A Comparative Analysis of Effects of School Disciplinary Approach on Moral and Academic Behaviour of Secondary School Students (A Case Study of Some Selected Secondary Schools in Oshodi LGA)
Chapter One
General Objectives of the Study
The general objective of the study was to examine the extent to which students in best performing schools are disciplined compared to students in least performing secondary schools at Oshodi LGA. in Lagos state.
Specific Objectives of the Study
- To examine the suitability of set rules and regulations in best and least performing schools.
- To examine the mechanisms in place that ensures that students’ abides to prescribed rules and regulations.
- To examine how the students punishment management influence academic
- To investigate how the administration of school rules and regulation contribute moral and academic behaviour of students .
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
The previous chapter attempted to justify the rationale for this dissertation. In this chapter the literatures relevant to the relationship between school discipline and academic performance in schools were reviewed accordingly. The chapter was divided into sections: the concept of discipline, theoretical framework, conceptual framework and review of related literature.
Empirical Review
Concept of Discipline
Traditionally, discipline in school administration meant punishment that is pain and fear. To some discipline can connote something negative as obeying orders blindly, kneeling down, doing manual work, fetching firewood and water for teachers and parents, caning and other forms of punishment. Bull (1969:108) associates this as physical discipline that leads to threatening condemnation to a child. According to Okumbe (1998), discipline is the action by management to enforce organizational standards.
Indeed discipline involves the preparation of an individual to be a complete and efficient member of a community; and a disciplined member of a community is one who knows his /her rights and his/her obligations to their community. This means that the individual must be trained to have self-control, respect, obedience and good manner (Ngonyani et al, 1973:15).
Okumbe (1998:115) and Galabawa (2001:23) see discipline as an activity of subjecting someone to a code of behavior that there is a widespread agreement that an orderly atmosphere is necessary in school for effective teaching and learning to take place. Discipline, according to Gossen (1996:25) and Lockes in Castle (1958:126), is reasonable in the eyes of those who receive it and in the eyes of a society as a whole. It is expected that the rules are known by all and are consistently enforced. In order for an action to be good, discipline must also be reasonable. A person is able to deny himself or herself to his or her desires and serves for others.
Types of Discipline
According to this study only two types of discipline were investigated: positive and negative discipline as identified by Umba (1976), Bull 1969) and Okumbe (1998). The first type, positive discipline is sometimes known as self-discipline. Self- discipline is the kind of discipline that comes from the aims and desires that are within the person, where there is no element of fear (Umba, 1976:8). Okumbe (1998:116) relates positive discipline with preventive discipline, providing gratification in order to remain committed to a set of values and goals. It is encouraged self-control, individual responsibility in the management of time, respect of school property, school rules and authority, good relationship between students and teachers.
The second type of discipline, negative discipline, occurs when an individual is forced to obey orders blindly or without reasoning. The individual may pretend to do good things or behave properly when superiors are present but once they are absent quite the opposite is done.
For example, a teacher may behave well before his/her head of school, perhaps in pursuit of something like promotion or other favors’. Likewise, students may behave well when their teachers are present, but resort to mischief as soon as they are out of sight.
Effective Discipline Skills
According to Robbins (1998: 77), the essence of effective discipline can be summarized by the following eight behaviors. Respond immediately means the more quickly the disciplinary action follows an offence, the more likely that the person responds positively. Also provide a warning this mean you have an obligation of issuing a warning before initiating the disciplinary actions. Disciplinary action is more likely to be interpreted as fair if it is preceded by a warning. Furthermore state the problem specifically by giving the date, time, place and individual involved and any mitigating circumstances surrounding the violation.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
Chapter two dealt with literature review in which the knowledge gap related to the study was identified. This section presented the description of the study area, research approach, the research design, study population, sample population, sampling procedure, research instruments, research procedure, data analysis and research ethics.
Research Approach
The study employed both qualitative approach and quantitative approach. The study has selected an essentially qualitative approach for data collection in order to explore phenomena whereby in-depth interview and participant observation was done to describe variation, to describe explanation relationships, to describe individual experiences and group norms in order to get participants perspectives using interactive strategies in real-life situation.
Quantitative approach was used in this study to confirm hypothesis about phenomena whereby questionnaires were used to quantify variation in frequencies and percentage, to predict causal relationships, to describe characteristics of a population by making statistical summary and analysis and to facilitate the drawing of inferences related to the study in order to measure participants’ views towards discipline management practice.
Quantitative approach also helped to present simple statistical analysis because many questions were closed-ended this allowed to crosscheck the correctness of the information gathered in the field as well as to ensure that the strengths of one method offset the weakness of the other, hence making it possible for the study to justify the results obtained through other instruments during data collection.
Research Design
The study employed descriptive survey design. Descriptive survey is characterized by describing data on variable of interest and it is useful for gathering factual information, data on attitudes and preferences, belief and predictions, behavior and experiences-both past and present (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2000).
According to Omari (2011:96), descriptive survey design is very analytical, conceptual and inferential, which describes existing conditions by comparing groups of respondents about their thoughts, opinion and experiences. Therefore, in this study descriptive survey helped to gather and analyze data as it combines two approaches (qualitative and quantitative) for in-depth and wide information. Hence it enabled acquisition of a rich, robust, holistic description and understanding of the problem under investigation, which is to investigate and explore students discipline and its impact on their academic achievement in Oshodi secondary schools.
Focus Population
The term population refers to a large group of people, an institution or a thing that has one or more characteristics in common on which a research study is focused. It consists of all cases of individuals or things or elements that fit a certain specification Fraenkel and Wallen (2000:103) denote that a population is the group of interest to the researcher from which possible information about the study can be obtained. Omari (2011) added that a population is the totality of any group of units which have one or more characteristics in common that are of interest to the research.
The targeted population for this study included the following category of the sample head teachers, discipline masters/mistresses, teachers and students. These categories were selected because they comprise of the major composition of disciplinary indicators in the school administration (Kochhar, 1997) and the school as community its operations were affected by teachers, students and head teachers.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Introduction
This chapter presents presentation, analysis and discussion of research findings done through interviews with the heads of schools, discipline masters/mistresses, and questionnaires administered to teachers and students, as well as through observation in the light of the research objective and question articulated in chapter one .The chapter has been divided into three section namely introduction, background information and research question study sought to answer.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
The preceding four chapters dealt with several aspects pertaining to the research problem. This chapter presents a summary of the study, the major findings, conclusions and pertinent recommendations with the respect to the main findings of the study.
Summary of the Study
This study investigated the extent to which school discipline influenced academic performance in best performing school vis-à-vis least performing secondary schools in Nigeria. Based on the general objective of the study, four objectives were formulated to guide data collection and analysis. These examined the suitability of set rules and regulations in best and least performing schools, the mechanisms in place that ensures that students’ abides to prescribe rules and regulations, how the students’ punishment management influence academic performance and investigated how the administration of school rules and regulation contribute moral and academic behaviour of students .
The research was conducted in Oshodi LGA. in Lagos. The study employed principally a qualitative research approach applying a descriptive study design, with quantification of cases as was necessary. Data were obtained through documentary review, interview, questionnaire and observation methods.
The quantitative data were processed with the help of excel software program and were summarized into tables of frequencies and percentages, while qualitative data were subjected to content analysis and relevant information was extracted.
The findings were expected to generate useful information that might result into new knowledge and stimulate better strategies for improving discipline and academic performance in schools.
Summary of the Major Findings
The following were the major findings of the study:
On Suitability of Set School Rules and Regulations
The study showed that most of the set school rules and regulations used in best performing schools were suitable in managing school discipline contrary to least performing schools where were well written but not well executed as a result many discipline problems were observed.
In least performing secondary schools the reasons and factors behind violating of school rules and regulations were associated with shortage of teachers and teaching- learning materials, overcrowded classes, poor housing, delayed services such as of teacher salary payment, and the absence of libraries and laboratories. Other factors like leadership style were bureaucracy in decision making and lack of consistency in decision implementation. These factors, at the time of study, were either absent or minimal in most best performing secondary schools.
On Mechanisms in Place That Ensures That Students’ Abides To Prescribed Rules and Regulations
Time management, motivation to teachers such as provision of housing, better salaries, free transport allowance, orientation course, discipline committee, punishment and consistent assessment criteria were part of the mechanisms used by the management in best performing secondary schools students’ abides to prescribe rules and regulations. Also continual and critical assessment of conduct and academic progress, school-based criteria and rigorous procedures that touch on background factors such as on academic, moral, social and personality traits, interest, work habits and competencies, including language competency in the course of recruiting teachers and selecting students.
Some of the mechanisms used by management, at the time of study, were either absent or minimal in least performing secondary schools. Regarding academic progress least performing schools maintained the ‘right of education for everyone’ policy without serious recourse to student background factors as well as employing teachers who had finished a teaching program, no regardless of specific academic or professional qualification or ability, moral conduct, interest in teaching, experience or commitment to the work.
On the Influence of Students’ Punishment Management on Academic Performance
The study findings revealed that punishment play significant roles in enhancing moral and academic behaviour of students by making sure that students and teachers follow school rules and regulations. In best performing school punishment was fair and it was consistence applied .One the other hand in least performing schools most of the time punishment was unfair and inconsistence. The adoption further revealed that when rule and regulation is emphasized, it in a long run prescribes the standard of behaviour expected of students and teachers.
On the Influence of Administration of School Rules and Regulation on Moral and academic behaviour of students
The study revealed that in best performing school managers were strict to ensure all agreed rules and regulations are followed properly this was due to less bureaucratic procedures in reaching and implementing decisions contrary to least performing schools were managers were more not strict to ensure all agreement are followed properly. This was due a lot of bureaucracy during implementation of decision made.
Conclusions
On the basis of the findings recounted above, a number of conclusions can be drawn.
- There are as many reasons and factors behind violating school rules and regulations as there are various types of discipline-related problems in the studied schools. However, the type and range of these problems are more prevalent in least performing secondary schools, with a greater negative impact on school discipline and academic performance, than in best performing secondary
- The kind of school rules and their formulation processes, communication strategies and forms of punishment execution seem to exert differential impact on the level of discipline and learning environment in the two categories of school.
- There are as many mechanisms to communicate school rules and regulations to students and teachers as there are various types of punishment meted upon breaking these school rules. While best performing secondary schools are characterized more by use of handbooks of school rules, frequent student-head- of-school meetings and students’ interactions, followed by ultimate use of penal manual work and instant dismissal, least performing public schools are rather limited in this respect, resorting to either caning or simply ignoring student misdeeds. Student suspension or dismissal as a last resort is more difficult and more bureaucratic in management decision making.
- Better remuneration packages for staff, school based orientation sessions and explicit and transparent assessment criteria, as well as early rigorous recruitment and selection procedures for teachers and students, as practiced in best performing secondary schools, seem to associate more with a contented and disciplined academic environment than without these Absence of these, as in least performing secondary schools, tends to invoke an environment of defiance and discontent.
Recommendations
On the basis of the research findings and conclusions drawn in the preceding sections, the following recommendations are made:
Recommendations for Practical Action
- A system should be planned by head of schools whereby members from best performing secondary schools have an opportunity to meet frequently with least performing secondary school community members to share experiences on discipline-related matters vis-à-vis academic performance. Their mutual understanding can be expected to help both sides to look into and act upon the variables that weaken their sides.
- The government, in collaboration with community local authorities, should exert more effort aimed at motivating teachers in least performing schools, through adequate and timely salary payments, improved conditions of service, availability of teaching-learning materials and improved school infrastructure. This gesture can only raise teachers’ self-esteem and the status of the teaching profession, leading to a reduction in the malpractices that negatively impact on school discipline and academic performance.
- Parents and teachers are the most powerful influence on the child’s life experiences, especially on educational outcomes. There should be parent -teacher relations so as to control indiscipline among students in school. To this effect, parent-teacher associations (PTAs) should be established by head of schools as a matter of policy for all schools, where some parents could be elected as “school representatives” within the community.
- Since students are targeted beneficiaries of school rules and academic interventions, there is a need for management of both categories of schools to devise ways of involving the students more in matters relating to formulation and implementation of school rules and regulations for an effective non-oppressive school discipline.
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