Corporal punishment: cultural-historical and socio-cultural practices of teachers in a South African primary school

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dc.contributor.advisorMuthivhi, Azwihangwisi Een_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorPendlebury, Shirleyen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMayisela, Simangele Gladysen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2017-08-21T14:15:12Z
dc.date.available2017-08-21T14:15:12Z
dc.date.issued2017en_ZA
dc.description.abstractIn this study, corporal punishment refers to the administration of physical pain to children by teachers with the purpose of disciplining them. It is a phenomenon that occurs in South African primary schooling despite its legal abolition two decades ago. Anecdotal evidence suggests that teachers, particularly those who have been culturally exposed to corporal punishment and other forms of violence, believe that corporal punishment is still an effective mode of disciplining children. Drawing on Vygotsky's cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), this study seeks to investigate how the notion of historical and cultural genesis of higher psychological functions can explain the continuing use of corporal punishment in schools. A qualitative methodology, employing observations and interviews as data collection methods in a case of a rural public school in Mpumalanga was adopted, where teachers, parents and children were participants in the study. Data was analysed thematically within the CHAT framework to address the main research question: What cultural-historical and socio-cultural processes account for the teachers' continuing use of corporal punishment in a South African rural primary school? Findings suggest that corporal punishment manifests as a socially mediated tool used within an object-oriented cultural activity and a historically-bound activity systems. Through the analysis of the contradictions embedded within and between the activity system(s), possibilities for transformation were revealed. The intrapsychological processes and nuances of the internalisation of corporal punishment by individuals and the collective show that corporal punishment is likely to compromise the development some higher psychological functions related to discipline like problem-solving, self-regulation, sequencing and agency.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationMayisela, S. G. (2017). <i>Corporal punishment: cultural-historical and socio-cultural practices of teachers in a South African primary school</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24915en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationMayisela, Simangele Gladys. <i>"Corporal punishment: cultural-historical and socio-cultural practices of teachers in a South African primary school."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24915en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMayisela, S. 2017. Corporal punishment: cultural-historical and socio-cultural practices of teachers in a South African primary school. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Mayisela, Simangele Gladys AB - In this study, corporal punishment refers to the administration of physical pain to children by teachers with the purpose of disciplining them. It is a phenomenon that occurs in South African primary schooling despite its legal abolition two decades ago. Anecdotal evidence suggests that teachers, particularly those who have been culturally exposed to corporal punishment and other forms of violence, believe that corporal punishment is still an effective mode of disciplining children. Drawing on Vygotsky's cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), this study seeks to investigate how the notion of historical and cultural genesis of higher psychological functions can explain the continuing use of corporal punishment in schools. A qualitative methodology, employing observations and interviews as data collection methods in a case of a rural public school in Mpumalanga was adopted, where teachers, parents and children were participants in the study. Data was analysed thematically within the CHAT framework to address the main research question: What cultural-historical and socio-cultural processes account for the teachers' continuing use of corporal punishment in a South African rural primary school? Findings suggest that corporal punishment manifests as a socially mediated tool used within an object-oriented cultural activity and a historically-bound activity systems. Through the analysis of the contradictions embedded within and between the activity system(s), possibilities for transformation were revealed. The intrapsychological processes and nuances of the internalisation of corporal punishment by individuals and the collective show that corporal punishment is likely to compromise the development some higher psychological functions related to discipline like problem-solving, self-regulation, sequencing and agency. DA - 2017 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2017 T1 - Corporal punishment: cultural-historical and socio-cultural practices of teachers in a South African primary school TI - Corporal punishment: cultural-historical and socio-cultural practices of teachers in a South African primary school UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24915 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/24915
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationMayisela SG. Corporal punishment: cultural-historical and socio-cultural practices of teachers in a South African primary school. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education, 2017 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24915en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentSchool of Educationen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherEducationen_ZA
dc.titleCorporal punishment: cultural-historical and socio-cultural practices of teachers in a South African primary schoolen_ZA
dc.typeDoctoral Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoral
dc.type.qualificationnamePhDen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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