Implementation of positive discipline in Gweru urban district secondary schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of positive discipline in Gweru Urban District Secondary Schools in the Midlands Province. The study sought to find out if positive discipline was being implemented in schools. A descriptive survey design was adopted as it enables one to carry out a research on a large population which is Gweru District in the Midlands Province. Five schools were selected by the researcher through convenience sampling. The Roger’s client centered a psychotherapy guided this study. A sample of five school heads, forty teachers and one hundred students was used. This research involved both qualitative and quantitative approaches as it entailed collecting analyzing and interpreting data. Two research instruments were used and these were the questionnaire and interview. Responses were in narrative and tabular form. School heads’ interview data were analysed qualitatively while teachers’ and students’ data from questionnaires were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The major findings of this research revealed that educators and students have superficial knowledge about positive discipline. There are no guidelines on the implementation of positive discipline. Several benefits of positive discipline were presented in the findings, these include good relationship between teachers and students, improved academic achievement and conducive learning environments. The findings also revealed that guidance and counselling, workshops and counselling are the provisions for implementing positive discipline. Several strategies like classroom management parental involvement in service training of teachers’ workshops and clubs can be used to implement positive discipline successfully. Therefore there are some existing guidelines to implement positive discipline. These guidelines help students to enjoy the benefits of implementing positive discipline. Teachers can employ several strategies inorder to implement positive discipline successfully in schools. This implies that positive discipline is being implemented in schools by teachers through implementing guidance and counseling to students, counselling students at assembly, carrying out workshops for teachers and students and in-service training of teachers. Guidance and counselling should be implemented by trained the teachers and teacher pupil-ratio should be reduced as a strategy to implement positive discipline successfully in schools. Recommendations were made to include the need for a policy and training on positive discipline especially for teachers and parents. The teacher-pupil ratio should be reduced so that the teacher may be able to know the students and accord them more attention.