Discipline Management Strategies and Students’ Academic Performance in Public Day Secondary Schools in Rwamagana District, Rwanda
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53983/ijmds.v15n06.008Keywords:
Discipline management, restorative justice, classroom management, academic performance, secondary schools, RwandaAbstract
This study examined the influence of discipline management strategies on students’ academic performance in public day secondary schools in Rwamagana District, Rwanda. Specifically, the study investigated the effects of restorative justice reinforcement, teacher training in classroom management, monitoring of school disciplinary actions, and students’ involvement in setting codes of conduct on academic performance. Guided by Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Theory and Constructivist Learning Theory, the study employed a descriptive survey design using a mixed-methods approach. The target population comprised 912 respondents, from which a sample of 278 participants was selected using Slovin’s formula. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions and analyzed using SPSS and thematic analysis. Findings revealed that all four discipline management strategies had statistically significant positive effects on students’ academic performance. Restorative justice reinforcement emerged as the strongest predictor (β = 0.945, p < 0.001), followed by students’ involvement in setting codes of conduct (β = 0.913, p < 0.001), monitoring of disciplinary actions (β = 0.836, p < 0.001), and teacher training in classroom management (β = 0.755, p < 0.001). The study concludes that effective discipline management is a critical determinant of academic success and recommends strengthening restorative discipline practices, teacher professional development, participatory governance, and systematic disciplinary monitoring in secondary schools.
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