Abstract
The study investigated gender, age and teaching experiences differences in decision- making behaviours of members of selected Kenyan secondary school disciplinary panels. Mixed Methods design was adopted for the study. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Study sample comprised 78 participants drawn from ten secondary school disciplinary panels. Participants comprised 45 males and 33 females, clustered into four age groups of-29 years (n=21), 30-39 years (n=28), 40-49 years (n=14), and 50-59 years (n=15); and six teaching experience categories of 1-5 years (n=33), 6-10 years (n=14), 11-15 years (n=5), 16-20 years (n=6), 21-25 years (n=8), and 26-30 years (n=12).Data analysis results revealed gender, age and experience differences in decision-making behaviours of members of disciplinary panels who participated in the study. Male participants were found to tend towards risky decision-making behaviours while female participants tended towards cautious decision-making behaviours. Younger and less experienced participants were also found to be risky in their decision-making behaviours also tended panel members made risky pre-disciplinary hearing decision-making behaviours, while their older and more experienced counterparts were more cautious. Based on the findings of this study it is recommended that, in order to cater for the diverse nature of student behaviour problems and to effectively manage the same, consideration must be given to delicate balance of age, gender and experience in the composition of members of a school disciplinary panel.
Highlights
Student behaviour management has become an important feature of every Kenyan secondary school (Aloka, 2012)
The results of thematic analyses further revealed that younger participants reported more shifts or changes in their decision-making behaviours in comparison to the older more experienced participants when at the disciplinary hearing meetings, older participants offer new information on the behaviour problems, Major influences of older members on younger members of the disciplinary panels, which were reported during interviews are related to the age and teaching experiences of the older members
This behaviour tendency in decision making may be due to the reluctant of more experienced and older members’ refusal to change their pre-disciplinary hearing decisions Older more experienced members often perceive the younger members as lacking in experience and less mature when it comes to dealing with disciplinary problems of students
Summary
Student behaviour management has become an important feature of every Kenyan secondary school (Aloka, 2012). The student behaviour problems constitute barriers to learning, make school unsafe and negatively impact learning and overall well-being of students and teachers. Ill-disciplined behaviours of students make school environment unsafe and thereby inhibiting the pursuance of the schools’ major education objectives. There is currently the fear that students’ behaviour problems could make Kenyan educational objectives unachievable leading to the possibility that schools may be incapable of producing fully functioning future adults and or good citizens capable of contributing to the nation’s socio-economic development and quality of life of the people of Kenya (Aloka, 2012). Schools are expected to evolve strategies for training students in skills to enable them to have greater sense of control over their behaviours and to be capable of living by rules-guided behaviours (Aloka, 2012; American Foundation of Teachers, 2010)
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