Teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward disciplinary styles: A comparative analysis of England and Nigeria

Abstract

The issue of disruptive behaviour in schools has become a major stress and concern to teachers. However, in order to minimize these behaviours, teachers are utilizing various disciplinary strategies. The aim of this study was to examine students’ and teachers’ attitudes toward disciplinary styles and to compare the views of the participants from Nigeria and England. Two hundred and eighty five (285) students and 41 teachers from high schools completed the disciplinary styles questionnaires which contained intervention methods commonly reported in high schools. The questionnaire measured individual’s attitudes toward the strategies used to regulate behavioural problems in classroom. The results showed significant differences among nationality, gender, students and teachers toward disciplinary styles. In conclusion, the style of discipline adopted in school is associated with students’ judgement of behaviour. The implications of the findings to disciplinary styles that may be most effective at regulating disruptive behaviour were discussed.

Keywords: Disciplinary styles, attitudes, student, teacher.