RIMAS SACRAS (1614)

1.6.1 School discipline

Literature provides that there is no absolute definition of school discipline. For example, many scholars define school discipline in relative terms. They have developed multiple meanings of school discipline to represent different educational orientations (Goodman, 2006:39; Thornberg, 2008:52). For instance, the first group of scholars pondered that school discipline is punitive sanctioning, or retributive justice (Lwanga, 2009:17). The second group of scholars described school discipline as behavioural instructions given to learners (Kasibante, 2002; Otten, 2000:40), or the enforcement of school rules and regulations (Mohapi, 2007:24). The third group of scholars denotes school discipline to be a remediation process, or restorative justice, that educators convey to the maladjusted learners (Joubert & Serakhwane, 2009:126). The fourth group of scholars defined school discipline as the process of attaining the educational goals for national development (Bear, 2009; Nkata, 2005).

Literature also points to the conceptualization of management as a broad term essential for the success of an organization‟s operations (Musaazi, 2006:93). The concept of management is regarded by researchers and theorists as effective supervision, which consists of sub-components such as planning and leadership, used by the managers to facilitate the achievement of the organizational goals and objectives (Mullins, 2005:67). The concept of management could also refer to a situation when school authority offer leadership by being charismatic, authoritative, transactional, innovative, inspirational and democratic leaders, in order to enforce positive discipline. Finally, management might also refer to planning, in order to establish the goals of preserving positive discipline, enforcing such discipline and evaluating the conduct of learners,

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at the end of the day (Musaazi, 2006:99; Ogunsaju, 2002:1). Educators could approach the management of school discipline in three ways: using the Ecological Approach to Classroom Management (EACM), the School-Wide Positive Behavioural Supports (SWPBS) and the School Emotional Learning (SEL), as vital approaches to the effective management of school discipline (Coetzee, 2005:83; Watson, Swain, & McRobbie, 2004:26).

Finally, different dimensions of school discipline are also presented in the literature, and these dimensions include: the legal/political dimension (Austin, 2010; Fabelo, Thompson & Plotkin, 2011; Marshall, 2004), school dimension (Stewart, 2003) and the administrative/leadership dimension (Babiita, 2007; Fink & Resnick, 2001; Fullan, 2002; Nassozi, 2010; Sergiovanni, 2006). There are many dimensions in the management of school discipline. This means that the choice of which dimension to implement depends on which approach is appropriate to which school environment. The legal dimension could be applicable when a disruptive behaviour turns into a criminal offense. It could also imply that the code of behaviour is used, as a legal framework, to guide the enforcement of school discipline (O‟Toole, 2012). The social dimension indicates that certain social and family factors could be responsible for disruptive behaviour (Vossekuil, Reddy, Borum, & Modezeleski, 2002). The administrative factor shows that leadership in schools could also emerge as an important tool for positive discipline (Sergiovanni, 2006), while school factors, such as the lack of scholastic materials to run schools, might provoke learner disruptiveness (Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2004).

1.6.2 Values

A plethora of definitions of values also exists in the literature. Scholars tend to classify the definitions of values into individual, institutional, societal, and universal level values (Batson & Thompson, 2001; Blum, 2008; Ovadia, 2003; Searing, 2009). Part of the literature describes values at the individual-level as yardsticks for determining individual progress, and providing the desired individual end-goals (Ovadia, 2003:410). At an organizational level, some researchers tend to assume that values are modes of behaviour that propel change in an organization (Searing, 2009:433). At a societal-level, values could be defined as elements of “conformity” to the established order (Du Preez, 2008:35). People must conform to norms and customs, of particular societies, in order to ensure cohesiveness (Njoroge & Bennaars, 2000). At a universal-

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level, scholars at times define values to mean human ethical standards. In other words, universal- level values must delineate principles of objective ethical goodness (Putterman, 2000:79). For example, it is of a universal concern that every human being possesses objective moral ethics (Du Preez & Roux, 2010:78).

A further understanding of the concept of values is provided by the theories of moral enquiry, because the notion of values could also be an issue of moral objectivity, as well as behavioural growth and development (Kirschenbaum, Harmin, Howe, & Sidney, 2000). Scholars and researchers of moral philosophy widely debate the concept of values, as moral development problems that rightly begin with childhood, proceed to adolescence and end in adulthood (Griffin, 2008:7). Therefore, it is important to study it in the context of moral philosophy (Blum, 2008:99). In essence, values are important human growth stages. Some of these stages are sequenced (c.f. Lawrence Kohlberg) and others are clustered (c.f. Milton Rokeach) (Searing, 2009). Values are also debated and widely contested in both secular and religious ethics in contemporary western moral philosophy (Copan, 2013).

1.6.3 Integration of values into school discipline

Research and theory further indicates that values exist in the entire culture and construct of human society. In other words, values occupy an indispensable role in human life (Davidov, 2010:170). The roles may include developing learners‟ character (Morrison, 2001), positive citizenship (De Klerk & Rens, 2003:353), promotion of self-discipline (Ryan & Bohlin, 2000), and pedagogic discipline (Zalta, 2003:4). Values also act as compliance measures (Halstead (2000), and they encourage learners‟ self-achievement (Eccles, 1992:1), dealing with the moral dilemma (Maree & Cherian, 2004:77; Van Wyk, 2001b:199) and the enunciation of the spiritual- self in learners (Dean, Petrillo, & Ella, 2002:570). There are also theories of values integration into school discipline which are discussed in the literature and these include: Socrates‟ value clarification theory (Brickhouse & Smith, 2000:82) and John Dewey‟s educational philosophy (Palermo, 2000:47).

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Research and theory has also interpreted the integration of values into school discipline in the context of „values-education‟. Values-education refers to teaching of critical human principles to learners, in an attempt to mould character and prepare them for the socialization process after school (Veugelers, 2000). Literature also shows that educators deal with values education in distinctly different ways (Veugelers & Vedder, 2003:377). These different ways are the pedagogical approach (Doneman, 2009:10; Graham & Gunders, 2010), character education approach (Chisholm, 2005; Prencipe & Helwig, 2002:843), the Outcome-Based-Education approach (Malan, 2000) and the multi-cultural or pluralist approach (Apple, 2004; Berlin, 2002).

Drawing from these diverse views from literature, the researcher defines school discipline as a process of self-correction and instilling empathy in learners, through academic and moral instruction and a presumed extension into the social and universal values, whose assumed aim is to prepare learners for lifelong learning and the national development challenges. The researcher also defines values as human principles, developed from childhood through adulthood and categorized as individual, group and universal elements. Such elements facilitate human goal achievement, yet others are goals themselves, which are personal, collective and transient in some ways. The ultimate aim of values is to direct humanity to what is desirable. Finally, the researcher‟s own description of the integration of values into school discipline is that, educators could identify a set of values, from the many and diverse values from diverse cultures, to be incorporated into school discipline, so as to transform learner‟s character through the character education approach. However in today‟s pluralist school, educators must, carefully and objectively, integrate values without antagonizing diversionary views and cultures.

1.6.4 The literature gaps

The accessible literature on school discipline in Uganda is fragmentary and unreliable, as most of it is as recent as 2006. The studies are also located outside Kampala district, the geographical area that is the focus of this study. Those that were carried out within Kampala district had a smaller sample size and addressed different units of analysis. Nakyanzi (2004:4), for example, noted that increased immorality in schools is due to the values vacuum in the learner‟s disciplinary process. Because of the laxity in clarifying moral values in schooling by most educators, she advocated for a curriculum that clarifies the major ethical values necessary in a

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learner‟s educative process. Genza (2008:17) contended that schools have concentrated much on academic progress and neglected the promotion of an Outcome Based Education (OBE), which focuses on promoting life values and civic responsibility. He further cautioned that most schools have neglected spiritual values in the education of learners, yet these spiritual values are quite central in promoting positive child education.