Research Proposal (Intro): Corporal Punishment in US Public Schools

Corporal Punishment in US Public Schools

Statement of the problem

                    Corporal punishment has been an issue of contention across most public schools in the United States of America. Corporal punishment refers to a form of punishment that is always admitted to students in schools as a way of dealing with misbehaviors and indiscipline. It involves the striking on the hands or the buttocks of students using items like yardsticks that are wooden, leather straps, slippers, paddles made of wood or rattan canes. To some level smacking or spanking on the students’ body parts is always involved in a deliberate way with open hands. This is always done in the level of elementary schools. Those advocating for corporal punishment in schools insist that it is effective as it provides an immediate response to indiscipline as opposed for suspensions which waste a lot of learning time. Those opposing corporal punishment observe that it is an inhumane method that is tantamount to abuse and violence. Corporal punishment continues to elicit controversies. (Farmer, 2009)

                         The research aims at establishing the views on corporal punishment and the various effects it has on the students with a reference to public schools in the United State of America. This article aims at providing a clear overview as pertains to corporal punishments in the United States of America’s public schools. Taking into account that the corporal punishment in schools is a contentious issue, the research included all the stake holders in the public education system in the United States of America. It will also explore the various religious and cultural attitudes that are tied to corporal punishment as a disciplining tool in public schools. The methodology applied in this research included interviewing the students why have undergone the corporal punishment and trying to gather their views as concerns the mode of punishment. Teachers were also interviewed in order to get their take on the mode of punishment. Questionnaires were used to collect information about the research.

Purpose of the study.

                   The purpose of this research is to establish the views, frequency of occurrence and the level of administration of corporal punishment in public schools in the United States of America. Further, the research seeks to establish the impact that corporal punishment has on the change and shape of behaviors of the students, and whether corporal punishment indeed addresses the issues of indiscipline and misbehavior among students in public schools in the United States of America. Heads of Public schools, education officers, counseling and guidance departments, parents, teachers and students will also have a range of considerations to make after reviewing the views and findings expressed in the research.

Research Methodology

                    The research was carried out in a study area of ten sampled public schools across the US. This was done in order to ensure that all the areas in the research were effectively and extensively covered. The research design combined the collection and analysis of data in relevance to the research purpose, making the end product comprehensively concrete and worth considerations. This research study was qualitative, and a cross-sectional study that used descriptive techniques of analysis. Sawilowsky(2007) defines target population as all members of or hypothetical set of subjects, people, events to which a researcher wishes to generalize their results of the study. The research’s target population was the entire group of people in the education category that are in one way or another affected by the administration of corporal punishment. The target population for the study included all students of the ten schools across the US.

Sample size

                         The determination of the Sample size and distribution among the selected schools was done in a manner in which the data collected was adequate and reflective of the subject matter. The research employs an all inclusive structure and is extensive in its data collection and analysis, thus it is a more comprehensive and in depth report. Different from other reports, the research is based on secondary data analysis and presentation thus the dissection of the research is justified. (Johnson& Christensen, 2010)

ReferencesTop of Form

Bottom of Form

Alice Farmer(2009). United States, Impairing Education: Corporal Punishment of Students with Disabilities in US Public Schools. NY: Human Rights Watch.

Burke Johnson, Larry Christensen (2010). Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches. Carlifonia. SAGE.

Shlomo S. Sawilowsky (2007). Real Data Analysis (Hc). UK: IAP.