Disciplining in Sri Lankan Schools: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

An integral part of a teacher’s job is to correct misbehavior of students. There is scarcity of information on disciplinary methods used by teachers in schools in Sri Lanka. As a part of a larger research, this study was undertaken to fill this gap. A culturally validated questionnaire was used to assess the various disciplinary methods used by 459 teachers, on 948 students, in six districts in Sri Lanka. National, provincial, special education, and private schools were included in this study. The study revealed that teachers used aversive disciplinary methods such as corporal punishment and psychological aggression. During the past term, 80.4% of students reported experiencing at least one strategy of corporal punishment and 72.5% reported experiencing psychological aggression. It was alarming to note that 53% of students reported experiencing at least one strategy of physical abuse in the schools in Sri Lanka. In all, 79.3% of students reported experiencing at least one strategy of positive discipline. Although teachers did use positive discipline, it was lesser than the use of aversive disciplinary methods. Hence, the use of force as a tool of discipline on young people in schools in Sri Lanka is widespread. The findings of this study should raise grave concern and ring alarm bells among authorities in Sri Lanka. Therefore, several recommendations to rectify this situation are also presented herein.