Abstract
School management teams and teachers are tasked with managing learner discipline. However, literature suggests that SMTs might struggle with implementing discipline strategies. As a result, it is important to understand the strategies employed by SMTs in exercising discipline leadership strategies and the challenges they face in various contexts. Therefore, this study investigated how SMT members exercise discipline strategies in public and private primary schools. This research is significant because there is limited research on the collective leadership role of SMT members in influencing disciplinary practices in schools. Furthermore, there is a dearth of contextualised knowledge regarding discipline strategies that are used by SMT members in public and private primary schools in South Africa. This study intends to fill this research gap. This study employed the interpretivist research paradigm to understand experiences of SMT members in dealing with discipline. It is a qualitative case study conducted in private and public primary schools. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews from ten SMT members. Purposive sampling was used to select two Principals, two Deputy Principals and six Departmental Heads. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that SMT members used various leadership strategies to shape discipline in school however, a major distinction was found in how each of these styles are implemented across different school settings. SMT members were found to be experiencing challenges when implementing disciplinary strategies. The leadership styles they used were significantly influenced by contextual variables, both inside and outside of the school environment. It was concluded that public and private schools have different ways of dealing with indiscipline, and the choices of their strategies are influenced by their environment. This study contributes to existing knowledge by illustrating the practical application of disciplinary leadership strategies. This study recommended that schools should strengthen collaborative and restorative leadership practices and enhance their capacity to manage contextual challenges.