Discipline management strategies and student behaviour in private secondary schools in Mayuge Town Council

Abstract

The study examined ‘DISCIPLINE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND STUDENT BEHAVIOUR IN PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MAYUGE TOWN COUNCIL, MAYUGE DISTRICT’. Due to increasing student misbehavior in schools, the study examined discipline management practices and students’ behavior in Uganda. More specifically, the study established the influence of administration of positive reinforcement and administration of negative reinforcement on student behaviour in private secondary schools in Mayuge Town Council. The study used a cross sectional design with both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Data was obtained from a population of 156 respondents using questionnaire, interview and documentary review guides. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study discovered that positive reinforcement has no significant influence on students’ behavior rather it leads to child pampering. However, administration of negative reinforcement has a positive influence on students’ behavior. This means that negative reinforcement is an effective deterrent to misbehavior among students. The findings further mean that the influence of other factors like child upbringing, religious background and head teacher leadership style is even more significant in as far as explaining students’ behavior is concerned, than discipline management strategies. The study recommends that head teachers design a proper way of handling positive rewards concurrently with corrective action; give students a chance to first explain themselves before punishment, and also punish only for the right cause.