“Reach Out, Not Harm”: Navigating between Physical Punishment and Alternative Strategies in Addressing Student Discipline Challenges for a Positive Learning Environment

Based on the interpretivist ontological assumption that teachers and students hold unique positions regarding school discipline, this study explores their perspectives on using physical punishment and alternative strategies to address challenging discipline problems. 20 teachers (with more than 5 years of teaching experience) and 20 students (aged 16-18 years old) from a secondary school in Indonesia who were identified through purposeful snowball sampling were engaged via semi-structured interviews and an open online survey to capture their perspectives. Data were thematically analysed following Newton’s (1980) comparison of school discipline models to reveal both parties to be in favour of alternative discipline strategies because physical punishment was deemed to have adverse effects and does not educate. The alternative disciplining strategies proposed by the teachers and students match with the characteristics of the following models: Individual fulfilment (approach students, dialogue and negotiation), scholarly discipline (strict adherence to school rules, consistency in rule enforcement, teacher as a role model); and educational technology (reminders of school rules, progressive disciplining process). The “fair disciplining” theme in the students’ data had no model fit. Meanwhile, no evidence suggests inclinations toward the social reconstruction model of school discipline. This study provides a glimpse into the diverse disciplining strategies which are the result of a bottom-up inquiry for addressing students’ challenging behaviours to cultivate a positive learning environment.