Views of Nigerian Teachers on Strategies for Curbing Indiscipline: Implications for Counselling Practices

Abstract

This study investigated the strategies for curbing indiscipline in elementary school teachers in Nigeria. It also examined the influence of gender, years in service and educational qualification on the respondents’ expressions. This study employed a descriptive analysis of 200 elementary school teachers as participants. An instrument to analyze the data was developed, named ‘Strategies for Curbing Indiscipline Questionnaire” (SCIQ). The psychometric properties of the instrument were developed. Data were analyzed with both descriptive and inferential statistics. The result showed that the use of the approach to promote acceptable behaviours considered successful. As the result, school authorities being good models, giving moral education in schools, adopting behavioural such as punishment, high parental supervision and referral to appropriate helping personnel are some of the strategies that could be used to curb indiscipline among students. It is, therefore, recommended that behaviour modification strategies should be adopted to curb indiscipline among students.

An Investigation into Teachers’ Understanding of Student Discipline in Public Secondary Schools in Oyo State

“…This situation tends to result in counterproductive outcomes in teachers' aims and efforts towards developing and nurturing the desirable behaviour in students. The finding of the study corroborates the findings of Odebode (2020) and Aryati, et al (2021) that suggest that teachers adopted some elements of punishment alongside discipline principles that primarily focus on developing students' behaviour rather than controlling such behaviour.…”

“…Among these inappropriate measures are teachers' use of class time to reflect on appropriate behaviour with students as a group; redirecting inappropriate behaviour on the spot, using a loud voice, ignoring misbehaviour that is non-disruptive to class, and sending students home for aggressive or disruptive behaviour. The findings of the study corroborate findings of Chang, et al (2014) that reported some positive disciplinary measures as adopted by teachers in dealing with students' misbehaviours; Kenely (2015) found that teachers adopted measures such as hinting techniques, discussion and effective teaching strategies to promote learning and learner responsibility, and Odebode (2020) found that the use of reinforcement, modelling from school authorities, high parental supervision and professional referral as commonly used by teachers to deal with students' misbehaviour.…”

“…In another related study carried out by Nkomo and Mayanchi (2016) to examine the most common measure of discipline employed by private and public teachers in Calabar municipality, the outcomes of the study showed that flogging, exercise or drills, and compelling students to maintain certain painful postures were in use to deal with students' misbehaviour. The outcomes of Odebode's (2020) study showed that teachers' knowledge of the discipline is inadequate as punishment was still regarded as one of the best strategies for dealing with students' misbehaviours in schools. Other strategies identified in the study include the use of reinforcement, modelling from school authorities, high parental supervision and professional referral while Aryati, Mauly and Muhammad (2021) found out that teachers adopted corrective discipline such as corporal punishment and rote learning; assertive discipline measures as well as preventive discipline to deal with students' disciplinary issues.…”

Influence of Parental Monitoring on Adolescents’ Deviant Behaviors as Expressed by Married Adults in Ilorin Metropolis

“…Nonetheless, the act of deviant behavior indiscipline has been a source of concern among stakeholders. Thus, for any significant societal growth, adolescents should be monitored by parents to be of good conduct (Odebode, 2020a).…”

“…These acts have given the nation a negative image globally. These behaviors include fraud, arson, cultism, violent reactions, kidnapping, examination malpractices (Yahaya et al, 2017;Odebode et al, 2017), drug abuse, sex abuse, armed robbery, and corruption (Odebode, 2020a). The alarming rate of deviant behaviors led to the establishment of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offenses Commission (ICPC), and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).…”