Educators' perceptions of corporal punishment in school
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to examine the perceptions of educators, based on their demographics, regarding the effects of corporal punishment on student behavior. The Gundi/Jones survey consisted of eight demographic questions and twenty statements. The demographics page of the Gundi/Jones survey included educator's gender, whether they were an administrator or teacher, race, age, teaching experience, whether the educator had received corporal punishment in school, and whether the educator had administered corporal punishment in school, teaching level, and educational level. The research was designed to determine the differences between the educators' beliefs regarding the effects of corporal punishment on student behavior based on years of experience, use of corporal punishment, and punishment received as a child. The population was all teachers and administrators in the Cleveland City and Polk County school systems. A total of 292 surveys were completed and returned out of 368 that were originally distributed to the schools for a total return rate of 79%. All teachers and administrators were given the same survey instrument. The Gundi/Jones corporal punishment scale survey was found to be both reliable and valid. Five educators with at least twenty years of education experience were asked to read the survey and respond in written form whether they felt the survey asked what it was trying to ask. Validity was established through a judgmental process of examination by these experts. Reliability was established through a pilot study of the instrument and the calculation of Cronbach's Coefficient Alpha. The survey was divided into three groups of questions or subscales: behavior, advocacy of corporal punishment, and opposition to corporal punishment. Eight hypotheses were stated in the null form and were tested at the .05 level of significance, using the unpaired t-test. There were statistically significant differences for four of the eight hypotheses. The result showed significant differences found in the educator's perceptions based on race, gender, and whether or not the educator had experienced corporal punishment or administered corporal punishment.
Subject Area
School administration
Recommended Citation
James R Jones,
"Educators' perceptions of corporal punishment in school"
(2009).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI3369982.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI3369982