An Investigation into the Disciplinary Measures used in South African Schools: How Effective are they to the Learners?

The ground gaining concern on the increasing cases of learner’s indiscipline in schools currently and during the past number of years has become a cause of disagreement in schools. Researchers agree that indiscipline has led to concerns about academic performance, safety and security apprehensions in schools. This phenomenon includes reported incidents of casualties and fatalities within school premises in some schools in South Africa. We, therefore, premised the study within the interpretivist paradigm because it views reality as multi-layered and complex in which a single phenomenon could have multiple interpretations. Because of this, the main objective was to capture both learners and educators’ views on the effectiveness of Alternatives to Corporal Punishment (ATCP) used in schools espoused by the South African Government. The study sought to suggest disciplinary approaches that can lead to the development of self-discipline and responsible behaviour in learners contrary to ATCP, which are somewhat punitive, themselves. The study is a slice based on Dr Kepe’s published M Ed thesis in the Faculty of Education, University of Fort Hare, with the former supervisor, as co-author. Against this backdrop, the study was eager to bring back discipline through striving for alternatives to the ATCP since they are not working.