Learner discipline in South

African schools: The parental

dimension

Prof. C.C. Wolhuter*

Comparative and International Education Professor
Research Unit: Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-
HRight)
North-West University
Charl.Wolhuter@nwu.ac.za

Prof. J.L. van der Walt

Research Unit: Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-
HRight)
North-West University
Hannesv290@gmail.com

Prof. N.A. Broer

Research Unit: Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-
HRight)
North-West University
n.a.broer@live.com

Dr N. Mollo
Research Unit: Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-
HRight)
North-West University
Nicholus.Mollo@nwu.ac.za

Dr K Mampane
Research Unit: Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-
HRight)
North-West University
33294038@nwu.ac.za

*To whom correspondence should be directed

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Learner discipline in South African schools: The parental dimension

Abstract
Learner discipline has been a major issue in South African schools for
some time now. The issue of learner discipline in schools is complicated
in that it involves at least six dimensions: the learner-, teacher-, school-,
education system-, parental or family- and society-related dimensions.
The purpose of this article is to present the results of a study on one of the
hitherto under-researched dimensions of this complex issue, namely the
dimension concerning the parents of school-going children. The article
presents the results of a survey done on a purposive sample of 402
parents of learners at schools in two South African provinces. The survey
explored the respondents’ views of the state of discipline of their children
at home, their relationships with their children in the home environment,
their views regarding discipline problems at school, their views on the
management of learner discipline in schools and their views on the role
of parents in curbing the discipline problems of their children at school.
The investigation revealed that the respondents understood the need
for sound discipline of their children both at home and at school, for a
healthy parent-school partnership and for cooperation in this regard. They
also displayed a positive view of the state of discipline of their children
at home and at school, of their own and the schools’ management of
learner discipline problems and of their own role as parents in terms of
parent–school relations. However, when viewed together with research
that examined the experience of learners, principals and teachers, and
with evidence regarding the broader society, the respondents in this
study seemed to be living with a false sense of complacency in that they
tended to think that the discipline of their children at home and in school
was as good as could be expected. Such a complacent attitude on the
part of parents is detrimental to the maintenance of sound discipline both
at home and at school. This research fills a lacuna in research in on the
issue of learner discipline in schools, South African schools in particular
in that it focused on the parental–family-home dimension. This project
has underlined the importance of follow-up research for the purpose of
exploring ways in which not only unwarranted parental complacency
about the situation can be countered but also the (in)discipline displayed
by learners at home and in school.

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Opsomming
Leerderdissipline is ʼn brandpunt in Suid-Afrikaanse skole. Die saak van
leerderdissipline aan skole is veelkantig en gekompliseerd, met ten minste
ses dimensies of stelle faktore, te wete leerder-, onderwyser-, skool-,
ouer-, samelewing- en onderwysstelselverwante faktore. Hierdie artikel
doen verslag van die resultate van navorsing oor een faktor waaroor tot
dusver min navorsing gedoen is, naamlik die ouerdimensie of -faktor.
ʼn Steekproef van 402 ouers van leerders in Suid-Afrikaanse skole se
menings en belewenisse rakende die stand van dissipline in ouerhuise
sowel as by skole, die hantering van dissipline by skole en die rol van
ouers in die bekamping van dissiplineprobleme by skole is ondersoek.
Die respondente het laat blyk dat hulle die noodsaaklikheid van gesonde
dissipline onder hul kinders by die huis sowel as by die skool besef. Hulle
verstaan ook die rol van die ouer-skool-vennootskap en ondersteuning
in hierdie verband. Die ouers het ʼn positiewe belewenis en evaluering
van die stand van dissipline by hul huise en by die skole wat hul kinders
bywoon, asook van hul rol as ouers betreffende ouer-skool-verhoudinge
in hierdie verband. Wanneer hierdie bevindinge egter naas die resultate
van navorsing oor die belewenis van leerders, hoofde en onderwysers,
asook getuienis uit die breë samelewing, geplaas word, blyk die
respondente ʼn vals of ongegronde gevoel van selftevredenheid te hê, wat
skadelik is vir die handhawing van gesonde dissipline. Hierdie navorsing
vul ʼn leemte met betrekking tot die vraagstuk van leerderdissipline aan
skole, Suid-Afrikaanse skole in die besonder, in soverre dit die totnogtoe
in die navorsing versaakte ouer-gesin-tuisomgewing dimensie belig.
Die projek het die belangrikheid van opvolgnavorsing ten einde wyses
waarop nie net ongegronde ouerselftevredenheid teëgegaan kan word
nie, maar ook die gebrek aan dissipline van leerders tuis en op skool,
benadruk.

Keywords:
Learner discipline; parents; parent-school relations; school management
bodies; South Africa

Sleutelwoorde:
Leerderdissipline; ouers; ouer-skool-verhoudinge; skoolbeheerliggame;
Suid-Afrika

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Learner discipline in South African schools: The parental dimension

1. Introduction
A multitude of media reports (see Von Vollenhoven, 2022) and a voluminous
body of scholarly literature (see Zulu, Oosthuizen & Wolhuter, 2019 for a list
of such publications) attest to the fact that learner discipline has become a
major issue in South African schools. An example of this body of literature
can be found in a special issue of this journal devoted to the subject of
learner discipline in schools (Journal of Christian Scholarship, vol. 46, no. 1,
2010). Special issues have also been devoted to this topic by other journals
in the past two decades – Koers (two special issues, vol. 68, no. 4, 2003;
vol. 78, no. 3, 2013), the Journal for the Humanities (vol. 47, no. 3) and the
Journal of Education Studies (vol. 8, no. 9). This problem of poor learner
discipline in schools is not limited to South Africa; it is evident in education
systems worldwide. A lacuna in all the publications on learner discipline, in
South Africa as well as internationally, is research on the parental dimension
of learner discipline in schools. The aim of this article is to present the results
of a study on the parental dimension of learner discipline. This is an aspect
of learner discipline that has so far been under-researched. The discussion
commences with a general outline of the factors involved in the issue of
learner discipline in schools. This is done for the purpose of determining
where the parental factor fits in the issue of learner discipline as a complex
phenomenon. Thereafter, the research method is explained, followed by a
presentation and a discussion of the results of the investigation.

2. Conceptual framework: Learner discipline in schools

The purpose of this section is to give a brief overview of research that has
been done in the past regarding the issue of learner discipline. In doing so,
we also highlight the concepts that played a key role in the research reported
in this paper.
Research has revealed that there are six sets of factors involved, or
dimensions that can be distinguished regarding learner discipline in schools
(see Wolhuter, De Wet & Van der Walt, 2019). Put differently, these are six
sets of factors that have a bearing on the state of learner discipline in schools.
This means that, when the issue of learner discipline is contemplated, all
these factors should be considered. The six sets of factors to be reckoned
with, as briefly mentioned in the introduction above, are learner-, teacher-,
school-, education system-, parental or family- and society-related factors.

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Learner discipline in a classroom depends, firstly, on learner-related factors,

such as the age or life phase of the learners, their physical health and
psychological state and their interests and aptitudes. Research by Wolhuter,
Oosthuizen and Van Staden (2010) revealed that learner discipline problems
appear to be more abundant and of a more serious nature at the secondary
school level than at primary school level. Teacher-related factors refer to a
teacher’s competency level, the extent to which he or she is accepted as a
role model for learners as well as the quality of teacher-learner relationships
(Department of Education and Science and the Welsh Office, 1989:67-72).
School-related factors refer to school management arrangements, the type
and execution of school leadership (see Curran & Finch, 2021), the availability
and condition of school infrastructure, class size (i.e., the teacher-learner
ratio) and the organisation climate and culture prevailing in the school. A
case study done by Van der Westhuizen, Oosthuizen and Wolhuter (2008)
demonstrated how the introduction of a congenial organisation culture in a
school could lead to improved learner discipline.
It should further be pointed out that research on the experiences of
learners regarding the state of learner discipline in South African schools
(e.g., Hochfeld, Schmid, Errington & Omar, 2022; Wolhuter & Oosthuizen,
2003; and especially the Report of the 2016 International Progress in Early
Reading Study, PIRLS 2016, see Mullis, Martin, Foy & Hooper, 2017, and
also Wolhuter, 2021) paints a much bleaker picture regarding the state of
learner discipline in South African schools. In the 2016 PIRLS study, Grade
4 learners, as respondents, in 60 participating countries were asked how
often they experienced bullying at the hands of other learners. A total of 32%
of the South African respondents indicated that they did on a weekly basis,
the highest of all the PIRLS participating countries (Mullis et al., 2017:225).
By comparison, the figure for the United States of America was 15%, for
England 15%, for the United Arab Emirates 25% and for New Zealand 24%
(Mullis et al., 2017).
Parent-related factors, the issue addressed in this paper, are parents’
involvement in and support of schools, their modelling and child-raising
styles and the practices they follow with their children at home (Wolhuter
& Van der Walt, 2020). Society-related factors, such as the level of social
capital available in society, the incidence of social pathologies and the
hierarchy of values and norms in society, can also affect the level of learner
discipline in schools (Van der Walt, Potgieter & Wolhuter, 2009). Lastly,
the education system can also have an impact on the state of learner

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Learner discipline in South African schools: The parental dimension

discipline in a school. The national education system of a country provides

the structural environment and parameters (in the form of governance in
circuits, districts and provincial and national offices) for the above-mentioned
teacher- and school-related factors. System-wide arrangements can have
an impact on teacher competency, the availability and maintenance of school
infrastructure, authority structures and the autonomy and the morale of the
teachers plying their trade in the system (Wolhuter et al., 2019).
These first three sets of factors (learner-, teacher- and school-related) have
been subjected to extensive research. However, not much research has
so far been done regarding the societal dimension, the education system
dimension and particularly the parental dimension. This is deplorable given
the fact that in the current public discourse on this issue in South Africa,
the role of the parent is often highlighted as key in addressing the issue
of learners’ antisocial behaviour in schools and communal life (see De
Klerk-Luttig, 2023; Steyn, 2023). This neglect of scholarly attention to the
parental dimension of learner discipline in schools can be seen as part of
a tendency in education scholarship to overlook the role of parents as key
actors in the education of children (in this case, school learners). Moreover,
in cases where researchers have recognised parents as key stakeholders in
the school education of their children, the research has dealt with a range
of topics but not with the issue of learner discipline (see Proctor, Roch,
Breidenstein & Forsey, 2020).
One of the papers that has dealt with the role of parents with respect to
learner discipline, an article by Wolhuter and Van der Walt (2020), contains a
conceptual-theoretical reflection on the parental dimension. In their opinion,
this dimension embraces four constituent factors: parenting style, the moral
example parents set for their children, the family structure and dynamics, and
parent-school relations, including parental involvement in school matters.
Their findings, in brief, are as follows: With reference to the conventional
distinction between three parenting styles (authoritarian, permissive and
authoritative), they found that the authoritarian and permissive parenting
styles tend to lead to ill-discipline among learners at school, whereas the
authoritative parenting style seems to be best to promote sound learner
discipline in school. Their investigation also revealed that the moral example
set by parents plays a key role in forming children’s attitudes regarding
acceptable behaviour. Regarding the family structure and dynamics, their
investigation showed that material and emotional stress in the family tends to
lead to an increase in learner indiscipline at school. Their investigation finally
revealed that parental involvement and sound parent-school relations should
be seen as essential ingredients in shaping learners’ behaviour at school.

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The discussion so far shows that the issue of parental discipline constitutes
only one part of a large, complex picture involving an array of role players. It
is difficult, if not impossible, for researchers to keep some of the subsystems
in the complex constant while studying only one in isolation, in this case,
the role of parents with respect to the discipline displayed by their children
both at home and at school. There are simply too many interconnections
and feedback loops in the system to be reckoned with. On the other hand,
according to Anderson (1999:218), a researcher or, as in the case reported
in this article, a team of researchers, may revert to a form of reductionism (for
instance, the use of a questionnaire for a particular group of respondents)
in order to detect emergent patterns with respect to parents’ roles in the
discipline displayed by their children. Such patterns tend to emerge from
the complexities of the system because of a tendency in systems to display
a degree of “self-organising behaviour”, meaning that “starting in a random
state, they usually evolve toward order instead of disorder” (Anderson,
1999:218). Plotnitsky (2006:47, 50) correctly remarked that one “needs to
find a way to handle the situation, physically and philosophically … and in
this way create new order”. As will be argued in more detail below, God
created everything to be orderly at their most basic levels; since the creation
of human beings, it has been the task of researchers to discover the God-
given order in a phenomenon under scrutiny. In the research reported in this
article, we resorted to two theories as the theoretical framework to help us
understand the complexities surrounding parental discipline.

Theoretical framework
We invoked chaos theory and complexity theory for two purposes in this
research. On the one hand, they enabled us to gain a deeper, contextual
understanding of the discipline situation in schools and of the role of parents,
and on the other, they enabled us to develop a reformational perspective on
the situation that we discovered through the research.
Chaos theory, despite the fact that, taken at face value, it seems irreconcilable
with a Christian ontology and cosmology, is in line with the Scriptural injunction
in 1 Corinthians 14:40: “Let all things be done decently and in order” (KJV).
Chaos theory affords researchers with an instrument for understanding the
divine cosmic order. The theory can be explained with the aid of a metaphor.
As a human being, a parent (or a researcher, for that matter) can only see
life and all the activities therein from a creaturely, human perspective, much
like a person looking at the reverse side of an expertly crafted tapestry: the
observer sees only a melange of mixed colours and loose threads, with only
the barest outline of the picture discernible. As human beings, we do not

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Learner discipline in South African schools: The parental dimension

have a God’s-eye view of the tapestry, of the well-designed and -organised

divine picture planned, created and maintained by the Creator. It is indeed as
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:12: “For now we see through a glass, darkly,
… now I know in part …” (KJV).
The complexity theory, on the other hand, helped us, as researchers, to
understand that the weak discipline displayed by some learners at school may
only be the pinnacle of an iceberg or one aspect of a complex assemblage
(see Plotnitsky, 2006:42). A complex system, such as an education system
and the school, in cooperation and in interrelationship with other role players,
such as the parents, religious organisations and the surrounding community,
can be described as a set of interdependent parts that together make up a
whole that is interdependent upon some even larger environment (Anderson,
1999:216). This complexity involves a sizable number of variables that are
interrelated in an organic totality and, in the end, constitute an organised
whole (Raworth, 2022:136).
No single parent, researcher or research team can attain a complete view of
the heterogeneous, yet interactive space of relationships represented by the
parental home, broader society, school and education department (and other
role players or stakeholders) where a wide array of differences, similarities
and interactions constantly occur. Discipline (and weak discipline) in school
occurs in a dynamic space-time, or as Deleuze and Guattari (1994:53) note,
in “a sea of energy of thought [and activity], a space at the edge of chaos”.
According to Deleuze and Guattari (1994:201), there are “infinite variabilities”
in terms of actions regarding order and discipline in parental homes and
schools that “appear and disappear”, and this – we would contend – is one of
the reasons why it is so difficult to put an end to the discipline problems that
South African schools are currently being afflicted with.
Since it is our task as researchers to try to discover, understand, and
describe the order deeply hidden in our observable surroundings, such as in
a parental home and in a school, we conducted an empirical investigation on
the basis of the above conceptual and theoretical frameworks. The following
section of this article contains a report on that part of the investigation into
the parental aspect regarding learner discipline at a selected group of South
African schools.

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3. Empirical investigation
3.1 Instrument
A self-constructed questionnaire was developed to discover South African
parents’ perspectives on the discipline of their children, both at home and
in school. In compiling items for the questionnaire, we drew on two sets of
sources. The first was a questionnaire on learner discipline in schools that had
been developed, tested and refined by the research group at the North-West
University. This questionnaire was used to discover teachers’ perspectives
on learner discipline in schools and resulted in numerous publications (e.g.,
Wolhuter & Van Staden, 2007, 2008, 2009). The second was the Parenting
Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSQD) of Robinson, Mandleco,
Olsen and Hart (2001).
Therefore, the questionnaire consisted of two parts, of which the first part
consisted of a slightly adapted version of the PSQD. The second part had
five sub-sections, namely: 1) respondents’ views on the state of discipline
among their children at home; 2) respondents’ views on the relationship with
their children at home; 3) respondents’ views on the state, causes and effects
of learner discipline problems at their children’s schools; 4) respondents’
views on management of learner discipline in schools; 5) respondents’ views
on the role of parents in curbing the discipline problems of their children at
school. Respondents were also asked to provide some relevant biographical
details.
The instrument consisted of Likert-type scale items and open-ended
qualitative questions. The Likert scale employed was “never”, “once in a
while”, “about half of the time” and “always”. A mixed-method approach was
followed in that open-ended questions were added to the quantitative items
(Creamer, 2018:19; Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018:382). The items were
derived from a previously developed theoretical framework that focused on
learner discipline at home and in the school context.

3.2 Data collection

Two provinces of South Africa were selected for this project: North-West and
Mpumalanga. The findings of this study can, therefore, not be generalised
to the entire country. A purposive sampling (non-probability) strategy was
used to select different research sites and participants, as it was not feasible
to use (stratified) random sampling due to the Covid-19 pandemic at the
time. Specific schools were targeted based on their availability. The research
sites included ex-Model C schools, township schools and rural schools.

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Learner discipline in South African schools: The parental dimension

Questionnaires were distributed to the schools for dissemination to parents.

They were distributed in ways that minimised direct human contact during the
pandemic. The completed questionnaires were collected from the schools on
appointed dates. At each school, a sample was drawn from its parent corps.
Sixteen schools and 448 parents in total responded favourably.

3.3 Data processing

Survey data analysis software was used to analyse the data. The Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for analysing the
quantitative data, and validity analysis and reliability analysis were employed.
In the processing of the data, the following had to be taken into account:
Many cells in the database were empty (representing missing data) where
parents had not responded to statements. It was decided beforehand that
responses lacking more than 10% of the 90 statements (apart from the
biographical information) would be removed from the database. This left a
total of 402 of the original 448 questionnaires in the database. In N = 70
cases, respondents did not closely follow the guidelines given for completing
of some specific items of the questionnaire. The resulting incorrect responses
were eliminated from the database.

3.4 Validity and Reliability

The data relating to parenting styles (part 1 of the questionnaire) came
from a standardized questionnaire, the Parenting Styles and Dimensions
Questionnaire (PSQD).
Experts in the field of discipline problems compiled the questionnaire. It
was then checked for validity by independent experts (Leedy & Ormrod,
2013:91). Because the second five sections (part 2) of the questionnaire
were not used as subscales, no factor analysis was performed on the data
from these sections.

3.5 Ethical considerations

The project was approved by the Ethical Committee of the university under
whose auspices the investigation was done. (Ethical clearance number to be
inserted after double-blind review of this chapter.)

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3.6 Biographical profile of respondents

The questionnaire was completed by 402 parents in two provinces of South
Africa, namely North-West and Mpumalanga. These parents came from all
the major school types in South Africa. The distribution of the respondents as
per school type is presented in Table 1. While not claiming to be statistically
accurately representative of the South African school mosaic, the results of
Table 1 show that parents with children in all the major school types in South
Africa completed the questionnaire.
Table 1
Distribution of respondents as per school type
Percentage of respondents
School type
(N=402)
Ex-Model C school (better endowed, his-
19
torically white school)
Township school (historically black urban
33
schools)
(Former) Homeland school (situated in
34
one of the former homelands)
Farm school (located on a farm, i.e., a
15
school for children of farm labourers)

Twenty-one percent of the respondents were male and zeventy-nine percent

female. Far more mothers than fathers completed the questionnaire. The
number of female respondents counted almost four times that of male
respondents. This should not be construed that the sample was unbalanced
or unrepresentative. For a number of reasons, many children in South Africa
stay in single-mother-headed households. The divorce rate in South Africa
is high (see Statistics South Africa, 2023). The Human Sciences Research
Council estimates that over 60 percent of South African children do not stay
with their biological fathers (Japhet, 2023).
Table 2 presents the age profile of respondents. Nearly seventy percent of
therespondents are aged between thirty and fifty year.

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Learner discipline in South African schools: The parental dimension

Table 2
Age Distribution of Respondents

Age (years) Percentage of Respondents (N=402)

18-20 13
21-29 6
30-39 36
40-49 32
50-59 11
60+ 2

Responses regarding the number of children respondents had are presented

in Table 3. The average number of children respondents had was 2,82. Half
of the parents (55%) had two or three children.

Table 3
Number of Children Respondents had

Number of Children Percentage of Respondents (N=402)

1 16
2 29
3 26
4 17
5 9
>6 3

Respondents’ responses regarding the school level of their children are

presented in table 4. Most respondents had one or more children at a primary
school. One-third of the respondents had children at both a primary school
and a secondary school.

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Table 4
Respondents’ responses regarding their children’s school level

School Level Percentage of Responses (N=402)

Primary 42
Secondary 23
Primary and Secondary 35

Respondents’ responses regarding the Quintile of the school which their

children attended are presented in table 5 (In South Africa, public schools
are categorised into five Quintiles, according to the average income level of
parents. Schools attended by children from the least affluent households are
Quintile 1 schools, and schools attended by children from the most affluent
households are Quintle 5 schools). The majority of parents had children who
attended a fifth quintile school. The children of nearly a quarter of the parents
went to a fourth quintile school. So the vast majority of children attended a
school in the highest two quintiles.

Table 5
Respondents’ responses regarding the quintile in which the school which
their children attended resorts

Quintile Percentage of Responses (N=402)

1 15
2 31
3 21
4 12
5 22

Seven per cent of respondents indicated that they served on the School
Governing Body of the school which their child/ren attended. This means
that the vast majority of respondents had no particular official involvement
with the activities of the school their children attended.

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Learner discipline in South African schools: The parental dimension

The above responses show that while the sample cannot claim to be exactly
representative of the school, parent and learner populations of South Africa,
the sample does include the full range of schools (in terms of school types),
parents (gender and age), families (in terms of income level) and learners
(school phase).

4. Results
This section is based on the data collected with the abovementioned
questionnaire. Only data relevant to the subject of this article are taken into
consideration.

4.1 Respondents’ relationships with their children at home

The respondents’ responses to items on their relationships with their children
at home are presented in Table 6. From the results of the survey, it seems that
most of these parents understand the need for sound discipline at home and
believe that teachers and parents were partners in instilling good discipline
in their children. In response to the statement “My style of parenting is to tell
my children what they should do because I am their parent. I do not listen
to what they say”, more than a third either agreed or partially agreed. So,
in their methods of instilling discipline, some parents tend to be somewhat
authoritarian. Yet, despite such strong authoritarianism, the overwhelming
majority of the parents feel that the atmosphere in their homes is casual and
not stressful.

Table 6
Respondents’ responses to items regarding the relationships with their
children at home
Items Percentage of Responses (N=402)
I partially I partially
I disagree I agree
disagree agree

I insist on good discipline at

3 2 13 82
home

My approach to inculcating
acceptable morals in my child
is that teachers should help 4 3 19 74
learners adopt acceptable
moral behaviour.

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My style of parenting is to tell

my children what they should
do because I am their parent. 43 21 16 20
I do not listen to what they
say.
The atmosphere in my home
6 4 20 70
is casual and not stressful.

4.2 Respondents’ views on the state, causes and effects of

learner discipline problems at school
The respondents’ responses to questions concerning the state, causes and
effects of learner discipline problems at school are presented in Table 7. A
large proportion of respondents (40%) do not (fully) agree with the statement
that the standard of discipline in schools in South Africa is very good. In the
publication of Wolhuter and Van Staden (2008:394) (admittedly dated, but
the only survey comparable with the one reported on in this article) on a
survey of teachers, the respondents’ assessment of the state of discipline in
their schools was somewhat more positively than that of the parents in the
current study. Nonetheless, full half of respondents could not give a positive
assessment regarding the state of discipline in South African schools, which
is a cause for concern.

Table 7
Respondents’ responses to questions about the state, causes and effects of
learner discipline problems at school
Item Percentage of Responses (N=402)
I partially I partially
I disagree I agree
disagree agree
The standard of discipline in
schools in South Africa is very 22 18 28 32
good.

4.3 Respondents’ views on the management of learner discipline

in schools
The respondents’ views on the management of learner discipline in schools
are presented in Table 8. The respondents indicated that they were kept well
abreast and informed by their children, the teachers and the management
team of the school regarding the state of discipline at the schools attended
by their children. Furthermore, they felt that the schools attended by their
children were taking a strict stand regarding discipline.

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Learner discipline in South African schools: The parental dimension

Table 8
Respondents’ views on the management of learner discipline in schools
Items Percentage of Responses (N=402)
I partially I partially
I disagree I agree
disagree agree
The parent component of the
governing body of my child’s
school is absolutely strict
7 10 23 60
with the children and expects
them to display excellent dis-
cipline at all times.
I get information about dis-
cipline issues at my child’s
19 9 17 55
school from teachers and the
management of the school.
I get information about dis-
cipline issues at my child’s 16 6 24 54
school from my child.

4.4 Respondents’ views on the role of parents in curbing the

discipline problems of their children at school
The respondents’ responses to questions surveying their views on the role
of parents in curbing the discipline problems of their children at school are
presented in Table 9. It seems that the overwhelming majority of the parents
were satisfied with the way in which discipline matters were handled by the
schools attended by their children. The parents reported that they always
went to the school when they were invited, they had participated in disciplinary
hearings in which their children were implicated, and they were of the opinion
that such hearings had a positive effect on the behaviour of their children.
At the same time, the fact that almost half of the parents indicated that they
had attended a disciplinary proceeding of a child seems to be at odds with
their positive assessment of the discipline situation both at home and at the
schools attended by their children, as discussed earlier.

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Table 9
Respondents’ views on the role of parents in curbing the discipline problems
of their children at school
Items Percentage of Responses (N=402)

Not
Yes No
applicable

I always go to school when I am in-

85 11 4
vited.

I have participated in a disciplinary

proceeding regarding the behaviour of 46 49 5
my child.
If your response to the above ques-
tion is “yes”, does this mean that your
participation in your child’s disciplinary 95 5 0
procedures has improved your child’s
behaviour at school?

The responding parents’ assessment regarding their own roles and

involvement in schools for the purpose of assisting in maintaining discipline
does not tie in with the results of existing research on parental involvement in
schools and the efficacy of school governing bodies in South African schools.
Such research has revealed that, according to the experience of teachers
and principals, there is a lack of adequate involvement of parents in their
children’s schools (e.g., Grobler, 2022; Michael, 2004; Michael, Wolhuter &
Van Wyk, 2012; Nzimande, 2006; Simango, 2007). There are also several
reports of school governing bodies that function less efficiently than can be
expected, some of them even being barely functional or outright dysfunctional
(e.g., Clase, Kok & Van der Merwe, 2007; Gumede, 2020; Maluleka, 2008).
The reasons for their sub-optimal functioning, as portrayed in these studies,
vary. The efficacy of school governing bodies in the maintenance of sound
discipline in schools in conjunction with the (supportive and cooperative) role
of parents has thus far escaped the attention of scholars. Research in this
regard is sorely needed. The few studies that did cover the parental aspect,
such as that of Mahlangu (2018), did not attend to the function of maintaining
discipline in schools but, nevertheless, pointed out the wide gap between
parents and principals regarding the efficacy of school governing bodies.

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Learner discipline in South African schools: The parental dimension

5. Discussion
As explained in the conceptual-theoretical framework that formed the basis of
this empirical investigation, it is no simple task for an individual person, such
as a parent, to think in terms of a complex education system that is dynamic,
unstable and even unpredictable (Raworth, 2022:130) or to have complete
or satisfactory insight into the part played by one of his or her children in the
complexity embodied in the intertwinement of family and school life. Looked
at from the outside, the behaviour associated with life in the family home and
in the school appears chaotic in the sense that it is difficult to manage and
to keep under control – it is dynamic, even messy, driven by the choices and
the preferences of all the role players, full of contradiction and power play,
never in equilibrium (there is always something that disturbs the order) and
never static (Barrett, 2009:151).
The complexity and chaos theories discussed in the section containing the
theoretical framework on which the empirical investigation was based could
arguably also come to the aid of parents in discovering a way out of the
current situation in which they and their children find themselves. A parent
can approach the problem of parental discipline as one small piece of a huge
and complex puzzle “at the edge of chaos”. The parents of a particular child
can view the actions of their child, and also their own behaviour, vis-à-vis the
child as only one small piece of the entire puzzle of life and as something
unique in their particular social context. No parent is able to attend to the
entire complex implied by the phrase “school discipline”. Each parent is
responsible for attending only to a single “loose thread” in the tapestry of
their family life at home. A single socially unacceptable act on the part of
a child may represent such a loose thread and may resonate negatively
with life at school if not timeously nipped in the bud by the parents. Put
differently, a single antisocial act on the part of the child could be seen as
just one small piece of the puzzle that the parents and the child are building.
In Biblical terms, this comes down to parents concentrating on letting their
light shine right there where they find themselves in a particular encounter
with their child who has behaved unacceptably (see Mat. 15:16; Luke 11:35,
16:8; John 3:21, 12:35; Rom. 13:12; 2 Cor. 4:6; Eph. 5:8; Phil. 2:15; 1 John
1:7; 1 John 2:10).
The evidence flowing from this research can be summarised in two phrases
that also set the pointers for follow-up research and the improvement
of practice. These two phrases are “unwarranted complacency” and
“discordance and a need for communication”.

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While parents appreciate the need for sound discipline at home and for a
partnership between parents (the parental home) and teachers (the school),
they seem to be unjustifiably complacent regarding the state of discipline in
these two environments. This point becomes clear when the results of this
investigation are compared to the outcomes of research done in the context
of the lived experiences of other stakeholders, where other dimensions of
the discipline issue have been examined. Such research regarding the lived
experiences of learners (e.g., the latest round of the PIRLS study), teachers
(e.g., Wolhuter & Van Staden, 2007, 2008, 2009), student teachers during
practice teaching (e.g., Wolhuter & Steyn, 2010) and principals (e.g., Mentz,
Wolhuter & Steyn, 2003) presents a much less optimistic picture with respect
to the state of discipline in schools. Research on the community or societal
dimension of discipline also seems to be at odds with the complacency of
the responding parents in this study. Research drawing on teachers’ and
principals’ experiences regarding parental involvement in school matters led
to much more negative conclusions than what the responses of the parents
reported in this project would seem to embody.
Specific features of society in South Africa, such as violence, a lack of social
capital and moral bankruptcy, all have knock-on effects on the behaviour of
learners in school, as has been pointed out by public leaders (e.g., Daniel,
2018) and scholars (e.g., Osman, 2017). This situation has been corroborated
by empirical research (e.g., Ngwokabuenui 2015:64, 69). South African
society suffers from a lack of social capital, which has a negative impact on
its education efforts (see Romanowski, 2022). Therefore, Van der Walt et
al. (2009:40-41) argue that the extant lack of social capital in South African
society should be seen as detrimental to the maintenance of good learner
discipline in South African schools.
The responding parents in this study seem to live with a false sense of
security, which is at variance with the situation in schools and even in the
lives of their children. They do not seem to be well tuned to the experience
of other constituencies or stakeholders in the multifaceted issue of learner
discipline in schools (the “chaotic” and complex situation in which they and
their children find themselves). These other constituencies or stakeholders
are their children, as well as teachers, parents and society at large. There
are contradictions even in their own narratives that seem to suggest that they
suffer from a false sense of complacency. Nearly half of the respondents
indicated they had been present at a school disciplinary proceeding of their
children. Such hearings are normally reserved as a method of handling
discipline only for serious or habitual offenders.

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Learner discipline in South African schools: The parental dimension

6. Recommendations
There is a need for effective, honest and open communication lines to get
parents on the same page as their children and teachers. However, as
the very first step, follow-up research is needed to probe the experience
of teachers and principals regarding the state of discipline in the homes of
learners, the role of parents in this regard and the role of parents in ensuring
sound discipline in schools.
A research project should also be considered to examine the lived
experience of learners regarding the discipline situation in their homes.
Research regarding the teacher, principal and learner perspective with
respect to learner discipline in schools has already been done (and cited
in this article). What is still lacking is research on how these constituencies
regard and experience the home and parental factor in the entire complex
referred to as “learner discipline”. Only after the views and perspectives of
all the stakeholders involved in the complexity of learner discipline have
been probed can a plan be devised for open communication lines among all
parties concerned and can a concerted, muscular approach to the issue of
learner discipline in schools be attempted.

7. Conclusion
This research has found that parents have an unwarranted sense of security
and satisfaction regarding the state of learner discipline at schools. What can
be suggested is follow-up research on the experience of other stakeholders
in the education project, that is, principals, teachers and learners themselves,
regarding the state of discipline at schools, as well as in parental homes. The
outcomes of such research can be used to construct a complete picture
regarding the state of learner discipline at school and at home, and that
picture can then be used as the basis for an open discussion on how to
improve the state of learner discipline in schools and in parental homes.
The research reported in this paper partly fills a hiatus in research on school
discipline in South Africa, namely regarding the parental-family-home
dimension. To gain a deeper understanding of the situation, follow-up research
is required that explores ways in which not only the parental complacency
about the situation discovered by this research can be countered but also the
(in)discipline displayed by learners at home and in school.

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