A Maintaining Discipline in Private Primary Schools in the Wake of Ban on Corporal Punishment: A Qualitative Case Study of Teachers’ Perspectives

Abstract

Maintaining discipline in the classroom is one of the major priorities in any school. A hike in students’ discipline issues is allegedly linked with teachers’
incompetence to manage classrooms after corporal punishment has been banned by the Government of Pakistan. Teachers do not enjoy the powers which
they traditionally used to enjoy on the basis of their knowledge or position anymore, which has not only lowered teachers’ morale but also produced a lack
of professional commitment and high retention rate among private school teachers in Lahore. This instrumental case study aimed at identifying teachers’ preparedness for effective classroom management techniques in the current scenario and how no-corporal punishment has affected their satisfaction and commitment to their profession. The qualitative case study approach was adopted for the study, and four teachers of a private school in Lahore were purposively selected. The study used a self-constructed semi-structured interview guide. The analysis of data revealed that teachers felt disempowered in classrooms not because the nocorporal punishment has been imposed, but due to their own inability to use alternates effectively. The teachers are aware of and are in favor of the ban; they, however, thought that the school administration and government of Pakistan should hold training sessions not only for teachers and administrators but also for parents.