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 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.
