Influence of discipline practices on self esteem of secondary school students: a study

Abstract

Corporal punishment - violence inflicted on children by parents, teachers, carers and others in the name of "discipline" - is experienced by a large majority of children in many states worldwide. Some children, including children with disabilities and young children, are particularly likely to experience it. Corporal punishment is a violation of children's rights and international human rights law requires prohibition of all corporal punishment, including in the family home. There is no need to look for evidence of the negative effects of corporal punishment in order to know that it must be prohibited and eliminated - just as there is no need for research to show that violence against women is harmful before efforts are made to end it. Conventionally, the schools have been the centers of learning and bringing behavioral modifications among children so as they become acceptable members of the society. However, discipline among students has become central to the entire schooling process. The issue of discipline has become a contentious issue among parent communities, judiciary and child rights organization. The term discipline in itself generates certain practices in school classrooms that have a major say on the personality development of the child. The discipline practices, when tends to be punitive, physical and mental, they inflict pain among school children. Moreover, Supreme Court of India and various International organizations such as UNICEF have out rightly given verdict against any kind of punishment in school. However, the punishments in school, generally known a corporal punishment or negative discipline practices are still present in schools and there is ample research evidence 2 that school children undergo punishments in school. In this context the role of teacher is much debated. Teacher plays a very important role in society. After parents, teachers are the one who nurtures a child. Teachers are the basic need of society without who the development of society is next to impossible. They are the backbone of the society. Hence, it is the full responsibility of the teachers to take care of the students. Generally teachers deal nicely with the students but sometimes situations arise where teacher have to punish students in order to maintain discipline of the class. Earlier punishment was given in the form of some vocational task but gradually other form of discipline practices like physical punishment, mental torture and discrimination came into existence. These discipline practices have a very high impact on behaviors' of school children, their interest towards school and eventually on the way they perceive life in the school. Moreover, discipline practices may also impact various dimensions of personality of a child such as self esteem.