Examining How The Nature And Perceived Benefits Of School Based Restorative Practices Influence Positive Behaviour In Deviant Pupils: A Case Of Selected Secondary Schools Of Kabwe District, Zambia

The current study examined how the nature and perceived benefits of school based restorative practices influenced the behaviour of deviant pupils in selected secondary schools in Kabwe District, Zambia. A qualitative case study with unstructured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among thirty-six participants consisting of two school administrators, ten (teachers and twenty-four pupils. The findings revealed that restorative practices used in schools include manual work, detention, dialogue with parents, counseling, and suspension. The study further revealed that the restorative practices were not helping in influencing positive behavior among pupils but rather making them stubborn and repeating offensive behaviors. This was contrary to the general perspective that restorative practices in schools created a positive school culture and climate that helped pupils to reintegrate into the learning environment. The implication of this was for educational administrators to invest in sensitisations of pupils and training of teachers in restorative practices in order for them to understand and appreciate the logic behind adopting these approaches for ease of implementation and achievement of the desired result. /p>