Educators’ perceptions of how learners’ rights to safety affect disciplinary procedures in secondary schools in the uMbumbulu circuit, Kwazulu-Natal
Loading...
Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Zululand
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate educator’s perceptions of how learners’ rights to safety affect disciplinary procedures in secondary schools in the Umbumbulu Circuit of KwaZulu-Natal. The study adopted a qualitative approach, where semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 10 purposively selected educators. The thematic analysis technique was employed to analyse the data. The main findings of the study indicated that educators had their own perceptions of how learners’ rights to safety affect the way they attend to disciplinary issues when a learner has transgressed. The educators’ perceptions of learners’ rights to safety affect disciplinary procedures for many reasons, including poor understanding of relevant education laws and policies. The results also showed that teachers think that the legislation guiding teaching and learning, as well as disciplinary procedures, are marred with contradictions, which make discipline management not only difficult, but also exposes both the learners and the educators to unsafe environments. The study also indicated that the teachers are sensitive to learners’ rights to safety, resulting in restricted attention to learners who are guilty of an offence in the school. In light of these findings, it was recommended that there should be a mandatory continuous in service workshops for the educators, on how learner discipline can be maintained.
Description
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in Fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of in Master of Education the Department of Philosophy of Education, University of Zululand, 2022