Open Access Library Journal
2024, Volume 11, e11825
ISSN Online: 2333-9721
ISSN Print: 2333-9705
DOI: 10.4236/oalib.1111825 Jul. 22, 2024 1 Open Access Library Journal
Challenges with the Use of Alternative
Strategies to Corporal Punishment in Ghanaian
Basic Schools
Kwadwo Oteng Akyina
1
, Prem Jotham Heeralal Heeralal
2
1
Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Education and General Studies, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills
Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Mampong, Ghana
2
Department of Psychology of Education, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
Abstract
Despite the documented benefits of the use of alternative strategies to corpor-
al punishment, Ghana continues to grapple with indiscipline in schools since
the abolition of corporal punishment and the subsequent introduction of al-
ternative strategies to corporal punishment. This study sought to find out
teachers’ lived experiences of the challenges with the use of these alternative
strategies to corporal punishment in Ghanaian Basic schools. The qualitative
research approach and the phenomenological research design were adopted
for in-depth interviews with fifteen basic school teachers and focused on
group discussions with fifteen basic school headteachers, who were purpo-
sively selected for the study because of their experience in the use of alterna-
tive strategies. Two themes namely the non-fearful nature of the alternative
strategies and implementation challenges with their use emerged as the main
challenges with the use of the alternative strategies. It was recommended that
these identified challenges should be addressed by educational stakeholders to
prevent the revert to the use of corporal punishment in Ghanaian schools.
Subject Areas
Educational Psychology
Keywords
Challenges, Corporal Punishment, Alternative Strategies, Phenomenology,
Teachers Behaviour Modification, Positive Discipline, Basic Schools
1. Introduction
Corporal punishment is a popular means of behaviour modification in most
How to cite this paper: Akyina, K.O. and
Heeralal, P.J.H. (2024) Challenges with the
Use of Alternative Strategies to Corporal
Punishment in Ghanaian Basic Schools.
Open Access Library Journal, 11: e11825.
https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1111825
Received: June 13, 2024
Accepted: July 19, 2024
Published: July 22, 2024
Copyright © 2024 by author(s) and Open
Access Library Inc.
This work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution International
License (CC BY 4.0).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Open Access