Secondary students’ perceptions of their school’s disciplinary processes

Abstract

The term school discipline includes student self-management, classroom management, behaviour management, and school exclusion practices. This article is based on the perspectives of rangatahi on disciplinary practices from two different high schools. Ten Years 9–11 students from one school who had experienced exclusion, and 10 fully engaged Year 13 students in another school reflected on their strategic navigation of the culture of classroom and school discipline. Students were aware of how to exercise agency within their school’s disciplinary regime and called for more democratic and equitable processes and dialogical relationships with their teachers.