- Corporal punishment
- Introduction
- According to the United Nation committee on the Rights of Children corporal punishment is the use of the physical force to cause pain or any discomfort of any intensity. Corporal punishment entails violation of the basic human right, which includes right to protection against any form of violence. Corporal punishment has both emotional and physical effects on the children on their ability to learn. In addition the corporal punishment has also been known to cause depressions among the children. This paper analyses on some of the effect of the corporal punishment on children.
- Nyarko et al, (2013) carried out a study to investigate the effect of corporal punishment on the math anxiety and performance at the Virgo Preparatory School in Adabraka, Ghana. Maths anxiety is manifested in several forms including unwillingness to try math problems and the nervousness during a math class. The authors of the study had initially set a hypothesis that the corporal punishment to a certain group is likely to cause higher score in a math anxiety scale. Another hypothesis of the study was that there was to be significant negative correlation between the math anxiety and performance. The sample size was 34 students where 12 were students in the reinforcement group and 11 students each in the corporal punishment and control groups respectively (Nyarko et al, 2013). The survey questionnaires were used to collect information from the student. The study was designed in such a way that the pre-test was first done in order to check the anxiety levels of the children. After the end of the class the math test all the participants were tested again to establish the anxiety levels. Analysis of the result showed that showed that there was no effect on the performance levels between the student who were subjected to corporal punishment and those who were not subjected. This study therefore refutes the claim that corporal punishment can increase the performance of student. The author of the study therefore argues that other methods should be encouraged enhance the academic performance of the student and that the teachers should be encouraged to use effective teaching methods (Nyarko et al, 2013).
- Ahmad, Said and Khan studied (2013) the effect of corporal punishment on the motivations and classroom learning. The author therefore aimed at investigating the relationship between corporal punishment and student motivation. In the background of the study the authors indicate that the teachers profoundly influence the learning of student in classroom. In addition in the background of the study the authors also quote the Maslow theory where they manage to show that one cannot attain high goals in life without their basic need being met. The study was based in Pakistan where the researchers aimed at establishing whether the corporal punishment as use by Pakistan teacher had an effect on the student motivation. The study used surveyed randomly 250 teachers from secondary schools in Malakand district. During the data analysis the SPSS packages were used. The research involved three variables, the corporal punishment as independent variable and student motivation and classroom motivation and learning as dependent variables. The result of the study indicates that there was a negative correlation between corporal punishment and student motivation. In addition analysis of the data also showed that there was significant negative correlation between the punishment and the student classrooms learning. The researchers conclude the students who are in most cases subjected to corporal punishment are less motivated toward learning than those who are not subjected. Most importantly the researchers argue that the teachers should look for better alternative method to encourage the student to work hard in their studies instead of using the corporal punishment.
- Mulvaney, and Mebert (2010) studied on the impact of corporal punishment on the mental health of the adolescence. The researchers first designed a stress appraisal scale that was specific to the corporal punishment and attitude toward the corporal punishment. The research incorporated approximately 30 student from religious universities and over 1500 undergraduate student in the mid –Atlantic area. Large numbers of student were recruited from the secular universities since there was an increased occurrence of violence. The result from the study indicated that those adolescence who reported feeling threatened by their parent use of corporal punishment had poor health. In addition the result of the study indicated that the mother child relationships were adversely affected by the corporal punishment especially in the situations where the adolescence had negative feeling towards corporal.
- Conclusion
- From the above it is evident the corporal punishment has adverse effect on the children. With regard to learning it is evident that the corporal punishment only contributes to increasing the anxiety and lowing motivation levels among the student. There is need for the stakeholders in the education sector to be informed there are no correlations between the student performance and corporal punishment. The teachers should therefore be encouraged to use effective teaching methods in order to enhance the student learning. Parents should also be discouraged using corporal punishment to their children since it can have a long-term health effect.
- References
- Ahmad, I., Said, H., & Khan, F. (2013). Effect of Corporal Punishment on Students' Motivation and Classroom Learning. Review Of European Studies, 5(4), 130-13
- Nyarko, K., Kwarteng, A., Akakpo, G., Boateng, R., & Adjekum, N. (2013). The Effect of Corporal Punishment and Math Anxiety on Math Performance among Junior High School Students in Ghana. IFE Psychologia, 21(2), 210-219.
- Mulvaney, M., & Mebert, C. (2010). Stress Appraisal and Attitudes Towards Corporal Punishment as Intervening Processes Between Corporal Punishment and Subsequent Mental Health. Journal Of Family Violence, 25(4), 401-412
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