An investigation of factors contributing to student's indiscipline in boarding secondary schools in Malawi: a case study of selected secondary schools in central west education division

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate the factors contributing to student’s indiscipline in some boarding secondary school in the Central West Education Division in Malawi. This was due to the rampant increase of indiscipline in the schools, particularly in boarding secondary schools. The study employed a sequential explanatory design, which involved the use of quantitative phase followed by a qualitative phase. Data in the quantitative phase was collected using questionnaires from students and teachers. In the qualitative phase, data was collected using interviews and focus group discussions from within the same group of students, and interviews from within the same group of teachers. The systems theory guided the study. The findings have revealed that there are different factors related to the home, students, teachers and administration that contributes to student’s indiscipline. The factors contribute to indiscipline in different ways. The study established the following home factors as contributing to student’s indiscipline: lack of parental attention and guidance on student’s behaviour; poor relationship between parents and their children; influence of the media at home; parents not providing desired school resources of students and parental ways of managing misbehavior. The following factors related to students were identified as contributing to student’s indiscipline: lack of student’s interest in school; students’ concentration on relationships with the opposite sex; use of drugs and alcohol; misunderstanding of indiscipline as a right and peer pressure. In terms of teachers, the following factors were identified: teacher’s lack of professional iv delivery of work and poor management of indiscipline. Finally, factors related to administration that contributes to indiscipline are: administration’s inability to address student’s complaints and the way how the administration manage indiscipline. The study has made various recommendations, that requires the different groups at school level and the government to work together to help deal with indiscipline.