Abstract

Discipline is a necessary part of child rearing and effective discipline techniques are important in creating contributing adults. The specific practice of corporal punishment as a form of discipline has been a highly debated topic over the years. Corporal punishment is used in schools all over the world, despite concern about its effects on children and about the implications for their capacity to benefit from school. Since the beginning of this century, a global tendency to abolish corporal punishment has been introduced to challenge old dependence on corporal punishment as a tool for reforming children’s misbehavior. In view of this background, this study analyzes the perception of secondary school students on the use of corporal punishment in schools in Kaduna South Local Government Area. To address the problem of study, three research questions were raised. The researcher adopted a survey research design and in-depth interview (IDI). A total of one hundred and eighty-nine (189) respondents comprised the target of the study. Questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), frequency tables and percentages (%) were employed in the data analysis. It was discovered that most of the respondents in the study area said teachers use corporal punishment to reform students’ behavior in school. Fighting, scratching on the walls, boards and desks, escaping from school, challenging and disobeying teacher's orders, low grades in exams, forgetting books or any of the class, giving a wrong answer to a question, disrupting the class by talking or playing and coming late to school are factors contributing to the practice of corporal punishment in secondary schools. Most students had being corporally punished by their school. Dismissal from classroom, verbal assault and yelling, making the student stand or raise their hands for a long time, flogging, slapping, spanking and kneeling down, punching, pinching, kicking, shaking student in violently painful body posture, are forms of corporal punishment used in their school. Corporal punishment helped students perform, punishment helps to create an environment of learning, and corporal punishment teaches learners to respect the teacher. Corporal punishment should be used as a last resort, when all other methods of discipline have failed, and most students hate teachers because it made them angry. Teachers should receive more training on alternative means of punishment, social workers must be more involved in reforming students, parents must be regularly informed about their children’s progress in class and corporal punishment teaching learners to respect the teacher are preventive measures that could be adopted against corporal punishment.

                                                                          TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study    -    -    -    -    -    -    -     -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  1
1.2 Statement of the Problem    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - -3
1.3 Research Questions    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -      -  -  -  - -  -  -  -  -  - 5
1.4 Objective of the Study    -    -    -    -    -    -    -  -      -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -5
1.5 Significance of the Study    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -  -  -   -  -  -  -  -  -  -6
1.6 Scope of the Study    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -      -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -   6
1.7 Definition of Terms    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   -    -     -  -  -  -  -  - - -   -  -  7
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 Introduction    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -     -       -        -       -  -     -    -    8
2.2 Definition of the Concept of Corporal Punishment        -        --    -    -    -    8
2.3. Factors Contributing to the Practice of Corporal
       Punishment in Secondary Schools            -    -    -    -    - -  -  -   -    -     -    9
2.4 Prevalence and Types of Corporal Punishments Used in
      Secondary Schools     -    -    -    -        -        -    -     -     -    -   -   -     -         11
2.5 The Effects of Corporal Punishments Among Secondary School Children    18
2.5 Theoretical Framework    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    --         -    -    -   -    -   -    27
2.5.1 Bandura’s Social learning Theory (1963        -    --    -  -    -    -  -    -  -  -   27
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   -     -    -   -    -   -   -   -  -  -  - -  31
3.2 Location of the Study    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   -    -   -  -   -   -   -  -  -  -  -  -  31
3.3 Population of Study and Sampling Technique-    -    -    -    -  -   -   -  -  -  - -  32
3.4 Sources of Data Collection    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   -   -   - -  -  -  -  - 34
3.5 Methods of Data Collection    -    -    -    -    -    -  -   -   -   -   -  -  -   -  -  -  -  - 34
3.7 Method of Data Analysis    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   -   -   -  -  -  - -  -  -  -  - 34
3.8 Problems Encountered in the Field    -    -    -    -    -   -   -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - 35
CHAPTER FOUR
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
4.1 Introduction    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   -   -   -  -  -  -  - -  -  - - -     -   - -- 36
4.2 Socio-Demographic Data of the Respondents    -    -    -    -   -   -   -  -  -  -  -  37
4.3 Factors Contributing to the Practice of Corporal Punishment
      in Secondary Schools                        -    -    38
4.4 Prevalence and types of corporal punishments used in secondary schools -  44
4.5  Effects of Corporal Punishments among Secondary School Children-    -   -  50
4.6 Discussion of Major Findings    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   -   -   -  -  -  -  -  -  - - - 55
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary of Findings    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   -   -   -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -  -  -  - 61
5.2 Conclusion    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -  -   -  -   -  -  -  62
5.3 Recommendations    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   -   -   -  -  -  -   -  -   -  -  -  -  - - 63
References    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - -   -    -  -  -65
Appendices    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   -  -  -   -   -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - -  74