ACTION RESEARCH

Improving Discipline Affecting The Overall Performance In Mechanical Branch Action Research

Abstract

This study of a collaborative action research project focuses on improving the learners' behaviour through classroom management and the implementation of human rights awareness as an intervention strategy. This study focuses on how action research can enhance the educator's own practice. The literature review for this study covers two main areas: Action research and classroom management. Although classroom management encompasses all that transpires in a classroom, this study's main focus was on teaching strategies and approaches to behaviour management. The first step by the educator was to increase the knowledge concerning the rights of learners and educators. The rights and responsibilities of both the educator and the learners were pointed out. The next step taken in the classroom, if behavioural problems did arise, was that the educator should facilitate a discussion surrounding the transgression. The facilitation should result in the learners identifying the rights of learners that were not respected by the transgressing learner. The educator had to extract from the learners the negative impact that the transgression might have on the misbehaving learner, the rest of the classmates and ultimately possible detrimental consequences for the broader community. A second conclusion was that the implementation of human rights as an intervention strategy was successful. The success came about when the educators developed mechanisms to protect the learners' rights.



Improving Discipline Affecting The Overall Performance In Mechanical Branch Action Research

Introduction

This introductory chapter provides the background to and the rationale for this research project. It clarifies its main research problem, the aims of the research, the main research question and the subsidiary research questions. It further explains how the field of research is delimitated. Importantly, it provides an introduction to the succeeding chapters.

Background

Since 1994, press reports on the deterioration or lack of discipline in schools have frequently appeared. Discipline problems, however, are not new. Since schools came into being, behaviour problems have existed. The question that therefore arises is: Why has maintaining discipline in schools taken on such huge proportions? Since 1994, education, as part of the democratisation process, has been transformed. Two of the major changes were the abolition of corporal punishment and the introduction of a form of Outcomes-based Education (OBE), namely Curriculum 2005.

The implementation of C2005 gave rise to problems since educators were not equipped to meet the challenges of the transformed education system. In the face of this, some educators simply persisted in using a transmission model of teaching. When corporal punishment was banned, no alternative to corporal punishment was offered to educators by the Department of Education. This is one of the factors responsible for the current lack of discipline in schools. Educators feel that their right to teach is being infringed by undisciplined learners. The right of other learners to receive education is also affected, as is the right to teach in an environment conducive to teaching and learning.

Under the new policies, it is difficult for principals or school governing bodies to take steps against ...