Abstract
In the post-apartheid era, schools have encountered challenges in creating and maintaining a positive school climate due to behaviour challenges that hinder constructive teaching and learning. During the pre-apartheid era, schools relied on punitive measures of discipline like corporal punishment; however, such measures were abolished as they violate learners’ rights. Teachers, therefore, had to adopt new, proactive, and reflective measures that focus on preventing the undesired behaviour and employ reflective strategies to develop self-disciplined learners. The transition from traditional disciplinary strategies was inadequately implemented, as educators were not well-prepared on how to effectively apply them in the classroom. Teachers, therefore, became overwhelmed by the behaviour challenges that arise in schools, which led to teacher stress as well as a decline in academic performance. The aim of this study was to explore how a whole-school approach can effectively support learners with behaviour challenges to enhance their academic and social outcomes. It explored school-wide positive behaviour support strategies and multi-tiered systems of support that can be utilized to ensure that students with behavioural challenges are adequately supported within and outside the school environment.
Since a whole-school approach involves multiple school stakeholders, it is important for schools to implement solid strategies that create a welcoming environment for stakeholders to effectively engage in different duties that contribute to curbing behaviour challenges. This study, therefore, investigated the effective strategies currently implemented by schools to facilitate a whole-school approach. This study is theoretically framed by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (EST) and Lev Vygotsky’s Social Constructivist Theory (SCT). The Ecological systems theory focused on the influences of different systems on behaviour development, and the social constructivist theory focused on the influence of social interactions on the development of constructive learners until they reach the zone of proximal development.
The study was rooted in the phenomenological interpretivism paradigm, where the researcher drew meaning from the participants' lived experiences through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. These tools enabled the researcher to ask open-ended questions and allowed participants to fully express themselves, providing a detailed understanding of their meaning. The participants in the study were 4 principals, 2 Deputy principals, 5 administrators, and 6 learners, who were purposively sampled across 3 districts to generate data...