Article Review -Does classroom discipline work and the effects on students

Schoolwide and Classroom Discipline

Kathleen Cotton

The Schooling Practices That Matter Most HYPERLINK "http /www .nwrel .org /comm /catalog /detail .asp ?RID 16470 View details

by Kathleen Cotton

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INTRODUCTION

During most of its twenty-two year existence , the Annual Gallup Poll of the Public 's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools has identified "lack of discipline " as the most serious problem facing the nation 's educational system

Many educators

and students are also gravely concerned about dis and danger in school environments , and with good reason : Each month approximately three percent of teachers and students in urban schools and one to two percent in rural schools , are robbed or physically attacked . Nearly 17 ,000 students per month experience physical injuries serious enough to require medical attention (Harvard Education Letter 1987

School personnel , students , and parents call attention to the high incidence of related problems in school environments--problems such as drug use , cheating , insubordination , truancy , and intimidation--which result in countless school and classroom disruptions and lead to nearly two million suspensions per year (Harvard Education Letter 1987

In addition to these school discipline issues , American classrooms are frequently plagued by other , more minor kinds of misbehavior which disrupt the flow of classroom activities and interfere with learning Approximately one-half of all classroom time is taken up with activities other than instruction , and discipline problems are responsible for a significant portion of this lost instructional time (Cotton 1990

At the same time , however , there are many schools which , regardless of their size , socioeconomic influences , student composition , or geographic setting , have safe and ly classrooms and grounds . As the research literature makes clear , these welldisciplined , smooth-running school environments are not the product of chance . This report offers a synthesis of findings from research studies which have identified effective classroom- and school-level disciplinary practices

DEFINITION

Is "discipline " concerned with preventing misconduct or with punishing it ? The word , according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language , refers to both prevention and remediation . It can be "training that is expected to produce a specified character or pattern of behavior " or "controlled behavior resulting from such training but it can also be "punishment intended to correct or train " Educational researchers have examined both the prevention and the remediation aspects of school and classroom discipline , and thus findings about both are cited in this report

Jones (1979 ) says that "discipline , most simply stated , is the business of enforcing simple classroom rules that facilitate learning and minimize disruption (p . 26 . Variations on this definition are offered by Duke (1989 , Gettinger (1987 , Strother (1985 , and many others Researcher William Wayson notes that some educators view disciplinary activities as irritating intrusions into school life which should not be necessary . Wayson disagrees , regarding these activities as a natural part of the educational process , and quotes educator James Hymes , who defines discipline as .the slow , bit-by-bit , time-consuming task of helping children to see the...