Options
Pupils' perception of discipline in Peirce Secondary School
Author
Tan, Guat Ler
Supervisor
Low, Guat Tin
Abstract
Factors which contribute to discipline problems in schools are numerous and complex. To deal with these discipline problems in school effectively, a clear understanding of the nature of discipline problems is required. In an attempt to develop such an understanding, 220 pupils from Peirce Secondary School were surveyed for their perception of discipline in Peirce Secondary School.
The survey took the form of a questionnaire, and responses to the questionnaire gave pupils' perceptions of discipline in Pierce Secondary School with regards to how agreeable they were with the school rules. This in turn indicated the extent by which they abided with school rules. Using their particulars, e.g. gender, academic stream, type of residence, co-curricular activities participation and involvement in leadership positions. It was then statistically calculated using the ANOVA variance test to see whether there were significant differences between different groups of pupils with regards to discipline.
The findings of this research challenges a few of the traditional views held by teachers and society, namely 1) male pupils are more ill-disciplined than female pupils, 2) pupils in the normal stream tend to cause more disciplinary problems, 3) pupils from poor socio-economic backgrounds tend to have more behavioral problems, 4) pupils in leadership positions are more well-behaved than those who are not. The above traditional views are refuted by the findings of this thesis, which are 1) boys and girls do not view discipline differently, 2) there is a significant difference of discipline between pupils with differing academic ability, 3) no significant difference exists in the perception of discipline between pupils of differing socio-economic background, 4) no significant difference exists in the perception of discipline between pupils who hold leadership position and those who do not. These findings, as compared to traditional perspectives held by teachers and society, show the significance of the present research. Traditional views cannot be constantly held on to so that new measures can be undertaken for discipline problems due to be curbed. Implications of the findings, recommendations for future discipline measures are discussed.
The survey took the form of a questionnaire, and responses to the questionnaire gave pupils' perceptions of discipline in Pierce Secondary School with regards to how agreeable they were with the school rules. This in turn indicated the extent by which they abided with school rules. Using their particulars, e.g. gender, academic stream, type of residence, co-curricular activities participation and involvement in leadership positions. It was then statistically calculated using the ANOVA variance test to see whether there were significant differences between different groups of pupils with regards to discipline.
The findings of this research challenges a few of the traditional views held by teachers and society, namely 1) male pupils are more ill-disciplined than female pupils, 2) pupils in the normal stream tend to cause more disciplinary problems, 3) pupils from poor socio-economic backgrounds tend to have more behavioral problems, 4) pupils in leadership positions are more well-behaved than those who are not. The above traditional views are refuted by the findings of this thesis, which are 1) boys and girls do not view discipline differently, 2) there is a significant difference of discipline between pupils with differing academic ability, 3) no significant difference exists in the perception of discipline between pupils of differing socio-economic background, 4) no significant difference exists in the perception of discipline between pupils who hold leadership position and those who do not. These findings, as compared to traditional perspectives held by teachers and society, show the significance of the present research. Traditional views cannot be constantly held on to so that new measures can be undertaken for discipline problems due to be curbed. Implications of the findings, recommendations for future discipline measures are discussed.
Date Issued
2001
Call Number
LB3011 Tan
Date Submitted
2001