Teachers’ application of the law in addressing learner discipline in South African secondary schools

Learner discipline is a burning issue worldwide. In South Africa, lack of discipline among learners is a challenge confronting schools. Recent studies suggest that the problem is a major issue in African schools. To address learner discipline, teachers are expected to apply disciplinary laws. There is inconsistency in the application of the law when teachers address learner discipline. However, this phenomenon remains significantly under-researched, hence, this study explored teachers' application of law in addressing learner discipline in South African secondary schools. The study used the social control theory. A qualitative design was employed, and a multiple case study was utilised to explore teachers’ application of the law to address learner discipline in South African secondary schools. Two secondary schools and ten participants in the Eastern Free State Province were purposively selected to participate in this study. The data were mainly collected through semi-structured interviews (one-on-one interviews) with principals, focused group discussions with teachers, and document analysis. Data were analysed through thematic analysis. Twelve themes emerged from the data. The findings revealed that the law is inconsistently applied when addressing learner discipline. The study found that there are inadequate policies, a lack of parental support, aggression towards teachers, legal constraints, a lack of understanding of the law, and a lack of support from the DBE remain challenges that make teachers’ application of the law in addressing learner discipline difficult. The findings indicated that the current disciplinary provisions are inadequate to address learner discipline, hence the findings suggested that the Education Law should be revised to include provisions for proactive strategies to reduce disciplinary issues.