Corporal Punishment - 11
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN NEPALESE PRIVATE SCHOOLS: PERCEPTION OF TEACHERS
Submitted by
Mr. Jeevan Khanal
A Dissertation
Submitted to
Faculty of Education
M. Phil. Program
Tribhuvan University
In the fulfillment of the requirements for degree of
The Master of Philosophy in Faculty of Education
Tribhuban University
Presented on 13th March 2013
Abstract
This study was carried out to find the teachers’ perception on corporal punishment in private schools of Nepal. The objective of the study was to find the perception of teachers of private schools on corporal punishment. The questionnaire, observation, focus group discussion and interview were the different tools adopted for the collection of information. The study was guided by the social learning theory, discipline theory, power theory and zero tolerance theory.
The study concluded that traditional teaching style and methods were practicing in the private schools. Students were not motivated for learning. The environment of learning is not conductive for them. To control children, teachers used hard punishment instead of looking for the means to motivate them for learning. Teachers of Nepal had different understanding about corporal punishment and discipline in comparison with international understanding. Teachers generally felt disempowered in their ability to the classroom or school premises when students made noise in front of them. So, they used corporal punishment to keep them quiet and to maintain the discipline. The culture of non participatory teaching learning process was also creating the school violence. Teachers perceived the corporal punishment is the best sources to maintain the discipline. They felt it is the best way to bring the desired change in the students. Students were seen powerless in front of the teachers and teachers were seen powerless in front of principal in private school of Nepal. Parents were playing the suitable role for the punishment. But their view was rapidly changing on corporal punishment from it is necessary to not necessary.
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Jeevan Khanal
Library Release Form
Name of author: Jeevan Khanal
Degree: Master of Philosophy
Year of this degree granted: 2013
Permission is hereby granted to Tribhuvan University to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only.
The author reserves other publication and rights in association with the copy right in the theses, and except as herein before provided neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatever without the author’s permission.
…………………………………………
(Jeevan Khanal)
Lekhanath Municipality wards No.12
Kaski, Gandaki Zone, Nepal
Date: …………………….
Declaration
I hereby declare that this thesis is my own unaided work. It is being submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Education (Leadership in Education) at the Tribhuwan University of Nepal. It has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university.
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Jeevan Khanal
Date…………
Acceptance and Recommendation
The undersigned certify that we have read, approved, and recommended to the Faculty of Education, Tribhuvan University for acceptance, a thesis entitled Corporal Punishment in Nepalese Private Schools: Perception of Teachers Submitted by Jeevan Khanal in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY in education with specialization in leadership studies.
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(Prof. Bidya Nath Koirala, PhD)
Thesis Supervisor
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Krishna Bahadur Thapa , Ph.D.
External Examiner
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Peshal Khanal, Ph.D.
External Examiner
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Chitra Bahadur Budhathoki, Ph.D.
Research Committee Member
Date: March 13, 2013
Acknowledgements
This study has become possible with the help and support of several people, friends and teachers. I am grateful to all of them.
Profound gratitude and special recognitions are extended to Prof. Bidya Nath Koirala, PhD, for his tireless and dedicated leadership as my supervisor. I have received lots of support from him as my supervisor. He has supervised me in every step of my study. Moreover, I am very much motivated by his gentle and gracious way in which he led me all the way through to the thesis to this stage.
I wish to extend my special thanks to principal, teachers, students, parents and members of school management committee those who provide me time for interactions and interview. I wish to extend my thanks to Mr. Ramesh Ghimire who supports me for language edition for this thesis.
I would like to express my honor to my father and mother. Similarly, I would like to thank my wife Sonu and Son Sajal and other family members for their constant encouragement, support and co-operation.
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Jeevan Khanal
Table of Contents
Abstract ii
Library Release Form iii
Declaration iv
Acceptance and Recommendation v
Acknowledgement vi
Table of Contents vii
CHAPTER - I
Corporal Punishment: experience and learning 1
Corporal Punishment in the West 6
Justification of the Corporal punishers 7
Statement of the Problem 8
Purpose of the Study 9
Delimitation…
Definition of the key terms used
CHAPTER - II
Literature Review......
Corporal Punishment......
Corporal Punishment in Nepal......
Zero Tolerance......
Legality......
The International Movement to ban Corporal Punishment………………………
India......
China......
Canada......
Singapore......
United States......
South Africa......
South Korea......
Understanding in Corporal Punishment………………………………………………………
Global Prohibition of the Corporal Punishment……………………………………………
Teachers’ Perception on Corporal Punishment……………………………………………………..
Theoretical Framework…………………………………………………………………..
Bandura’s Social learning theory (1963)………………………………………………
Power Theory ………………………………………………………………………………
Discipline Theory…………………………………………………………………………………
Conceptual Mapping………………………………………………………………………………..
CHAPTER - III
Methodology…………………………………………………………………………..
Research Design......
Population ......
Research instruments ......
Questionnaire………………………………………………………………………………….
Observation ………………………………………………………………………………...
Focus Group Discussion………………………………………………………………………….
Ethical Consideration………………………………………………………………………………
Data collection Method……………………………………………………………………….
Processing and Analysis of Data…………………………………………………………
CHAPTER - IV
Stakeholders’ Belief on Corporal Punishment ………………………………………..
Cultural Belief…………………………………………………………………………..
Necessity of Corporal Punishment in the Eye of Teacher……………………………….
Teacher’s Attitudes towards Corporal Punishment…………………………………….
Teachers’ Strategies to use Corporal Punishment ………………………………………
Teachers’ Response against the use Corporal Punishment………………………………..
Teachers’ Response favoring the use Corporal Punishment ………………………….
Teachers’ Response on Zero Tolerance……………………………………………….
Teachers’ Response on parents support on Corporal Punishment……………………….
Teachers’ Response on Alternative Discipline Approach……………………………….
Teachers’ belief on necessity of Corporal Punishment ………………………………….
Powerless Teachers on Corporal Punishment………………………………………………
Teachers Attitude towards Corporal Punishment…………………………………………
Respect Seeking Mind Set
A Set of Culture
No idea for Alternative Approach ………………………………………….
Faith on Punishment for Best Result
Feeling of superiority
Follow the chain of Command
Aggravated Corporal Punishment during Tiredness
Students’ Response on Corporal Punishment
Parents’ Response on Corporal Punishment
CHAPTER - V
Major Findings………………………………………………………………………......
Discussion
Discipline
Zero tolerance on Students talk at class……………………………………………….
Non Participatory Teaching Learning Process…………………………………………………
Corporal Punishments as the best alternative to Teachers…………………………………
Changing view of Parents on Corporal Punishment……………………………………….
CHAPTER - VI
Reflection on Findings
Social Learning Theory and my findings…………………………………………………..
Power Theory and my findings……………………………………………………………..
Discipline Theory and my findings……………………………………………………………
Zero Tolerance and my findings……………………………………………
CHAPTER - VII
Conclusion and Implication………………………………......
Conclusion
Implication ………………………………………………………………
References………………………………………………………………………………..
List of tables and figures
Table 1: Understanding in Corporal Punishment…………………………
Table 2: Ban on Corporal Punishment in School
Table3: Validity Approach of Mixed Method
Table 4: Stakeholders' perception on Corporal Punishment………………….
Table 5: Common Punishment……………………………………….
Table 6: Different understanding on Corporal Punishment……………………..
Table 7: Different understanding about discipline…………………………….
Table 8: Parents on their responses to Corporal Punishment…………………
Table 9: Social Learning Theories……………………………………………..
Table 10: Power Theories………………………………………………………
Table 11: Discipline Theories………………………………. .…….
Table 12: Zero tolerance policy……………………………………………..
Table 13: Theoretical Understanding and Findings
Figure 1:………………………………………………………………………
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Figure 13:……………………………………………………………………..
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Figure 20:…………………………………………………………………….
Appendix A……………………………………………………………………………………
Questionnaire………………………………………………………………………………….
Biographical Information………………………………………………………………………
Controversial Statements………………………………………………………………………
Appendix B (Letter to the Principal)…………………………………………………………..
Appendix C (Letter to the Teachers)………………………………………………………….
Main question for interview ……………………………………………………………………
Presented on 13th March 2013
CHAPTER –I
Corporal Punishment: Experience and Learning
When I was in class three, first time in my school life, I got very bad slap from one of the teacher without any reason and that was my last punishment also. Still I am thinking why teacher slapped me? I am trying to forget it but I couldn’t. There are certain incidents in our lives that stand out more than others. Some memories are fresh even after the passes of several years (Rana, 2006).
I have been in the field of teaching for 15 years and I have the teaching experience of many private schools. I have seen many type of corporal punishment given by the teachers and principals to the students. Teachers like me have the concept that to be a good teacher we should be strict with the children. The teachers who can keep children in control were considering as good teacher. I have learnt to be a strict teacher with the children and I have started to give the corporal punishment to the children. When I was mathematics teacher of class 9 in one of the international school I found some students not doing the home work. I kept them outside and started to give duster on their hand. Principal was watching from his office. Immediately he came out from the office and gave me his own big stick to bit the children.
When I joined to a one of the renowned private school of Kathmandu valley of Nepal I found the same condition as of other private school. My new friends suggested me "to be a good teacher here, you should control the children, and there should not be the noise in the class". I also learnt that teachers who keep the class every time quite, he or she will be taken the best teacher of the school. Principal of school couldn’t tolerate little bit Noise. When she heard the noise in the class, immediately she always shouted to the children from loudspeaker saying why noise is there? I saw many times principal was calling and making the children kneel down to the ground. Teacher felt insult and from next day he/she started to control the children and he/she also used the only one weapon of corporal Punishment. I also realized that teacher from whom the students afraid were appointed as a coordinator or a discipline in charge. I have seen many teachers who used to beat the children are appointed as a discipline in charge.
When I followed the same technique to stick the students to those children who did not do homework, who made noise in the class, who did not have good handwriting. School management committee started to see me as a best teacher and first time in school history school gave me a good amount of money declaring a best teacher of the year.
From my teaching carrier to now I had worked for 6 private school of Nepal. I found the common punishment used by teachers are caning, pulling of ears and hair, and slamming on the face. To my knowledge, in private school of Nepal, most of the school runs class from morning to till evening about 9 hours with extra class to get the good result in S.L.C examination. I noticed most of the teachers giving the written and learning home work also. They didn’t have time to do it at home. So they could not fulfil the demand set by the teacher and they should be ready to get the punishment. In the experience of Awashti (2008) most of the time, students couldn't fulfil the demand set by the teacher, and had to offer his/her palms to let them do the caning. Besides this, the pulling of ears and hair, and slamming on the face were common forms of punishment. It was believed that the more ferocious the teacher, the better. Thus teacher quality was judged on the bases of the amount of terror he/she could create among them.
As a teacher of private school I found that the life of private schoolteacher is very hard. S/he has to get up early morning and back to late night. Students wait for him/her at the door. S/he has to teach them in many groups until the time of departure for the school. S/he takes his/her meal in hurry and then rushes to the school. Any kind of delay means red mark in his/her attendance. S/he has to teach several periods or more than 5 depend upon department until the school is over. Every period was at least 45 minutes yielding no leisure or rest for him/her. Different guardians come to meet him/her. Before assembly, during assembly and classes, even at the time of Tiffin and they irrupt him/her with complaints and comments. The principal also gives unnecessary trouble to him/her. When the school is over, he/she has still lots of exercise book for correction or tuition class to manage expenses in other hand some of the teacher still studying in universities. It is very difficult to manage the teaching and self study for them.
Working with the private school I realized that there are always high level people who make the decision that makes teachers under pressure. Teacher has to face the many unseen’s calls, unwanted word and in some condition student also make teacher to punish as rusticate. I also realized that male teachers are more activated than their female counterparts because of the sympathetic nature of the private school promoters.
After coming back from school, he/she has to teach students at home. At the time of going to bed, he/she is so tired falls asleep soon. The responsibility of government to private school teachers has not been that evident. That’s why job of private schools teachers are not safe. Due to the teachers union of private schools, conflict has been aroused between school owner and the teachers for increased salary and other benefit. The owners didn’t want to provide the training to teacher because they wanted the teachers for short period. The case of government school teachers were little bit different. The license is compulsory for teaching in government school but the rule is not implemented for private school.
In government schools teacher are recruited according to number of pupils (1 teacher per 40 pupils in mountain; 45 in hill and 50 in Terai and Kathmandu valley). Private school are divided into different group as grade A, B, C, D in the basis of their facility and infrastructure. School owner has the authority to recruited the teacher and to deicide the number of students in each class.
Private schools have been preparing learners for final exams for higher score and entrance exam for higher secondary. They are also preparing students for written exam based on rote learning. These teachers are teaching them mostly for exam preparation or giving what I call, "exam training" especially in the final years.