Ghana | PDF | Teachers | Questionnaire
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
61 views

Ghana

The document discusses a study on the effects of indiscipline on the academic performance of junior high school students in Ghana. It was found that indiscipline starts at home and its effects include inability to concentrate, absenteeism, and increased dropout rates. The study recommends that discipline should start at home through cooperation between home and school, as well as establishing fair disciplinary processes.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
61 views

Ghana

The document discusses a study on the effects of indiscipline on the academic performance of junior high school students in Ghana. It was found that indiscipline starts at home and its effects include inability to concentrate, absenteeism, and increased dropout rates. The study recommends that discipline should start at home through cooperation between home and school, as well as establishing fair disciplinary processes.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 10

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/326829608

The Effects of Indiscipline on Academic Performance of Junior High School


Students in the Fanteakwa District of Ghana

Article · August 2018

CITATIONS READS

20 136,122

4 authors, including:

Kennedy Nyeseh Ofori


Wesley College of Education, Kumasi
20 PUBLICATIONS 54 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Kennedy Nyeseh Ofori on 04 August 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.


Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.9, No.21, 2018

The Effects of Indiscipline on Academic Performance of Junior


High School Students in the Fanteakwa District of Ghana
Kennedy Nyeseh Ofori1* Godwin Tordzro1 Evans Asamoah2 Evelyn Achiaa3
1. Wesley College of Education, P.O. Box 1927, Kumasi, Ghana
2. Abetifi College of Education, P.O. Box 19, Abetifi-Kwahu, Ghana
3. Ghana Education Service, P.O. Box 31, Begoro, Fanteakwa District, Ghana
* E-mail of the corresponding author: kennyofori@yahoo.com
Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of indiscipline on the academic performance of
Junior High School Students (JHS) in the Fanteakwa District of Ghana. During the study, three hundred and
sixty (360) participants made up students, headteachers and teachers were sampled. The students were sampled
using random simple sampling technique while the headteachers and teachers were sampled purposively. The
instruments used to gather all the necessary information about the problem was questionnaire. The study
revealed that Indiscipline starts with the home because they are the children’s first teachers. It was also found
that the effects of indiscipline on academic performance included; students’ inability to concentrate in class, loss
of materials taught due to absenteeism and increase in rate of school drop-out. In order to minimize indiscipline
behaviours, the study recommends that; discipline in the society should begin at the home. The home and the
school must therefore interact and co-operate in instilling discipline. Also, providing a hearing process for
students to present their side of the story and establishing an appeal processes to increase students and parents’
perception of fairness.
Key words: Indiscipline, Student, Performance, Junior High School, Behaviour, Moral decay

1. Introduction
In the development of every nation, children are seen as future assets, since they serve as potential human
resources to replace the old ones in the near generation. For this to come into realization, it is important to ensure
that these young ones are not only preserved but disciplined so they can remain focused in life, sharpen their
skills and enhance their talent. In contrast to these expectations from the young ones, Prout & James (2003), in
their study, observed growing acts of indiscipline among school children which has become a universal
challenge facing many countries. Indeed, the acts of indiscipline could be traced to the early period when
individuals became conscious of organizing themselves into groups. This act of moral decadence is evident from
several studies, pointing to the fact that the level of indiscipline, especially in schools has escalated (Idu &
Ojedapo, 2011; Maphosa & Shumba, 2010).
Indiscipline is a destructive behaviour which does not promote peace and co-existence in society. This
behaviour is a canker to many nations in the world as it is a threat to the lives of these young ones. Many efforts
have been made by several world leaders to curtail this growing notoriety especially among school children but it
is regrettable to say that there is no single day the media will not report of incidence of indiscipline in
newspapers, on the radio and television (Clinard & Meier, 2015).
The growing incidents of apparent decay of our moral fiber are therefore a concern to all and sundry across the
world and for that matter, the citizens of Ghana. Aliu Mahama, a former Vice President of Ghana, during his
2002 Independence address to school children and the nation as a whole said indiscipline was a growing canker,
which threatens the cohesiveness of peaceful co- existence of Ghanaians. As he referred to it, “Today,
intolerance, impatience and violence which are fruits of indiscipline has eaten deep into all facets of life of
Ghanaians including Junior High School students" (Daily Graphic, 7th March, 2002, pg3).
According to Maphosa & Mammen (2011), basic schools of today are noted for disrespecting authorities, going
to school late, fighting among themselves, refusing to do homework and dressing indecently. Some of the pupils
go to the extent of vandalizing school property and assaulting teachers for taking disciplinary actions against
them or a colleague. Pre-marital sex, armed robbery, drug abuse, drunkenness and smoking of marijuana
popularly known as “wee” in Ghana have been reported to be prevalent among basic schools in the country
(Director-General, Asare, & Twene, 2003).
The causes of these acts of indiscipline among pupils as stated by teachers and parents were attributed to the
home and school environment, teacher related factors in addition to the other emerging phenomenon outside our
Ghanaian culture. Intolerance and indiscipline behaviour brings about disorder, destruction and anxiety among
the pupils. Indiscipline behaviours therefore do not create conducive environment for learning but leads to poor

109
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.9, No.21, 2018

academic work.
There is a general notion that standard of education in Ghana is falling and this has been attributed to internal,
external, political constraints and human factors (Inglehart & Welzel, 2005). Indiscipline behaviours could be
one of the human factors that might have contributed to the falling standards of education. Despite the threat and
negative impact of indiscipline on students’ learning, few researches have been done to assess the effects of
indiscipline on students’ academic performance in schools within the Fanteakwa District in the Eastern Region
of Ghana. The main purpose of this study was therefore to delve into causes and effects of indiscipline
behaviours on the academic performance among students in the Fanteakwa District of the Eastern Region of
Ghana. Specifically, the study was to address the following research questions:
a. What are some common indiscipline acts exhibited by students in schools in the Fanteakwa District of
Ghana?
b. What are the causes of the indiscipline acts shown by students?
c. How do indiscipline behaviours affect students’ academic performance in school?

2. The Concept of School Discipline and Indiscipline


School discipline implies students with a code of behaviour often known as the school rules (Koomson, Brown,
Dawson-Brew, Ahiatrogah, & Dramanu, 2005). Again, they state that some of the school rules may set out the
expected standards of clothing, time keeping, relationship with peers (both teachers and pupils) and school work.
They concluded by saying that there are several of such rules in every school. Koomson et al (2005), further
asserted that sometimes, the term school discipline may not only apply to code of school rules. They claim the
term may also be applied to punishment as a consequence of transgression of the school code of behaviour. For
this reason, the usage of school discipline may sometimes mean punishment for breaking school rules. Discipline
can be defined as training, especially of the mind and character, to produce self-control habits of obedience, the
result of which sets rules for conduct and methods by which training may be given (Kuh, Power, Blane, &
Bartley, 2004).
Indiscipline, in the view of Ayertey (2002), is a kind of behaviour that deviates from the generally accepted
norms as seen in almost all facets of the society; at home, in schools, government and religious places. Keoreng
(2004) also contended that indiscipline among school children has become a global problem. He mentioned that
the rise of cultism, vandalism, examination malpractices, squandering of school fees by students, and truancy
among many others are common among school children. He emphasized that indiscipline children are
everywhere. Indiscipline is a behaviour that calls for application of sanctions. Indiscipline is a kind of human
behaviour that is purely unethical and not in conformity with the norms and values of the society.

2.1 Importance of Discipline in Schools


According to Koomson et al (2005), the aim of school discipline is to ensure a safe and happy learning
environment in the school and the classroom. A classroom where a teacher is unable to maintain law and order
will be chaotic. This may lead to low academic achievement and unhappy students. They explained that school
discipline has two main goals: to ensure the safety of staff and students and to create an environment conducive
for learning.
Serious student misconduct involving violent or criminal behaviour defeats these goals and often gives the
school a bad name or bad reputation. Though there may be problems that do not involve criminal behaviour or
that do not threaten personal safety, nevertheless they still negatively affect the learning environment.
Disruptions can interrupt lessons for all students, and disruptive students can lose even more learning time (Liu
& Meyer, 2005; Adams, Lemaire & Prah, 2013). They assert that it is important for teachers to keep the ultimate
goal of learning in mind when working to improve school discipline. Effective school discipline strategies seek
to encourage responsible behaviour and to provide all students with a satisfying school experiences as well as to
discourage misconduct.
Students’ characteristics such as persistent lateness and truancy affect their learning. When students are not in
class, they find it difficult to understand lessons and concepts that are taught. Students who exhibit indiscipline
behaviours in class are known to be inattentive in class. Once students lose concentration on the lesson and do
not take active part in the discussion, they are unable to grasp the concepts taught. The result is that there is a
loss of content and knowledge that are taught (Etsey, 2005).
Ayertey (2005), states that deviant behaviour leads to breakdown of law and order, and creates insecurity. He
explained that indiscipline behaviour on the part of pupils leads to disregard for law and order in the school
environment. Laws are made to regulate the conduct of people and protect lives and property, and ensure the
maintenance of peace. Indiscipline students, however, are disrespectful to law and authority; they destroy

110
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.9, No.21, 2018

property and disorganize orderly life in the school or classroom. In the opinions of Ayertey (2002) and Sekyere
(2009), a school that has a high number of deviants or indiscipline pupils is likely to have its code of discipline
broken and be plunged into disaster. A school plunged into a state of anarchy does not support learning. The end
result is poor performance of students and poor examination results. In addition, indiscipline behaviour creates
panic and a sense of insecurity in the school. Most deviants are responsible for theft, destruction of property,
violence, assaults, rape and armed robbery in the society. These negative acts can create tension and fear in the
minds of other students and authorities in the school. This will prevent the teachers from giving out their best
since most of their time would be concentrated on their safety in the school environment (Carr & Chalmers,
2005). Indiscipline is blamed for improper teaching and learning in school due to what is stated above.

2.2 Causes of indiscipline Behaviours in School


Mahadeo (2008), reported that indiscipline in school is caused by many factors in the society. With regard
specifically to indiscipline among children in school, parents / guardians, teachers and adult role models in
society, all have to share responsibility for this problem.
2.2.1 Home and Parent factors
Ayertey (2002) also traces the main cause of indiscipline in schools to students’ home background. He
emphasized that, those negligent parents who are not concerned with their children’s behavioural changes from
early adolescent to late adolescent, have the tendency of causing indiscipline, especially when they are always
found absent from home. Parents, who usually wake up early in the morning, go to work and get back home as
late as 7.00 pm, will be neglecting their roles as caregivers and the children from such homes are likely to learn
bad habits from their friends since their parents are not mostly around.
Sekyere (2009) also contends that, indiscipline arises among children mainly because parents these days have
neglected their role of instilling good moral behaviours in their children. Parents have abandoned their roles to
teachers and on the whole spend less time with their children. Sometimes they always fail to allocate quality time
and resources for their children. Parents are always too busy, trying to fight with the economic hardship which
faces them. Sekyere stresses that the basic reason of indiscipline is parents being disrespectful to their children’s
needs which may be physical, emotional and social.
In the view of Monroe (2005), indiscipline could be attributed to peer influence, broken homes, single parenting
and bad extemporary lives led by parents, conspicuous consumption of alcohol and drug abuse, nepotism, racism,
tribalism, favouritism, bribery and corruption, reckless spending by parents and many more. Parents who also
insult teachers in the presence of their children contribute to indiscipline. Some parents even go to the extent of
visiting schools to assault teachers who attempt to discipline their children. This sets bad precedence and
encourages children to disrespect school authorities.
2.2.2 Teachers Factors Influencing Indiscipline Behaviour
Some of the teacher factors include; lack of sincerity and devotion to duty. When there is moral laxity on the part
of teachers, it can lead to indiscipline. Porhola, Karhunen & Rainivaara (2006), opine that, laziness,
incompetence, being autocratic in class, flirting with the female students can also cause indiscipline in schools.
Some teachers lack professionalism when they backbite fellow teachers right in the presence of the students, this
could also contribute to indiscipline among them. Teacher’s poor attitude to work according to Sekyere (2009)
breeds indiscipline since students are not fully engaged in the school environment. The free time the students
have is used to learn and copy bad habits from their friends. Koomson et al (2005) says that, the situation where
teachers tend to have punitive attitudes can also lead to indiscipline problems since most of the students may be
trying to defend their rights. This can lead to flouting of school rules.
2.2.3 School Factors Causing Indiscipline
Koomson et al (2005) contended that indiscipline problems exist in schools where the rules are not clear or
perceived as unfairly and inconsistently enforced. They assert in this situation that students do not believe in the
rules. They also explained further that where teachers and administrators do not know what the rules are or
disagree on the proper responses to student misconduct can lead to indiscipline in the school. Where teacher –
administration co-operation is poor, or the administration is inactive, incidence of indiscipline can abound.
Indiscipline, according to Cains and Cains (1994) can be prevalent in schools where misconduct is ignored or
sometimes where schools have large population and lack adequate resources for teaching. Inability of the school
management to communicate issues, rules, and new development in the school to the teachers and students can
also lead to misunderstanding, which can become a potential source of indiscipline. Lack of integrity, firmness

111
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.9, No.21, 2018

and fairness on the part of the school head can also promote indiscipline in the school.
The removal of corporal punishment in schools has caused even more indiscipline to fester or aggravate among
students. This is not because it was necessarily wrong to do that but it was not first thoroughly discussed among
all the stakeholders, parents, students and teachers, with a view to replace it with measures of discipline that are
just as or more effective (Fullan, 2011). As a result, teachers feel more vulnerable and are increasingly being
attacked by students and parents, who feel that they now have the right to behave as they like with no effective
consequences to their actions. This has created even a more violent school atmosphere.

3. Methodology
3.1 Research Design
The research design used for the study was non-experimental, descriptive survey. The design was non-
experimental because the variables were not controlled. Descriptive research design refers to the process
whereby respondents’ information regarding their background characteristics, attitude and experiences are
obtained through questioning (Kemetse, Nyarko-Sampson, Nkyi, & Nyarko, 2018 citing Leedy & ormood, 2005)

3.2 Population of the study


The target population was all students, headteachers and teachers in Fanteakwa but this was impossible because
of financial, time and logistics constraints. Hence, a total sample of 360 respondents, comprising; 300 students,
20 headteachers and 40 teachers were used for the study.

3.3 Instrumentation
The instrument used was a questionnaire for the headteachers, teachers and students. The use of the
questionnaire was appropriate because the study aimed at finding out their views about the, incidence, causes
and effects of indiscipline on the academic performance of students. Questionnaire was more appropriate
because it is the instrument that could be used to scan the views of the respondents who were scattered in the
study area.
The questionnaire contained items that were both close and open-ended questions. The close-ended format
offered the respondents fixed alternative responses from which they had to choose the most applicable one
option; the use of close-ended questions also made it easy for the questionnaire to be administered and analyzed.
Close-ended questionnaire also do not require extensive writing and therefore made its completion faster.
However, the open-ended items were used to allow respondents to express their views freely.

3.4 Pilot Study


The instrument was pilot-tested on twenty-five (25) students, five (5) headteachers and ten (10) teachers at Old
Tafo R/C JHS and Old Tafo Presby JHS in the East Akim Municipality. These schools were not included in the
main study but were saddled with the same indiscipline problems. The pilot study was done to test the reliability
and validity of the questionnaire. Items on the questionnaires that showed double meaning and difficulty in
understanding were reworded and properly structured to increase their comprehension before they were used in
the main study.

3.5 Sample and Sampling Technique


The choice of the schools was by simple randomized sampled technique. All the schools in the study area were
given numbers and these numbers were written on pieces of papers. A piece of paper was drawn at a time from
the lot placed in a bowl. The number on the piece of paper drawn was recorded, meaning, that school has been
selected for the study. The piece of paper drawn was thrown back into the container before the next one was
drawn to ensure that all the schools in the district had an equal chance of being selected. If an already chosen
number is drawn for the second and third time, they were ignored. This procedure was followed until all the 20
Junior High schools were selected for the study. The students in their various schools were then selected using
systematic random sampling.
The selection of headteachers and teachers was by purposive sampling technique. The choice of the purposive
technique was appropriate because the headteachrs and teachers were the people who have been teaching the
pupils and have adequate knowledge of the indiscipline behaviours the students have been exhibiting in the
classes.

3.6 Data Collection Procedure


The researchers administered the questionnaire personally to ensure high percentage return rate. It also afforded
the researchers the opportunity to interact with the respondents to explore further their real life experiences and

112
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.9, No.21, 2018

the daily indiscipline situations faced by the schools. This ensured the respondents’ comprehension which might
have affected their responses, and the validity of the data collected was eliminated. The questionnaire was
collected the same day they were administered to ensure high per cent return rate.
3.7 Data Analysis Procedures
Data collected with the instruments were coded and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science
Students (SPSS version 22.0). The computed results were presented for discussions using frequencies,
percentages, mean and standard deviation.

4. Results
4.1 Common acts of indiscipline behaviour students exhibit in Junior High school
The study looked at the common indiscipline behaviours shown by the students in the school and uses it to
conduct the research. The data collected on the common indiscipline behaviours exhibited by the students are
shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Common Indiscipline Acts Exhibited by Students


Variables Mean SD
lateness to school 4.46 1.3
truancy 4.32 1.3
throwing liters around school
compound and classroom 4.06 1.4
failure to do homework 3.99 1.6
stealing of friend's articles 3.85 1.6
examination malpractices 3.36 1.4
engaging in pre-marital sex 2.82 1.4
Alcoholism 2.78 1.3
Source; Field Survey, 2018

According to Table 1; three factors were identified by the students, headteachers and teachers as the main
indiscipline acts exhibited by students. These included lateness to school (mean = 4.46, SD = 1.3), truancy (mean
= 4.32, SD= 1.3) and throwing liters around school compound and classroom (mean=4.06, SD=1.4). Other
factors such as failure to do homework, examination malpractice, engaging in pre-marital sex and alcoholism
were identified as some of the common acts of indiscipline among the students.

4.2 Causes of indiscipline acts shown by the students in the study area
The causes of indiscipline acts were investigated from the home and school point of views. Respondents were
asked to indicate home and school factors that contributed to indiscipline behaviours. The list of factors
presented by the respondents is summarized in Table 2;

As shown in Table 2, the respondents agreed to all the statements listed as the causes of indiscipline with the
greatest being broken homes (mean = 3.92, SD= 1.6), followed by peer influence (mean= 3.83, SD= 1.6), then,
large class size (mean = 3.71, 1.6). Similarly, respondents also reported watching of violent movies, inability of
parents to allocate quality time for their children and meet the child’s psychological and social needs, teacher’s
absenteeism, schools’ inability to enforce rules and regulations respectively. It could be observed from the
results presented in Table 2 that, the inability of the home to support the child’s physical, psychological, social
needs in addition to exposure to mass media and broken homes are the main causes of indiscipline behaviours
among students seen in schools. The data presented further shows that the students, headteachers and teachers
shared the view that the movie exposes students to pornographic and violent films. Others reported that it takes
students’ considerable time instead of studying and also makes students to become imitators and actors of these
violent films they watched when they come to school.

113
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.9, No.21, 2018

Table 2: Factors contributing to Students’ Indiscipline Behaviour


Variables N Mean SD
Home Factors
Broken homes 360 3.92 1.6
Watching of violent/pornographic movies 360 3.53 1.6
Inability of parents to allocate
quality time for wards 360 3.38 1.5
Inability of parents to meet
financial needs of wards 360 2.98 1.6
School Factors
Peer influence 360 3.83 1.47
Large class size 360 3.71 1.5
Schools’ inability to enforce
rules and regulations 360 2.92 1.6
Teachers’ absenteeism 360 2.85 1.5
Teacher's immoral relationship
with school girls 360 2.75 1.4
Poor attitude of teachers to work 360 2.6 1.5
Source; Field Survey, 2018

4.3 How indiscipline behaviours affect students’ academic performance in school


The effects of indiscipline behaviour as enumerated by the respondents are shown in Table 3;

Table 3: Effects of Students’ Indiscipline in Schools


Effect N Mean SD
Inability to concentrate in class 360 4.34 1.2
Loss of materials taught due
to absenteeism or lateness 360 4.18 1.2
Becoming a school dropout 360 4.02 1.3
Disruption of lessons 360 3.58 1.5
Using part of contact hours to
settle dispute 360 3.15 1.4
Teachers feeling unsecured in
class 360 2.88 1.5
Source; Field Survey, 2018

As reported in Table 3, majority of respondents said inability to concentrate in class (mean=4.34, SD=1.2),
whilst a good number of the respondents (mean= 4.18, SD=1.2) said persistent absenteeism led to loss of
materials taught in class. Also, some respondents said indiscipline behaviours can lead to school drop-out
(mean=4.02, SD=1.3) whilst others stated that it led to disruption of lessons and part of contact hours are used to
settle disputes respectively. Again, it could be seen from the results that indiscipline behaviours can led teachers
feeling unsecured in class.

5. Discussion
The different acts of indiscipline behaviours as shown from the results of the study such as lateness to school,
truancy, littering of school compound and classrooms are likely to affect students’ learning. Clearing of the
litters coupled with the late arrival of students to school implies that lessons may not start early as scheduled on

114
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.9, No.21, 2018

the school’s time table. Social vices such as sexual misconduct, stealing of friends articles and drinking of
alcohol are likely to affect human relation and create hostile environment in the school. Students who take
alcohol are likely to be flouting school rules and regulations and show disregard for school authorities. Students’
acts such as assault on colleagues, destruction of school properties and flouting of school rules are also known to
disrupt school programmes and lessons. These acts make school and class management difficult and do not
foster conducive environment for learning. These outcomes of the study agree with those of Ayertey (2002) and
Keoreng (2004). They asserted that indiscipline problems such as cheating at examination, truancy, vandalism
among school children have become a global canker.
The major causes of indiscipline acts in the study area were attributed to the home, teachers and the school
factors such as broken homes, mass media, poor financial support from parents, bad examples set by parents and
parents’ inability to meet their children’s psychological, emotional and social needs were blamed for the upsurge
of indiscipline behaviours among school children. In addition, teachers were found to contribute to indiscipline
acts as a result of their poor attitude to work, persistent absenteeism, and immoral relation among school girls.
The above behaviours of teachers such as discrimination promote agitation and leads to indiscipline acts.
Teachers’ immoral relations with students especially with girls do not promote enforcement of school rules and
regulations. School factors were also found to be part of the current spate of indiscipline in schools. The results
of the study show that influence from peers, large class size, relaxed school rules and regulations, teachers’
immoral relationship with school girls and poor attitude of teachers to work are sources of breeding indiscipline
acts. The different sources and causes of indiscipline found in this study are consistent with those mentioned by
Sekyere (2009), Mahadeo (2008), Ayertey (2002) and Koomson et al (2005). Different studies conducted by the
above researchers showed that parents, teachers, school and adult role models in society have contributed to the
current spate and upsurge of indiscipline among school pupils.
It was found in the study that indiscipline behaviours have contributed to the poor performance of students in
schools. The different unacceptable behaviours among the students prevented them from concentrating in class,
loss of content and knowledge taught, created tension and insecurity in class, disrupted lessons and caused most
of the contact hours to be used to settle disputes. This does not allow the syllabus to be completed before
students write their final examinations. For fear of their lives, teachers were unable to give out their best and use
strategies that could enhance their teaching. The outcome of the above indiscipline behaviours are poor school
results and in certain cases school drop-out. These findings of the study are not different from those discussed by
Etsey (2005), Koomson et al (2005), Ayertey (2002), Carr & Chalmers (2005). They blamed poor teaching and
learning in schools on indiscipline behaviours of different forms. Teachers and headteachers used for the study
suggested that both the home and school should cooperate to reduce the incidence of indiscipline among the
students. Both parents and teachers were to serve as role models as well as instilling discipline among the
students. This they can do by punishing and rebuking various forms of behaviours that are not accepted in
society.
They also suggested that parents should be responsible and work hard to meet the socio-economic and emotional
needs of their children. Teachers were also expected to change their attitudes towards work, eschew laziness and
be in position to counsel the students when the need arises. The different suggestions proposed by the teachers
and headteachers fall in line with those of Koomson et al (2005), Mbiti (1988) and Johnson and Johnson (1991).
They proposed that teacher assertiveness is very important in obtaining good discipline in the classroom and in
the school in general. They also contended that Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) meetings can be a good
forum to share ideas on how to deal with indiscipline problems in the school. Head-teacher relationship is also
important to foster good discipline in school. Good communication and shared values are important elements in
the head – teacher relationship. Earls, Cains & Mercy (1993) reiterated that a head that was able to create
consensus among staff on rules helped in their enforcement.

6. Conclusion
The study examined the effects of indiscipline on the academic performance of JHS students in the Fanteakwa
District of Ghana. Specifically, the study looked at the causes of the indiscipline behaviours and effects of
indiscipline on students’ learning and the roles of parents and teachers in minimizing the incidence of
indiscipline. The common indiscipline acts committed by the students in the study area were lateness to school,
truancy, littering of school compound and classrooms, and failure to do homework. Acts of sexual misconduct,
stealing, drinking of alcohol and examination malpractices were also prevalent in the study area. In addition,
violent acts such as assault on colleagues, flouting of school rules and regulations, disrespect for authority and
destruction of school property have also occurred in the schools used for the study.
It was evident that indiscipline behaviours were prevalent in the schools in the study area. No stone should
therefore be left unturned in nipping in the bud, the emerging and growing monster called indiscipline in our
schools and the society in general. Indiscipline does not lead to proper and successful educational development
and learning of students. Indiscipline affects the emotional development of the children; expose them to social

115
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.9, No.21, 2018

vices and deviant behaviour which are negative core values that militate against students’ performance and lead
to subsequent school drop-out. Parents, teachers and the society as a whole are expected to corporate and help to
reduce incidence of indiscipline behaviours among students so as to give them stable mind to learn in order to
perform well academically.

7. Recommendations
From the findings and conclusions of the study, it is recommended that;
a. Rules of classroom and forms of punishment must be discussed with the whole class and consensual
agreement must be reached before enforcement.
b. Each school should develop a mentorship scheme, which provides for every disruptive child to be
accompanied by his form teacher or a surrogate.
c. Counseling activities in schools should be intensified and done by qualified persons.
d. There should be regular Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings for the discussions of students’
indiscipline behaviours.
e. Parents should be educated to be responsible and work hard to meet the educational needs of their
wards.
f. School rules should be restated, reviewed periodically and reinforced without fear or favour.
Recommendations for further research
It is recommended that this study should be replicated in other districts in the country. Again, other factors that
affect learning in schools such as availability of teaching and learning materials and proper supervision of
teaching and learning in schools should also be investigated.

REFERENCES

Adams, F. H., Lemaire, M., & Prah, K. (2013). Factors affecting girls‫ ׳‬completion of senior high schools in
Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Area. Journal of Education and Practice, 4(6).
Ayertey, (2002). Mastering Social Studies for Senior Secondary School. Accra:
Excellent Publishing and Printing. Pg 68 – 87.
Cains, R. B.& Cains, B. D. (1994). Life lines and Risks; pathways of Youth in our Time.
New York: Cambridge University Press.
Carr, H. & Chalmers, D. (2005). A review of methods for Monitoring and Measuring Social
Inequality, Deprivation and Health Inequality. Retrieved on 26/02/2018 from
http://www.ihs.ox.ac.uk/sephol/publications/carrhill
Clinard, M. B., & Meier, R. F. (2015). Sociology of deviant behavior: Nelson Education.Daily Graphic, March
15, 2002. P. 3
Director-General, D., Asare, D., & Twene, M. R. (2003). Research report a national survey on prevalence and
social consequences of substance (drug) use among Second Cycle and out of school youth in Ghana.
Earls, F., Cairns, R.B.,& Mercy, J. (1993).The Control of violence and the Promotion of
Non-violence in Adolescence: promoting the Health of adolescents: New Directions for the Twenty –
First Century. New York: Oxford University Press pg 285 – 304.
Etsey, Y. K. A. (2005). Causes of Low Academic Performance of Primary School Pupils in
the Shama Sub-Metro of Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan assembly (SAEMA) in Ghana; A paper
presented at Regional Conference on Education in West Africa, Dakar – Senegal, 1st – 2nd November,
2005.
Fullan, M. (2011). The six secrets of change: What the best leaders do to help their organizations survive and
thrive: John Wiley & Sons.
Graham, B. S. (2005). Dealing with Attitudes Professionally. London: The Ben Graham Corporation.
Graham, H. & Power, C. (2004). Childhood Disadvantage and Adult Health; A life course
Framework. Retrieved from www.hda.nhs.uk/evidence on 24/04/18
Ho -Sui – chu, E. & Williams, D. J. (1996). Effects of Parental involvement on Eighth – Grade
Achievement, Sociology of Education; pg. 126 – 141.
Idu, A., & Ojedapo, D. O. (2011). Indiscipline in secondary schools: A cry to all stakeholders in education.
Journal of Educational and Social Research, 1(4), 729-735.
Inglehart, R., & Welzel, C. (2005). Modernization, cultural change, and democracy: The human development
sequence. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Johnson, D. W. & Johnson, R. (1991). Teaching students to be Peacemakers. Edina, Minn:
Interaction Book Company.

116
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.9, No.21, 2018

Kemetse, G. M., Nyarko-Sampson, E., Nkyi., A. K , & Nyarko, P. A. (2018). Implementation of


Guidance Services in Senior High Schools in Ho municipality, Ghana. European Journal of Education
Studies. 4(6), 191-208
Keoreng, E. (2004). Research Blames Corporal Punishment for School Drop- outs. Gaborone:
Minegi Newsletter.
Koomson, A. K., Brown, P., Dawson-Brew, E., Ahiatrogah, P. D. & Dramanu, B.Y. (2005).
Psychology of Adolescence. Cape coast: Catholic Mission Press.
Kuh, D., Power, C., Blane, D. & Bartley, M. (2004). Socio-economic pathways between
Childhood and Adulthood Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Liu, X. S. & Meyer, J. P. (2005). Teachers’ Perceptions of their Jobs: A multi-analysis of the
Teacher follow-up survey, Teachers’ College Records, 107(5): 985 – 1003.
Mahadeo, K. S. (2008): Corporal Punishment: Shocking Incompetence of Authority. Retrieved
from www./express.mu. on 2/01/17
Maphosa, C., & Mammen, K. J. (2011). How chaotic and unmanageable classrooms have become: Insights into
prevalent forms of learner indiscipline in South African Schools. The Anthropologist, 13(3), 185-193.
Maphosa, C., & Shumba, A. (2010). Educators’ disciplinary capabilities after the banning of corporal
punishment in South African schools. South African Journal of Education, 30(3).
Mbiti, J. (1988). African Religion and Philosophy; London: Heinemann Press.
Ministry of Education, (1994). Unified Code of Discipline for Basic Education Schools, Head
teachers’ Handbook. Accra: Ministry of Education pg. 257 – 262.
Monroe, C. R. (2005). Understanding the Discipline Gap through a Cultural lens; Implications
for the Education of African American Students Intercultural Education 16(4): 317 – 330.
Pörhölä, M., Karhunen, S., & Rainivaara, S. (2006). Bullying at school and in the workplace: A challenge for
communication research. Annals of the International Communication Association, 30(1), 249-301.
Sekyere, E. A. (2009). Teachers’ guide to promotion interviews. Kumasi: Afosek Educational
onsultancy Centre.

117

View publication stats

You might also like