ABSTRACT
The central problem of this study is that despite the efforts by the government to curb the use of corporal punishment in schools, the practice has persisted in schools in Kenya. This is despite the fact that education is supposed to inculcate and instill discipline to learners critical for their success both during school time and after school. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of the use of corporal punishment, though illegal, as a means to curb discipline problems in schools in Muthambi Division. The specific objectives for the study were: to find out the forms of punishment meted on students in secondary schools in Muthambi Division, to find out the efforts in place to use positive discipline to curb infraction in secondary schools in Muthambi Division, to investigate students‟ and teachers‟ preferences in regard to correction of infraction in Muthambi Division and lastly, to find out why the use of corporal punishment has persisted in secondary schools in the secondary schools in Muthambi Division despite the ban by the government. The target population was the 14 secondary schools with a total student population of 4,761 whose sample was 300 students, 9 deputy principals and 9 guidance and counseling teachers in Muthambi Division. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Stratified random sampling was used to sample schools where teacher and student respondents were drawn from. The literature review showed various effects of use of corporal punishment such as neurotic reaction reflected by fear, anxiety, withdrawal tension, depression, trauma, stress, timidity, and submissiveness, physical harm or even death, resentment of the punishing teacher and consequently poor performance in the subject s/he teaches. At the end it may lead to wastage in education manifested by dropout. In the long run it may lead to high rates of violence, aggression and homicide committed by children. The literature showed that other forms of correction are withdrawal of privileges, detention, exclusion, manual work, monetary and material fines, mentoring and use of medicine. Data was collected by administering questionnaires to deputy principals, and guidance and counseling teachers and students. To ensure reliability test re-test was used and Pearson‟s correlation co-efficient of 0.702, 0.741 and 0.753 was realized for students, guidance and counseling teachers and deputy principals respectively. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics including were used to analyze data obtained. The results of data analysis were presented using tables, pie charts and graphs. The findings of the study helped the researcher to come up with recommendations for the future efforts that should be employed to curb indiscipline in secondary schools. It was clear from the findings that corporal punishment is in use in most of the schools in the division. However, unlike reports about negative perception of guidance and counseling among students, students are today increasingly seeking help from the guidance and counseling departments in the secondary schools at their own volition in the division. The researcher recommends that the public should be sensitized on the negative effects of corporal punishment, students should be involved more in the formulation and revision of school rules and regulations, the T.S.C should review the minimum workload for guidance and counseling teachers, principals and deputy principals to create more time for handling student discipline in a friendlier manner.