You shouldn’t need a study to tell you that corporal punishment is not a legitimate and ethical means of classroom discipline. Yet, as I write this, 19 American States still allow corporal punishment.
It’s time they stopped!
Hitting misbehaving kids with sticks might result in immediate obedience, but new research suggests it does more damage than good in the long term.
A new study compared kindergarten and Grade 1 students in two West African private schools. In most ways, the kids were similar. They came from the same urban neighbourhood, and their parents were mostly civil servants, professionals and merchants.
The difference was in how their schools doled out discipline. One school beat disobedient kids with sticks, slapped them on the head or pinched them. These punishments were administered for a wide range of offences, from forgetting to bring a pencil to class to disrupting lessons.
The other school favoured non-physical punishment, with teachers issuing time-outs or verbal reprimands for bad behaviour.
Researchers gave students from both schools “executive functioning” tests, measuring their ability to plan, think in the abstract and delay gratification. While test results for the kindergarten kids were similar across the board, the Grade 1 students from the school with corporal punishment performed significantly worse.
The study’s authors, who hail from the University of Toronto, McGill University in Montreal and the University of Minnesota, say the results are consistent with previous research that showed kids will immediately cease bad behaviour after getting physically punished, but they fail to internalize the morals or rules behind the punishment.
What this means, the authors note, is these kids aren’t really learning the difference between right or wrong, and are likely to re-offend.
“This study demonstrates that corporal punishment does not teach children how to behave or improve their learning,” said Victoria Talwar of McGill University.
“In the short term, it may not have any negative effects; but if relied upon over time it does not support children’s problem-solving skills, or their abilities to inhibit inappropriate behaviour or to learn.”
Tags: Corporal Punishment, Education, kids, life, McGill University, News, Parenting, States, Toronto, University of Toronto, Victoria Talwar
Topical Teaching 
July 29, 2011 at 12:11 am |
Prior to and in the 70’s and early 80’s corporal punishment was allowed in the Miami Dade schools. I remember that in the 9th grade back in the early 60’s the dean gave me 3 whacks . I could not believe how hard he hit me. I thought my eyeballs would pop and splatter against the wall! When I became a teacher in the 70’s, I did convince the dean to allow me to administer the paddling to let them know who was in charge. I tapped so very lightly and often hit the chair instead. This was appreciated by the boys. I showed them the hammer and did not use it. The posture was effective. Since then I have come to believe even that modest use or threat of use of force is inappropriate and indicative of a very Medieval approach to behavior modification and from a legal view no one in the schools or in related venues should have the authority to apply violence to any one else’s child. Nor should we adhere to thinking that such is appropriate. I am shocked at how many states still have the policy of corporal punishment after our child psychology and behavioral sciences have become more sophisticated. And humane and respectful of even a youngster’s right not to be abused.
July 30, 2011 at 3:53 am |
I live in Kansas and yes, it is still allowed? Does it happen though? I don’t believe so. There are many hoops that a teacher has to jump through for it to happen. Parents are notified and more than likely with the student when/if it happens. I believe that in our case in Kansas, it just hasn’t been taken out of the books. There are many laws that are old and not followed, yet they are still laws.
August 2, 2011 at 12:09 am |
Thanks for spreading the post Anthony. I just hope this old-fashioned and unhelpful law finds its way out of the books.