Analysis of Parents/Teachers Perception of the Use of Corporal Punishment in Primary Schools in Delta and Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was meant to analyze Parents and Teachers perception of the use of corporal punishment in primary schools in Edo/Delta state. The purpose was to find time out parents and teachers opinion on the need for continuity or to discontinue the use of corporal punishment among primary school pupils. The method was a descriptive study with the use of questionnaire. The sample size was 390. A multi stage and simple ballots technique was used to sample the population of parents and teachers. Cronbach’s alpha of 0.82 and 0.72 stood for teachers and parents reliability of the use of the instrument respectively. Both descriptive and a two-way t-test statistics were used to analyze the data at alpha of 0.05. It was found in this study that both parents and teachers agreed that corporal punishment is an ideal practice for molding children in primary schools. Parents and teachers, males and females, urban and rural parents/teachers did not show any significant difference on their perception of the use of corporal punishment in schools. It was recommended among others, that corporal punishment be restored where it is dis-functional and there is the need to legislate law to protect teachers on their Luco-parentis role in the molding of children, in schools.

Keywords: Corporal punishment, Teachers, Parents, Primary school, Nigeria.