Faculty of Humanities (ETDs)

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    Teachers’ Psychological Transformation from the use of Corporal Punishment to Alternative Disciplinary Measures in South African Schools
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Kau, Irish; Mayise, Simangele
    South Africa has a history of violence, originating from the previous apartheid regime. This includes violence in private and public settings such as in the home, school and neighbourhood. One of the positive socio-political changes introduced by the new democratic government was the abolition of corporal punishment in schools. However, the delay in empowering teachers with alternative means to corporal punishment had an impact on discipline in schools that is still prevalent to this day. Teachers believe that their power to discipline learners has been curtailed, and they therefore find it difficult to maintain a culture of teaching and learning in schools. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate teachers’ psychological transformation from the use of corporal punishment to positive disciplinary measures. The main aim of the current study was to explore teachers’ understanding of alternatives to corporal punishment (ATCP) in South African primary schools. The study adopted a qualitative approach, with data being collected through a biographical questionnaire, individual and focused group in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews, and document analysis. Data was analysed through thematic analysis. The ethical principles adhered to were informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality and non-maleficence. Cultural-historical activity theory was employed as a theoretical lens to further explore the teachers’ mental shifts from the use of corporal punishment to ATCP. Findings suggest that teachers perceive positive discipline as viable with the collective effort of parents, teachers, learners and the larger community. Despite the historicity and internalisation of corporal punishment by teachers, fear of incarceration, fear of dismissal from work, and the abhorrence of violence, necessitated a mental shift. Contradictions between private and public use of disciplinary measures were illuminated as a threat to the effective implementation of ATCP in schools.
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    The investigation of intrapsychological processes of primary school teachers with regards to the use of Corporal Punishment: A Case Study
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03) Arosi, Sinovuyo Luyanda; Mayisela, Simangele
    Corporal punishment has been legally abolished and identified as having detrimental effects on the psychological well-being of children. The reconstruction of external events and interpersonal states, such as corporal punishment, into intrapsychological and interpsychological activity, demonstrates the vulnerability of humans. Primary school teachers are instrumental in the development of higher mental functioning and the mental transformation of young children. The current study examined the intrapersonal processes of primary school teachers and their attitudes towards the use of corporal punishment when disciplining learners. A case study design was employed to explore teachers’ views on the abolishment of corporal punishment and the intermental, socio-cultural and cultural-historical mechanisms which inform their preference for corporal punishment. The teachers from a township school in the East of Johannesburg completed a demographic questionnaire and participated in focus group discussions and individual interviews. This qualitative data was collected using audio recordings which were transcribed and thematically analysed. Vygotsky’s sociocultural approach was used to understand the transformation of the human mind using cultural tools, namely, corporal punishment. Through the cultural-historical teachers’ meaning-making regarding the preference of corporal punishment in their context. The findings of this study suggest that the teachers in the case study school use and view corporal punishment through the lens of an internalised good and abusive tool. Though some of the teachers express support for the abolition of corporal punishment, they currently use this discipline measure. The findings present a paradox that represents the internal state of ambivalence that exists within the participants. These findings suggest that this may contribute to the continued use of corporal punishment in the case study school.