Considering an ethics of care in managing disciplinary problems at four Cape Town schools
| dc.contributor.advisor | Davids, Nuraan | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Thieras, Jillian | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-01-21T07:06:10Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-01-21T07:06:10Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-12 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Poor discipline is a perennial problem in most South African schools. On the one hand, there are several factors, both internal and external, that influence and affect the conduct of learners. On the other hand, schools are under continuous pressure to respond to and manage new types of disciplinary problems. Regular playground disagreements or truancy are accompanied by more worrying acts of violence and cyberbullying. Despite a plethora of post-apartheid policies, directed at managing classrooms through democratic practices, principals, teachers, and school governing body continue to struggle to maintain disciplined teaching and learning environments. Since corporal punishment has been abolished, teachers and principals have struggled to develop long-term solutions to manage discipline effectively. Despite disciplinary policies that have been introduced to assist schools with poor disciplinary problems, teachers and principals have their own methods of managing discipline, and these tend to be short-term alternatives. It has been found that the policies recommended by the Western Cape Education Department and the Department of Basic Education have the potential to assist with disciplinary problems. However, teachers and principals lack the consistency in implementing these policies. Therefore, ethics of care has been introduced as a new approach to managing discipline so teachers and principals can eliminate general disciplinary problems. This study examines how four schools in the Western Cape – two high schools and two primary schools manage and respond to learner disciplinary problems. This study sought insights into the types of disciplinary problems typically experienced at these four schools, how teachers and principals responded to and managed disciplinary problems, school-based policies on managing discipline, and how these are being implemented. this is done by adopting a qualitative and phenomenological paradigm. In an effort to look at alternative practices to those currently employed, in the four schools, I drew on Noddings’ (2005) espousal of an ethic of care. Noddings (2005) opines that caring is an encounter between two human beings. However, we cannot suggest that caring will accomplish everything that must be done in education, but it is a step in the right direction. An ethics of care requires teachers and principals to first listen attentively to learners, and trust will be established as time passes. In this way, learners will start to accept what teachers and principals try to teach. Thereafter, as teachers and principals engage actively with learners about their needs and experiences, they will gain important information about the learners and better understand why certain learners tend to misbehave (Noddings, 2005). The findings suggest that teachers at high and primary schools experience some form of poor discipline, and teachers try to devise different strategies to manage them, as the lack of discipline in schools impacts teaching and learning tremendously. Furthermore, the findings revealed that poor learner discipline worsens in high school. This could be due to several problems that they may be experiencing at home or in the community. Specifically, gangsterism and substance abuse which is later discussed in the literature review. The study argues for an ethic of care as a new approach to managing poor discipline as it is clear that teachers are slowly becoming demotivated to teach effectively, and current strategies and approaches are not bringing about the changes, conducive to a functional schooling environment. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Swak dissipline is ‘n volgehoue probleem in die meeste Suid-Afrikaanse skole. Aan die eenkant is daar verskeie faktore, beide intern en ekstern, wat die bedrag van leerders beinvloed. Aan die anderkant is skole deurlopend onder druk om op nuwe soorte dissiplinere probleme te reageer en hulle te bestuur. Gereelde meningsverskille op speelgrond en stokkiesdraai gaan gepaard met meer kommerwekkende dade van geweld kuberafknouery. Ondanks ‘n magdom postapartheidsbeleide wat gerig is op klaskamer bestuur deur demokratiese praktyke, sukkel skoolhoofde, onderwysers, en beheerliggame steeds om gedissiplineerde onderrig- en leeromgewings te handhaaf. Sedert lyfstraf afgeskaf is, sukkel onderwysers en skoolhoofde om langtermynoplossings te ontwikkel om dissipline doeltreffend te bestuur. Ten spyte van dissiplinere beleide wat ingestel is om skole met swak dissiplineprobleme by te staan, het onderwysers en skoolhoofde hul eie metodes om dissipline te bestuur, en dit is geneig om korttermynalternatiewe te wees. Daar is bevind dat die beleide wat deur die Wes-Kaapse Onderwysdepertement en die Departement van Basiese Onderwys aanbeveel word, die potensiaal het om met dissiplinere te help. Onderwysers en skoolhoofde is egter nie konsekwent in hul implementering van hierdie beleide nie. Daarom is omgee-etiek ingestel as ‘n nuwe benadering tot die bestuur van dissipline sodat onderwysers en skoolhoofde algemene dissiplinere probleme kan uitskakel. Hierdie studie ondersoek hoe vier skole in die Weskaap- twee hoerskole en twee laerskole leerders se dissiplinere probleme bestuur en daarop reageer. Hierdie studie het insig gesoek in die tipe dissiplinere probleme wat tipies by hierdie vier skole ervaar word, hoe onderwysers en skoolhoofde op dissiplineerde probleme gereageer het, skoolgebaseerde beleide oor die bestuur van dissipline en hoe dit geimplementeer word. Dit is gedoen deur ‘n kwalitatiewe en fenomonelogiese paradigma. In ‘n poging om na alternatiewe praktyke te kyk vir diegene wat tans in die vier skole werksaam is, het ek geleun op Noddings (2005) se aanbeveling van ‘n omgee-etiek. Noddings (2005) is van mening dat omgee ‘n ontmoeting is tussen twee mense is. Ons kan egter nie voorstel dat omgee alles sal bereik wat in die onderwys gedoen moet word nie, maar dit is ‘n stap in die regte rigting. ‘n Omgee-etiek vereis dat onderwysers en skoolhoofde eers aandagtig na leerder te luister, wat dan met verloop van tyd tot vertroue lei. Op hierdie manier sal leerders begin aanvaar wat onderwysers en skoolhoofde hulle prober leer. Daarna, terwyl onderwysers en skoolhoofde aktief met leerders in gesprek tree oor hul behoeftes en ervarings sal hulle belangrike inligting oor die leerders inwin en beter verstaan waarom sekere leerders geneig is tot wangedrag (Noddings, 2005). Die bevindinge dui daarop dat onderwysers by hoer-en laerskole een of ander vorm van swak dissipline ervaar. Onderwysers probeer dus verskillende strategiee bedink om dit te bestuur, aangesien die gebrek aan dissipline in skole onderrig en leer geweldig beinvloed. Verder het die bevindinge aan die lig gebring dat swak leerderdissipline vererger in die hoёrskool. Dit kan wees as gevolg van verskeie probleme wat hulle tuis of in die gemeenskap ervaar. Spesifiek, gangsterism en dwelmmisbruik wat later in die literatuuroorsig bespreek word. Die studie argumenteer vir ‘n omgee-etiek as ‘n nuwe benadering tot die bestuur van swak dissipline, aangesien dit duidelik is dat onderwysers stadigaan gedemotiveerd raak om effektief te onderrig. Dit is ook duidelik dat huidige stratigiee en benaderings nie die veranderinge teweeg bring wat bevorderlik is vir ‘n funksionele skoolomgewing nie. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Masters | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | x, 100 pages | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131539 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Classroom management | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | School discipline | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Education -- Moral and ethical aspects | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Education, Secondary -- South Africa -- Western Cape | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Education, Primary -- South Africa -- Western Cape | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.other | UCTD | |
| dc.title | Considering an ethics of care in managing disciplinary problems at four Cape Town schools | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |
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