School discipline and collaboration rule-making : pupil perception

Abstract

Teachers often complain of a lack of discipline in the school environment. In addition, these breakdowns in discipline become, on occasion, media headlines when violence, bullying, vandalism and intimidation flare up into major incidents. This, coupled with the desire of the national Department of Education (DOE) to encourage teachers to use more co-operative disciplinary methods, has led to this investigation. This dissertation explores the perceptions of senior secondary pupils around school discipline, with a particular focus on collaborative rule-making. Pupil perceptions were ascertained through a structured interview process. A framework of understanding was established by examining the pupils' interpretation of the meaning of discipline; the state of discipline in their school and recommendations to address problem areas; authority; corporal punishment; power and prefectship; power and non-prefect matrics; prefect versus nonprefect views on discipline; the prefect system; the fairness of school rules; and pupil input into school rules. The understanding gleaned from the pupils' perceptions of these notions established a solid base from which an investigation into collaborative rule-making was launched. Thereafter, the notion of collaborative rule-making, the viability of collaborative rule-making, the advantages and disadvantages of collaborative rule-making and the implementation of collaborative rule-making were examined. The pupils came out strongly in support of collaborative rule-making and were keen to have an input into the school's disciplinary structures. The potential advantages far outweighed any possible disadvantages. These findings support both Bernstein's (1996) principle of pupil participation and the premise of pupil input into Codes of Conduct as detailed by the South African Schools Act (No. 84 of 1996).