STUDENTS' MISCONDUCT AND VIOLENT BEHAVIORS IN THE SCHOOLS: THE CASE OF SOME SELECTED WOREDAS IN SIDAMA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate the students’ misconduct and violent behaviors in the schools: the case of some selected woredas in Sidama Regional State. To serve this purpose explanatory research design was employed. For the study, 2 Woredas and 2 town administrations were selected using purposive sampling technique; this is due to researcher believed that to get adequate information the issue under investigation, 5 secondary schools were included using simple random sampling technique. From these sample schools, 4 woreda education office experts and 21 students’ representatives were selected by using purposive sampling, while 120 teachers were selected by using simple random sampling techniques and 80 school leaders and 5 supervisors were included through comprehensive sampling technique. Questionnaire was used as main tool of data collection. Interview and focus group discussion was used to substantiate the data gathered through questionnaires. Document review was also part of data collection for the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics while content analysis approach was used to analyze qualitative data. The findings of the study revealed that the absences of parental follow-up on students was day to day activities, lack of parental control at home, absences of the team work among administrators and educators, absence of good leadership among administrators, absence of clearly defined measures against undisciplined, absence of regular attendance control in the school, late come to the class, teachers were not role model to students and teachers ignore learners misbehave, dress or uniform code violation, unaware school rules and regulations and break down of cultural values in the societies are some of the cause of students’ students’ misconduct and violent behaviors to be found in this study. Based on the above major findings the following conclusions are drawn the absence of parental involvement in the school, the absence of parental follow-up on students' day to day activities and lack of parental control at home were concluded that the causes of students’ misconduct and violent behaviors. Thus based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that: parents should have control the students’ activities were how to study at home, teachers should have role model to his/her students at all, teachers should have support his/her students by guiding and counseling, teachers should have not ignore learners misbehave were immediately take corrective consecutive measures in the school, home room-teachers should have exercise regular attendance control in the class, teachers should have strength positive teacher-pupil relationship and students should have no breakdown of cultural values of in the society.