The Dreikurs conceptual model is based on the premise that learner behaviour is mostly a result of the need to belong or not feeling worthwhile. Dreikurs and Soltz (1992:55) trust that learners’ misbehaviour is due to incorrect goals such as acquiring attention or averting attention from themselves in order to conceal the fact that they cannot manage with the academic material.
2.6.2.1 Exacting revenge
Learners who were not taught boundaries may take educators’ attempts to manage their misbehaviour very personally and experience such attempts as unfair and aimed at hurting them. The importance of being taught boundaries is that it prevents misbehaving learners from taking out their revenge on anyone near them. Revenge can manifest in destructive acts such as destroying their own or another person’s property, kicking, tripping, hitting or throwing objects on the floor (Taylor 2004:76). The aim of revenge is closely related to the aim of power. These learners sense they should be permitted to do as they wish and believe anyone who tries to prevent them as an enemy. Since the above learners do not care about consequences, they are very difficult to deal with. The educator should try and create circumstances that allow unforgiving learners to show their aptitudes or strengths, assisting to encourage these learners that they can behave in a manner that brings recognition and standing (Goodman & Lesnick 2001:229).
2.6.2.2 Assisting children in correcting their misbehaviour
Before misbehaviours of children can be corrected, educators must provide strategies to assist them in internalising their misbehaviours. Educators must make learners aware of their misbehaviour and make them recognise what they are doing as well as the impact
that their misbehaviours have on others (Taylor 2004:76). Dinkmeyer and Dinkmeyer (1976:664) identified the following steps that educators need to take in order to establish a good rapport with children. Firstly, educators need to ascertain learners’ motives and help learners understand their motives. Secondly, educators should assist learners to exchange their mistaken goals for useful ones and encourage learners to become committed to their new goal orientation. Lastly, educators must teach learners to apply logical consequences and arrange for group discussions regarding class rules and problems. Encouragement enables beliefs of being an influencing member of a group. It helps learners endure themselves as they are.
The reasoning of the Dreikurs model is contrary to that of aversive discipline which concentrates on punishment (Strahan, Smith, McElrath, & Toole 2001:30). This model does not emphasise the use of punishment in explaining good discipline. The best form of discipline is regarded as internal discipline which results from the courteous development of each learner. The role of the educators is to transform the incorrect goal behaviour into the correct goal. This re-routing of incorrect goals should be done in a positive way. The model considers learners will internalise these rules and take ownership of them, because it was adopted via a joint decision by educators and learners (Monroe 2005:317).
2.6.2.3 Understanding misbehaving learners
Inappropriate behaviour does not occur in a vacuum. Educators must become cognisant of psychological reasons for misbehaving, as well as having knowledge of principles of child growth and development (Taylor 2004:77). Once educators have the knowledge of why the learners are misbehaving, they can then assist learners in recognising, altering or changing their goals and behaviours. Due to a variety of factors such as developmental, environmental, social, and poor role models, many children do not understand fully why they behave as they do. When the educator assist them in understanding their goals and motives, misbehaving behaviours are significantly reduced. The members of the SMT need to have knowledge of the contributing factors that have led learners at School A to engage in violent behaviour. Based on this knowledge the members of the SMT can then attempt to handle misbehaving learners in a proactive and constructive manner ensuring that positive discipline paves the way forward.
Martella et al. (2003:7) reinforce Rudolph Dreikurs’ natural consequence model. This model is founded on the belief that people gain knowledge through their collaboration with the environment. In this collaboration our behaviour is subjected to natural as well as logical consequences. According to Charles (2005:337) natural consequences arise from the learners’ behaviour. Logical consequences are organised by someone else, may be an educator or a member of the SMT.
If these consequences are sprung on learners at the time of the encounter, then this will be regarded as punishment. When consequences are applied, educators should not act as self-proclaimed authorities. They should indicate the correct behaviour as required by society and ensure the rules accepted by the learners are enforced (Sanders 2001:19). Consequences must be applied consistently in order to be effective. Learners must be assured that whenever they choose to misbehave, consequences will be applied. Learners choose to suffer the consequences as a result of choosing to misbehave. The reaction of the learner has nothing to do with the reaction of the educator (Hyman & Snook 2000:489).
2.6.2.4 Advantages
There are several advantages for educators using the natural consequence model. It allows educators to assist children in recognising, identifying, and correcting misbehaviours, thus decreasing discipline problems in the classroom. Strategies and techniques are developed to assist children in understanding how they behave as they do and provide assistance for them to minimise, correct, or reduce maladaptive behaviour such as using physical abuse to solve a dispute with another learner. It is important that consequences will relate as closely as possible to the misbehaviour, so learners can see the connection between them (Buluc 2006:30). The strategies and techniques employed are designed to assist children in recognising and internalising their behaviours. No significant changes can occur in behaviours before children learn to bring problems to the conscious level. Discipline problems are corrected through the use of logical sequences rather than punishment and rewards. It further assists educators in focussing on the causes of behaviours before corrective action is taken (Taylor 2004:78).
The natural consequence model allows for educators to play the role of counsellor whereby educators explain to learners the effect of their actions on the learners themselves as well as on other people.
2.6.2.5 Disadvantages
The disadvantages of the model are few. Since educators are not trained mental health specialists they may have some difficulty determining the goals and motives of the learners. There is no way of determining whether or not learners are revealing their true motives, either because they believe that their motives will not be accepted or they do not know how to identify them. Educators may find it difficult to engage in conversation with learners in a non-authoritative way (Taylor 2004:79). This model will be difficult to implement in a law and policy framework that makes provision for punishment.