ABSTRACT
The study investigated the effectiveness of disciplinary measures on students’ behaviour in secondary schools in Edo South Senatorial District of Nigeria. The study covered all public senior secondary schools in seven local governments in Edo South Senatorial District, comprising Egor, Ikpoba-Okha, Oredo, Orhionmwon, Ovia North East, Ovia South West and Uhunwonde. Eight (8) research questions were raised and answered. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. The population was made up of one hundred and sixty nine (169) principals. A sample of sixty eight (68) principals was used and was selected using the simple random sampling technique, representing 40% of the total population of the study. The questionnaire titted ’’effectiveness of disciplinary measures on students’ behaviour’’ was used to elicit information from respondents. The questionnaire comprised of twenty (20) items used to gather data on effectiveness of disciplinary measures on student’s behaviour, frequency of providing them and its influence on student’s behaviour. The reliability of the instrument was carried out by employing the split-half reliability procedure. The reliability coefficient was 0.77. The data collected were analysed using mean scores. From the analysis of data, the following were the findings: that senior secondary school principal in Edo South Senatorial District used seventeen (17) disciplinary measures on students’ behaviour. The level of application used in addressing disciplinary measures on students’ behaviour in senior secondary schools in Edo South Senatorial District is low. Measures used in addressing students’ self disciplined in senior secondary schools in Edo South Senatorial District are effective. Arising from the findings, the following recommendations were made: Disciplinary measures that were found to be effective should be employed by principals in senior secondary schools and those ones found not to be effective should not be used often.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Discipline is an important component of human behaviour. It
helps not only to regulate people’s reactions to various situations but also
regulates human conduct and relations with others. It is centered on the
success of a school and hence members of school community are expected to
adhere to various standards or codes of behaviour (Okumbe, 2001). According to
Ireri (1992), in the traditional society, the question of children’s discipline
was a joint effort of all members of the society. Every adult member of the
society reprimanded any erring child for any act of misbehaviour. Today, the
society seems to have however changed. The responsibility of inculcating the
required disciplinary behaviour has shifted to the schools. This may be because
most children go to school from the house at very early age. Therefore the children are left in the care
of the teacher during the greater part of the day. As a result, the teachers
are expected to ensure that those who go through school through their guardian
come out as disciplined members of the society.
One
of the aims of education is to inculcate desirable virtues and morality in the
learner. To achieve this, every school administrator applies disciplinary
measures this may help them to succeed as future leaders. Discipline in schools
help students who would be willing to learn and keep to the norms and rules of
the school. Discipline is indeed a “sin qua non,” for meaningful scholarship
and learning.
A
school that is constantly characterized by frequent students’ violence,
demonstrations, examinations malpractice and cult activities will hardly
achieve the objectives for which it was established. Discipline is needed to
produce a breed of well-cultivated members of the society; who will develop not
only respect for themselves but also for others in the school and the society
at large.
Discipline
seems to have been observed to help both students and teachers to find
themselves not because they are afraid of punishments, but because of their
sense of commitment to fellowship and the ideals of the school, society or the
community where they find themselves. A well disciplined school is one in which
the students and teachers have gotten
enormous records of peace and
encouraging performances in academic,
sports and other areas of human endeavours. In Nigeria today, the acts of delinquency
and violence among senior secondary school students, particularly in the public
schools have become a major problem. This seems to imply that students are not
focused. These problems manifest themselves in form of distraction, lack of
comportment in class, noise, rudeness, cheating in examinations, alcoholism,
drug abuse and addiction, sexual offences, stealing, truancy, fighting,
bullying, verbal abuse and disobedience to constituted authorities.
Arising from the
foregoing, a number of disciplinary measures seem to have been put in place by
the various school heads and some of the schools seem to adopted from those
appealed prescribed by the state Ministry of Education. In many schools, some
of measures are flogging, kneeling down, cutting grass, sitting on the wall,
standing in class, rebuking, warning, sending a student off, inviting parents
and guardians, picking litters, copying of passages, detaining a student in
class or after hours, out-of-class suspension, out-of-school suspension and
expulsion.
Disciplinary
measures often seem to have used by the schools, approved disciplinary measures
by the Ministry of Education are flogging. Kneeling down, cutting of grass,
setting on the wall, standing in class, rebuking, warning, but against this
measures seems not to have yielded the desirable result expected in the
schools.
However,
disciplinary measures approved by the Ministry of Education seem to be
ineffective in dealing with the issue of learner indiscipline in schools. In
apparent reference to corporal punishment, Glenn (1981) observes a problem
resulting from the use of punitive disciplinary measures such as; failure to
reform the bearer’s conscience, failure to achieve voluntary, cheerful
self-control, failure to make the offender love to do well, capitalizing on
making learners obey out of fear, increasing negative behaviours of anger,
hatred and malice and obstinacy, making offenders more hardened.
In
Nigeria, principals as chief disciplinarians in their schools encounter various
challenges while enforcing student disciplinary measures (Rono and Gichana,
2006). In the same vein, the principals may have to deal with some of the
teachers who may be bad role models to the students. It has been noted in a
report by the National Commission of Education (1978),that threats from parents
especially those who hold high positions in the society are challenges
principals face in efforts to enforce students’ discipline in the schools.
Influential parents tried and often manage to erode the authority of the school
principals.
Effective
disciplinary measures are needed to curb the negative conducts of students in
the senior secondary schools. As stated earlier, a number of disciplinary
measures are being enforced in the schools. The effectiveness of any given
disciplinary measure could, therefore, be assessed by the extent to which it
enhances the fulfillment of the following objectives: ability to deter offenders,
ability to enhance responsible behaviour, teaching self-discipline (Gershoff,
2002). It also includes the effectiveness of the disciplinary measures to teach
conflict handling, ability to help the offender understand the offence
committed, enhance responsible behaviour, educate to teach the offenders to
consider rights and feelings of others. An effective disciplinary measure
should also have the ability to involve students in its formulation and
implementation.
Statement of the Problem
Achievement
of educational goals to a large extent depends on student discipline. Hence
Principals play a key role in the maintenance of student discipline in the
secondary schools. Principals’ good disciplinary measures seem not to have been
yielding desirable result in schools. It includes establishing communication
high expectations for students’ behaviour, developing clear behavioural rules
and procedures and making these known to all stakeholders, engaging school and
community to the establishment and maintenance of appropriate students’
behaviour in school and at school sponsored events, encouraging teachers to
handle all classroom disciplinary measures they can, increasing visibility and
informal involvement in the everyday life of the school, increasing personal
interactions with students by taking interest in their plan and activities and
arranging for appropriate staff development activities. (Mpaata, 2008). An increasing
number of secondary school head teachers and teachers are reporting a Wide
range of potentially disruptive behaviours in the classrooms and around the
schools. Many students are seen loitering in town streets, villages, cinema
halls and other places in their uniforms but during class time, an indication
of disrespect to school rules and regulations as well as poor time management.
This has therefore created a big concern from teachers, head teachers and stakeholders
about the lack of opportunity for learners to concentrate on their academic
work
For attainment
in the tests, internal exams and national level examinations as well as the
nature of future citizens. In spite of the application of these measures,
indiscipline seems to be on the increase. Students still bully, steal, riot,
collect items from junior ones, absent themselves from classes, insult and mock
teachers, make noise, destroy school property, involved in corrupt practices,
drug abuse, cultism, examination malpractice, truancy, immoral acts, as well as
other disruptive behaviours. Students’ indiscipline has plagued schools and led
to series of unrest; and students have been observed to resort to unconstitutional
measures in channeling their grievances (McGregory, (2006). Visits to some of
the schools reveal wide spread truancy, sexual immorality, cultism, fighting,
examination malpractices and insubordination. Although it is not unusual that
schools have been blamed for the awkward and uncivilized behavior demonstrated
by students, this situation has been a major concern to parents and those in
the school community who suggest that disciplinary measures be applied by
teachers and that rapport be created between students and teachers as a
systematic way of solving the problems. Principals in senior secondary schools in Edo
South Senatorial District are required to use the same disciplinary measures in
enhancing students discipline as their counterparts in other parts of the
country. Where as, the enforcement of school rules and regulations have yielded
good result in some of the secondary schools in Nigeria, the same seem
ineffective in Edo South Senatorial District. The use of Punitive and preventive
measures of enhancing student in-discipline appears inadequate to deal with
some of the disciplinary cases. As, a result, some have resorted to forms of
corporal punishment in the Senior Secondary Schools as disciplinary measures.
Yet, the desirable results seem not to have being achieved. Even the efforts of
the families, the government and stakeholders in the education industry towards
controlling the negative and anti-social acts of senior secondary school
students seem not to have yielded positive result.
The
situation seems to have self evident in the behaviour of the students and
products of the senior secondary schools. Indiscipline seem to have appears
failure all the measures approved the Ministry of Education.
The
major question which arises is; how effective are the disciplinary measures put
in place in the schools? Certainly, the measures may not have equal degree or
level of desirable impacts on the students.
Research Questions
To
guide this study, the following research questions were raised:
1.
What are the disciplinary measures employed in
enforcing discipline behaviour among senior secondary schools students in Edo
South Senatorial District?
2.
What is the level of application of disciplinary measures
on students’ behavours in secondary schools in Edo South Senatorial District?
3.
How effective are the disciplinary measures employed in
schools able to teach offenders to consider the rights and feelings of others
in secondary schools in Edo South Senatorial District?
4.
How effective are disciplinary measures employed in the
schools able to achieve self discipline among the students in secondary schools
in Edo South Senatorial District?
5.
What is the
level of effectiveness of disciplinary measures employed in the schools able to
deter offenders in secondary schools in Edo South Senatorial District?
6.
The disciplinary measures employed in the
schools able to achieve conflict handling in secondary schools in Edo south
senatorial District?
7.
To what extent are disciplinary measures employed in
the schools able to educate offenders to understand offence committed in
Secondary Schools in Edo South Senatorial District?
8.
To what extent are disciplinary measures employed in
schools able to enhance responsible behaviour in Secondary Schools in Edo South
Senatorial District?
Purpose of the Study
This study examined the effectiveness of
disciplinary measures on students’ behaviour in Secondary Schools in Edo South
Senatorial District of Nigeria.
Specifically, the study sought to:
- Identify disciplinary measures employed in enforcing discipline behaviour among senior secondary schools students in Edo South Senatorial District.
2.
Level of application of disciplinary measures on
students’ behaviours in Secondary Schools in Edo South Senatorial District.
3.
Effectiveness of disciplinary measures employed in
schools able to educate offenders to consider the rights and feelings of others
in secondary schools in Edo South Senatorial District.
4.
Effectiveness of disciplinary measures employed in
schools are able to achieve self discipline among the students in secondary
schools in Edo South Senatorial District.
5.
Levels of effectiveness of disciplinary measures
employed in the schools are able to deter offenders in secondary schools in Edo
South Senatorial District.
6.
Effectiveness of
disciplinary measures employed in schools are able to achieve conflict handling
in secondary schools in Edo South Senatorial District.
7.
Effectiveness of disciplinary measures employed in
school are able to educate offenders to understand offences committed in
secondary in Edo South Senatorial District.
8.
How effectiveness of disciplinary measures employed in
school are able to impact responsible behaviour in secondary schools in Edo
South Senatorial District.
Significance of the Study
The
expected findings would be of relevance to the stakeholders in the Ministry of
Education, teachers, parents, students, school principals and proprietors.
The
findings of this work would guide the Ministry of Education when formulating
and reviewing educational policies; especially in the quality and standard of
schools by educational planners and curriculum developers in addressing the
challenges faced in enhancing school discipline. The study would also enable
policy makers to implement the rules and regulations that will strengthen the
identified effective disciplinary measures in secondary schools and do away
with the measures that are regarded as not effective. This work would help
Parents and Guardians who may find useful the behavioural strategies of
punishment and reward highlighted in the study to inculcate into their children
or wards the permanent behaviour of discipline. The findings of this study
would be of help to teachers in their application of the disciplinary measures
that have been identified by students as effective so as to deter students from
manifesting unwholesome behaviour. It would also create in the teachers the
need to avoid gender bias in meting out deserved punishment for same gravity of
offence on students. Principals would be reminded from the findings of this
work the various strategies they can use in curbing disciplinary problems and
how they can improve on them continually.
Future
researchers in educational management, administration and planning would be
equipped and assisted with the findings of this study as they would serve as a
reference point when they are carrying out researches on the subject of
disciplinary measures amongst students.
Scope of the Study
The
study focused on public secondary schools in Edo South Senatorial District. The
Senatorial District comprise of Egor, Ikpoba-Okha, Oredo, Orhionmwon, Ovia
North East, Ovia South West and Uhunwonde Local Governments Area of Edo State. Only
students in public secondary schools were used for the study. The study is
limited to only public senior secondary schools in Edo South Senatorial
District. The senior school Ability to deter offenders, ability to teach
responsible behaviour, teaching self discipline, teaching behaviour
accountability, conflict handling, ability to help the offender understand the
offence committed, teach responsible behaviour, help to teach the offenders to
consider rights and feelings of others, involve relevant of students in its
formulation. Also, the study does not include disciplinary measures used by
teachers at the classroom level.
Operational Definition of Terms
Disciplinary Measures: there are
punishments used on students as a result of disobeying school rules and regulations.
Effectiveness:
The levels to which the measures are able to help offenders to understand
offence committed, achieve conflict handling strategies, deter offenders, teach
offenders to consider right and feeling of others. In this work,
‘’effectiveness’’ is qualified as follows: 3. 1 – 4 points (Very Effective) 2. 1
–3 points (Effective) 1. 1 – 2 points (Moderately effective) 0.1 – 1 (Not
Effective)
Level of Application: this means how
often each of the Disciplinary Measures is put into use. It includes: (3. 1 - 4)
Very High (2. 1 – 3) High (1. 1 – 2) Low (0.1 – 1) Very Low
================================================================
Item Type: Project Material | Attribute: 107 pages | Chapters: 1-5
Format: MS Word | Price: N3,000 | Delivery: Within 30Mins.
================================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment