Abstract
M.Ed.
Discipline is one of the main factors affecting schooling in South Africa. One may argue that the education system is in a transitional stage — moving from a system that supported corporal punishment to one that supports democratic values and a humanistic approach. Most learners experience and exhibit discipline problems such as disruptive classroom behaviour, bullying, violence and so on. This study recommends that if teachers can establish effective discipline practices in the classroom, effective teaching and learning will be attained to ensure academic success, whilst also providing a safe learning environment.
In this study, the focus was on the phenomenon of some learners who go to school and do not learn. In some instances learners spend most of the time outside the classroom rather than inside the classroom. No matter how different learners are perceived, they still have an equal right to education. In other instances it is believed that serious disorder and disruption amongst learners in the classrooms are rife in schools. Some of the learners become involved in serious offences during the learning and teaching periods, for example, disturbing the teacher and other learners through unruly behaviour. This study acknowledges that each teaching situation is a unique and the handling thereof should be unique. Hence, the study was interested in knowing the differences between the two schools. This study investigated the critical factors that impacts school discipline; it sought to understand and examine how these factors are negotiated for effective learning in schools.
This research used a case study since it was best suited to study and describe topic under investigation as fully and accurately as possible in the context of qualitative research approach (Creswell, 1998). According to Marshall and Rossman (1999), qualitative research is done in settings where the researcher,‗ delves in depth into complexities and processes‘, research on ‗little-known phenomena or innovative systems‘ and ‗research for which relevant variables have not yet been defined‘. I used an interpretative study which involves making sense of the data, or the ‗lessons learned‘, as described by Lincoln and Guba (1985). I selected teachers from two primary schools as the main resource for information...