schools of Kahama urban district, Tanzania.
Date
2024
Authors
Kazenga, Josiah Norman
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to explore teachers’ perceptions on the use of corporal punishment in selected public secondary schools of Kahama Urban District, Tanzania. Three objectives guided the study: to establish teachers’ views on how useful corporal punishment was in controlling unwanted behaviour of secondary school students; to explore teachers’ perceptions on the effects of using corporal punishment in controlling unwanted behaviour of secondary school students; and to find out the alternative strategies teachers can use in controlling unwanted behaviour of secondary school students. The study adopted a qualitative research approach and a case study design. The sample included 12 participants who were selected based on purposive sampling. The study used semi-structured interviews to collect data and employed thematic analysis to analyse data based on the objectives. The findings on the first objective indicated thatcorporal punishment was useful and it was used as a tool for behavioural change, a reminder, a source of respect and discipline for teachers, an enhancer of pass rates, and a symbol of teachers’ authority and power. On the second objective, effects identified were that corporal punishment could lead to truancy, fear and distress, physical harm or death, a feeling of shame and distrust, confusion, and be a source of conflicts. On the third objective, the study indicated that teachers could use alternatives to corporal punishment such as providing guidance and counselling to students, fostering parentteacher cooperation, building friendships with misbehaving students, assigning manual work, and offering motivation to students who exhibit good behaviour. On the first objective, the study concludes that teachers should refrain from using corporal punishment in order to avoid negative outcome that may affect students. On the second objective, the study concludes that corporal punishment negatively affects students when applied excessively to them, and on the third objective, the study concludes that teachers can prioritise the use of alternative strategies over corporal punishment when dealing with unwanted behaviours of secondary school students. The study therefore, recommends secondary school teachers should be enriched with alternative strategies to corporal punishment through various training programmes. The study also recommends that despite the usefulness of corporal punishment that the study has found, teachers
should abstain from using corporal punishment to avoid negative effects that may happen to students. Since the study has discovered that there are alternative strategies to corporal punishment that teachers can use to control students' unwanted behaviours. The study recommends that teachers should use these alternative strategies instead of corporal punishment.
Description
Thesis of Master of Education in Educational Psychology.