ABSTRACT
For any learning to take place discipline of the learners and teachers is quite important. The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of disciplinary measure measures on students’ discipline in public secondary schools after ban of corporal punishment in Rivers sub-county. The objectives were; to determine how use of guidance and counseling influence students’ discipline in public secondary schools; to establish how suspension of students influence discipline in public secondary schools; to examine the extent to which manual work influences students’ discipline in public secondary schools and to determine the extent to which monetary fines control students discipline in public secondary schools. McGregor’s (1960) Theory X and Y was used as the basis for the study. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. From a target population of 217 teachers in 24public secondary schools, a sample of 15 principals, 15 deputy principals and 75 teachers was drawn. The State Education Officer also participated in the study. Questionnaires and interview schedule were used as research instruments. Findings indicated that indiscipline cases were still a common phenomenon in public secondary schools. The study also revealed that there were significant relationship between variables such as age, gender, teaching experience and academic qualification of teachers and the disciplinary measure measures used. The study findings from the principals and deputy principals indicated that; guidance and counseling programme enhance students’ discipline by building courage and moral uprightness thereby inculcating good value and positive attitude toward development of self discipline. The majority of the principals and deputy principals agreed or strongly agreed that manual work is used as an disciplinary measure measure in secondary schools. Suspension reinforces misbehavior rather than prevent it. Inspite of implementation of disciplinary measure measures the discipline of students is not improving. The study also revealed guidance and counselling as an disciplinary measure measure was not effective since it was handled by untrained personnel’s. The study recommended that the ministry of education should sponsor workshops annually to train teachers on disciplinary measure measures that are not abusive to provide additional instruction to principal and deputy principals regarding the harm of corporal punishment and the alternatives to corporal punishment. Ensure that those conducting guidance and counseling programs for students receive professional training and oversight.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
The government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Education has developed a number of goals to be achieved through the education of children. One of this national goals of education is that it should provide for the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes that will enhance the acquisition of sound moral values and help children to grow up into self discipline, self reliant and integrated citizens (MOE, 2002). This means that by the time the child complete school, he or she should be a discipline person, that is one who is morally and emotionally upright, able to control himself or herself and fit well into the society.
According to Songul (2009), discipline is required for pupils in order for them to be successful in education. Holden (2002) views discipline as the guidance of children’s moral, emotional and physical development, and enabling children to take responsibility for themselves when they are adult. It involves teaching children the boundaries of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in the society. Cameron (2006) defines school discipline as policies and actions taken by school personnel to prevent students from engaging in unwanted behaviors. It primarily focus on school codes of conduct, security methods, suspension from school, fines, parental involvement and teachers’ methods of managing students actions. The purpose of disciplining students is to develop and entrench desirable social habits in students, to foster sound judgment, and morals so that they develop and maintain self discipline throughout the rest of their lives.
According to Porteus and Valley (2001), the school system has used corporal punishment to maintain discipline among learners. The systematic use of corporal punishment in schools in the world has been associated with both authoritarian and non-democratic schools in which learners are not prepared for administrative participation but rather, for simple obedience to a central authority (Morrel, 2001).The problem of students’ indiscipline is a realized universal problem. Article 28 (2) of the UN convention on the rights of the child state that school discipline methods should be ‘consistent with the child’s human dignity and in conformity with the present convection” (UNICEF, 1998).
The committee on the right of child which monitors implementation of the convection has consistently interpreted this article as requiring prohibition of corporal punishment in schools (Newell, 2003). According to Kindiki (2009), research study conducted in developed countries like the United State of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), France and Spain consistently highlight similar issues of the deteriorating scale and nature of violence and indiscipline within schools. The Scottish secondary school teachers association indicated that students persistently infringe on school rules (www.scre.ac.uk).
In Tanzania teachers and school administrators agree that indiscipline is a serious problem and that student’s behavior is difficult to deal with. Although the teacher attests to the fact that the repetitive nature of students’ indiscipline caused them stress, they are all not in agreement on how to deal with indiscipline cases (Wright & Keetley, 2003). In South Africa, learners are alleged to have murdered others inside the school premises, openly challenged teachers and have a “don’t care” attitudes towards their work (Masitsa, 2008:58). Aziza (2001) notes that suspensions and expulsion are highly prevalent in Western Cape schools due to physical and verbal confrontations.
According to Basheka (2008) the period between (2001-2007), schools in Uganda had witnessed an increase frequency in students' strikes against school administration some of the strikes had resulted in destruction of property and injuries to school administration. Fiona (2005) in her research on students' discipline in Uganda found out that strike of secondary students as a means of seeking attention or protest in Ugandan schools was becoming rampant. Hardly a term passed without a school going on strike and as she asserted the pattern was becoming bizarre with school property being destroyed by students. In Uganda, Rukundo (2009) in his study on relationship between management and strikes in two secondary schools in Mutungomo State, identified causes of strike as being indiscipline among students, failure of administration to involve stake holders in decision making, harsh punishment, misuse of school funds and failure of administration to respond to the warnings from students.
In Nigeria, as elsewhere in the world, corporal punishment has been banned as a disciplinary mechanism in schools. Perception exists that this has resulted in an increase in misconduct and indiscipline among secondary school learners. Indiscipline and unrest in Nigeria secondary schools dates back to 1908 when the first strike took place at Maseno School. It was followed by St Mary’s Boys’ High school, Yala (1960), Kericho High School (1961), Kakamega Boys’ secondary school in 1961.These strikes were not violent but later the strikes in 1970s turned violent. For example Maranda Boys’ High school in Bondo State went on strike and damaged property in 1970. Other schools were Sigalame in 1974, Kamusinga Boys’ High school in 1975 and Lari secondary school in 1980 (Republic of Nigeria, 1991).
A student who is not conforming to school rules and regulations can be given work to do using his or her own hand for example, caring for the school garden, cutting long grass in the field, by so doing the undesired behavior will be suppressed. Undisciplined student can be given some manual work to do basing on the belief that if students are made to suffer for doing wrong, they will not repeat their inappropriate behavior and therefore improve discipline in school. Educators in South Africa uses manual work like picking up papers as an alternative to corporal punishment but this never seem deterrent enough (Tauber, 2007). In some secondary schools monetary fines have been used as a means of instilling discipline among students.
According to Macharia (2005) in his study on challenges facing guidance and counseling in public secondary schools in Kiambaa Division of Kiambu State, monetary fines was one of the forms of punishment used to correct misbehavior. For instance, when a students sneaks out of school, they may be asked to buy a roll of barbed wire. In this case, the parent ends up being punished rather than the culprit-the student. It however works since the parent of such a student is likely to reprimand his or her child.
1.2 Statement of the problem
School unrest has been prevalent in many public secondary schools in Nigeria (MOEST, 2001). Ajowi and Simatwa (2010) note that despite the efforts made by the ministry of Education Science and Technology to democratizes the school administrative system, as reflected by the ban of the cane in schools through legal Notice No. 56 of Nigeria Gazette, indiscipline in schools increased with a new dimension. There are reported cases of violence and destruction of property which are premeditated and planned by students and have caused grievous harm to the lives of the learners in different parts of the country. For example at Kitogo secondary school a form four boy confessed he was paid Nigeria shillings 300 by an outsider to assist him burn a dormitory. The dormitory was burnt on 1st April 2014 all the students were sent home. On 23rd March 2014 an alleged rape case was reported in Kambata secondary school. (DEO, Rivers State, 2014)
Students of Nandarasi secondary went on strike during term one of 2012 protesting the sacking of a cook. They became unruly and walked out of the school compound and demonstrated in the nearby shopping centre (DEO Rivers State 2014). Due to the ban of corporal punishment by the government of Nigeria through legal notice No. 56 of 2001 and the persistent occurrence of student’s indiscipline in public secondary schools, the study sought to establish influence of disciplinary measure measures on students discipline in public secondary schools in Rivers sub-county. This is because no research has been conducted on influence of disciplinary measure measures on students discipline in public secondary schools in Rivers state.
1.3 The purpose of the study
The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of disciplinary measure measures on students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Rivers state, Nigeria.
1.4 Objectives of the study
The objectives of the study were:-
i. To determine how use of guidance and counseling influence students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Rivers state.
ii. To establish how suspension of students influence discipline in public secondary schools in Rivers state.
iii. To examine the extent to which manual work influences students discipline in public secondary schools in Rivers state.
iv. To determine the extent to which monetary fines control students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Rivers state.
1.5 Research questions
The study sought to answer the following research questions.
i. How does use of guidance and counseling influence students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Rivers state?
ii. How does suspension of students’ influence discipline in public secondary schools in Rivers state?
iii. To what extent does manual work influence students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Rivers state?
iv. To what extent does monetary fine control students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Rivers state?
1.6 Significance of the study
The findings of the study might help school principals by making suggestions on disciplinary measure measures which when used may improve discipline in schools. The research findings might provide useful information for further research and managers of educational institution might use the findings. The findings of this study might help the principals and teachers to realize that disciplinary measure measures could help to enhance discipline in schools hence leading to better performance.
1.7 Limitations of the study
It was impossible to control the attitudes of the respondents which might have affected the validity of the responses. This is because respondents might have given socially acceptable answers to please the researcher.
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