ERIC Number: EJ1255094
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0749-4025
EISSN: EISSN-2376-6670
Available Date: N/A
Students' Perceptions of Unfair Discipline in School
Katrina Morrison
Journal of Classroom Interaction, v53 n2 p21-45 2018
Student misbehavior has long presented challenges to school teachers and leaders. Scholars have argued that the extent to which students comply with rules is linked to their perceptions that their school's rules and authority are fair. To understand one driver of noncompliance with school rules, this study asks: "What are students' perceptions of discipline policy unfairness?" For this case study, the author conducted research at Excalibur High School, a public high school in Northeastern United States. The author highlighted the voices and experiences of ninth grade students. The author conducted over 200 hours of fieldwork including observations, interviews and a survey to the entire ninth grade class. Findings showed that students perceived their school's rules to be unfair because of adults' inconsistent and uniform application of rules. In addition, students thought authority was unfair because adults gave severe penalties for trivial infractions. The results are important for school teachers and leaders who seek to develop behavior policies that students believe in and follow.
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Justice, Discipline, Student Behavior, High School Students, Grade 9, Minority Group Students, School Uniforms
University of Houston, College of Education. 442 Farish Hall, Houston, TX 77204-5026. Web site: http://www.jciuh.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Grade 9; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

Peer reviewed
