Attitude, knowledge and beliefs about corporal punishment: a case study of four schools in KwaMashu township, Durban.

Abstract

South Africa has adopted a human rights constitution, ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1995, and legally abolished corporal punishment in schools (South African Schools Act, 1996a); however, it is still a challenge for some South African teachers to abandon corporal punishment as a disciplinary practice. This study was about the attitude, knowledge and beliefs about corporal punishment: A case study of four schools in KwaMashu Township, Durban. The study aimed to assess the teachers’ perceptions about corporal punishment and their disciplinary strategies; examine what teachers perceive as effective alternatives to corporal punishment (ATCP); find out how parents feel about the practice of corporal punishment; and examine the role played by school management in reducing violence in schools. This study used 15 participants from three primary schools and one high school based in KwaMashu. Township. The primary data was collected through semistructured interviews and focus group interviews. The data was analysed qualitatively. The study found that educators who experienced corporal punishment while they were children or learners may also use corporal punishment to discipline their children or learners. It is used as a way to control children. It was further found that educators still believe that corporal punishment is an effective method to reduce learners’ unwanted classroom behaviours. Furthermore, it was found that educators believe that they were very good as children because their parents used corporal punishment to beat them when they did something wrong. It was also found that most educators have not seen supplementary materials from the Department of Education (DoE) on ATCP; however, they are aware that corporal punishment was abolished. The study found that most teachers revealed that there is lack of ATCP because there are no detention facilities where they can detain learners in a polite way, rather than administering corporal punishment. They also revealed that there is lack of capacity in the whole education system because when corporal punishment was banned, relevant alternatives in line with the constitution of South Africa were not provided. Most teachers also indicated that they have not been trained in how to use alternatives. The study recommended that the DoE should provide a document on ATCP to all schools to enable them to choose which alternative measures will be suitable for them. It is recommended that leadership must be provided: There should be great collaboration between the DoE and the principal, between the principal and the community, and on school level, between the principal and the teachers. The DoE should provide information on ATCP to all schools. District officials should conduct workshops on why they should not use corporal punishment. While convincing teachers on reasons not to use corporal punishment, they must educate the teachers on ATCP. Teachers must be trained so that they can overturn this long-term belief in corporal punishment.