Exploring the challenges encountered by Foundation Phase teachers when addressing learner discipline on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the challenges that Foundation Phase teachers face in dealing with learner discipline in a challenging school context on the Cape Flats of South Africa. The legacy of apartheid continues to impact the quality of teaching and learning as the communities experience dismal violence, poverty, substance abuse and gang activity and have little regard for schools, teachers, or education. Theoretically, my study is underpinned by Albert Bandura’s (1977a) Social Learning Theory (SLT), which suggests that human behaviour is learnt observationally through modelling. This theory is based on the idea that we learn from our interactions with others in a social context. The study follows a qualitative interpretive case study design to explore the various challenges from a teacher’s perspective in dealing with learner discipline in a primary school in the Western Cape. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews and document sources within the Foundation Phase of schooling (Grade R- 3).

The findings reveal that schools are the microcosm of society and often mirror society and societal ills. Furthermore, the findings reveal a lack of positive models, and that teachers had perceived uncertainties when attempting to deal with learner discipline. In addition, it revealed that there exists a need for targeted interventions to mitigate the negative impact of learner indiscipline. Through this study, it has become evident that learner discipline is not a one-sizefits- all concept. It varies across different cultural, societal, and educational contexts, highlighting the importance of adopting a holistic and culturally sensitive approach to discipline strategies. Additionally, the role of educators, parents, and school administrators in shaping and maintaining learner discipline cannot be understated. Collaborative efforts among these stakeholders are crucial for its successful implementation.