Collective ownership for learner discipline in South African schools: A policy perspective

Gale E. Davids
University of the Free State, South Africa

In this conceptual paper, I focus on collective ownership for learner discipline in schools. Learner discipline influences the quality of teaching and learning and is not solely the responsibility of schools. Education is most successful when there is collective responsibility regarding school issues. Collective ownership involves parents and schools both taking ownership of learner discipline and the regulation of issues in learner behaviour. At schools it is in the best interest of learners and teachers if teachers and parents work collectively using the existing policy framework to maintain discipline. The ideal is that schools should be safe spaces for teaching and learning. However, the reality is that learner misbehaviour and discipline issues continue to occur, threatening the safety of the school environment. Framed within an interpretivist paradigm, this qualitative study aims to explore collective ownership for learner discipline in South African schools. I investigate the South African Schools Act to explore to what extent it underscores collective ownership. The literature review highlights collective ownership and the policy framework that should inform collective ownership for maintaining effective discipline in schools. Collaborative governance, shared norms and values, and policy implementation underpin the notion of collective ownership for maintaining effective discipline in schools. This paper advocates effective discipline through the establishment of partnerships between parents and schools, nurturing a culture of parental involvement, and utilising existing policies to strengthen parent involvement.
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Author: Gale E. Davids is a lecturer in Education Foundations, School of Education Studies, Bloemfontein Campus at the University of the Free State, South Africa. She holds a MEd (Policy Studies and Governance in Education) from the University of the Free State, PGDE (Post Graduate Diploma in Education) from the University of the Free State; BEd (Hons) from the University of Pretoria, and a HDE (Higher Diploma in Education) from the University of the Western Cape. Email: davidsge@ufs.ac.za Please cite as: Davids, G. E. (2024). Collective ownership for learner discipline in South African schools: A policy perspective. Issues in Educational Research, 34(4), 1223-1240. http://www.iier.org.au/iier34/davids.pdf