Abstract
M.Ed.
This study was conducted as an effort to investigate the secondary school learners' perception of
discipline. This study stemmed from the general perception by all stakeholders in education (teachers,
parents, learners and the Department of Education) that there is a crisis in schools and the absence of a
culture of teaching and learning is due to a lack of, among other things, discipline.
Assumable, the move from an old authoritarian style of discipline to a new democratic style has
complicated the problem. According to the new legislation, corporal punishment should not be used in
schools. The perception of many people are that teachers are experiencing problems in disciplining
learners and that new methods have to be developed to discipline learners at school. This study aims to find out the secondary school learners' perception of discipline. This led to the
identification of various aspects of discipline such as:
Discipline for character development: selfdiscipline, self-control, responsibility and
accountability.
Discipline aimed at ethical behaviour: morality, values and norms.
Relationships as an aspect of discipline: personal relations with teachers and other learners.
A comparative study, between township and informal settlement schools, was conducted based on the
above-mentioned aspects. A further comparison was done concerning gender, grade, vernacular,
language of instruction, who takes care of the child, religious affiliation and the primary school
attended by the learner (rural or urban). Generally, there seemed to be no statistically significant
difference between these categories. A quantitative (empirical) study was conducted in five secondary schools in Gauteng. Chapter four
clearly shows the results of the research project. Based on the results of the research, guidelines were
drafted to assist the teacher with disciplining learners in the classroom. Finally, this study recommends further research on this topic at a wider context, such as:
Involving other stakeholders.
Research in rural area schools.
Research in other areas (provinces) of South Africa.