Implementation of strategies used to maintain positive discipline in secondary schools in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province , Zimbabwe : towards a holistic positive discipline management model

Abstract

The use of positive discipline management strategies in Zimbabwean schools has sparked debate among education practitioners, members of the civil society and other stakeholders. The arguments for and against the use of positive discipline management strategies has been triggered by the concerns over the use of negative discipline strategies in most schools in Zimbabwe. In the recent past, many stories have appeared on media showing the abuse of power by some education practitioners leading to this outcry. In response to this on-going debate, this study explored strategies used by educationists to maintain discipline in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province secondary schools in Zimbabwe, paying particular attention to the implementation of positive discipline management strategies. The study was located in the interpretive paradigm and it used the qualitative approach, and case study design to examine the issues under review. Purposive sampling technique was used to select participants who were rich informants and these included Education Officers, school heads, school counsellors, members of the disciplinary committees, prefects and School Development Committee chairpersons. Data was solicited through face to face interviews, focus groups and document analysis. The study established that positive discipline management strategies which comprised the code of conduct, guidance and counselling, teaching social skills, school-wide positive behaviour support, communication, positive reinforcement, modelling positive behaviour and training were implemented in the selected secondary schools but in varied ways. In contrast, the study revealed that selected schools faced challenges as some teachers still used traditional methods of disciplining learners which were unlawfully administered, there was also lack of qualified counsellors, insufficient financial resources which hindered the training of members of staff and parents, and limited transport services which impeded the monitoring of implementation of positive discipline management strategies in secondary schools by the Education Officers. Despite the hindrances experienced, this study found that there were pockets of good practices in implementing positive discipline management strategies. For example, during the implementation of the code of conduct strategy, the learners’ input was included in crafting the codes of conduct, discipline issues were also included in the parents’ meeting agenda, and learners who breached the code of conduct were counselled. In implementing the guidance and counselling strategy learners actively participated in clubs, peer counselling, accessed counselling services anytime regardless of the counsellors’ tight schedules, counselling facilities were improvised, and the school counsellors used multiple counselling methods to respond to the needs of individual learners. It was further revealed that in the implementation of the teaching social skills strategy learners were involved in community service. As for monitoring and support, the study found that the Education Officers organised workshops and facilitated in training of school heads and teachers regardless of the transport challenges they were facing. The study concluded that selected secondary schools used several strategies to maintain positive discipline and these included rewarding learners who have shown good conduct throughout the year, inviting parents to school if their children have shown unbecoming behaviour and use of prefects and members of staff as role models. Additionally, the members of school community were involved in the implementation process in different capacities and roles. For effective implementation of positive discipline strategies, the study recommended that, there should be interactive participation of all members of the school community and integration of all positive discipline management strategies during the implementation process. Furthermore, based on the findings of the study and extensive literature search, the researcher proposed an alternative model for implementing positive discipline management strategies that may result in good practices in secondary schools.