Teachers’ Perception of the Use of Corporal Punishment in Junior Secondary Schools in Mubi Education Zone, Adamawa State, Nigeria

The study assessed teachers’ perception of the use of corporal punishment in junior secondary schools in Mubi Education Zone, Adamawa State, Nigeria. Three research questions and two research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study; The study employed a survey research design. The sample size consisted of 200 Junior Secondary School teachers selected by stratified sampling technique using gender and years of experience as strata. The questionnaire titled: “Teachers’ Perception of the Use of Corporal Punishments in Junior Secondary Schools (TPUCPJSS)†was used to collect data. The face, content and construct validity of the instrument was established by an expert in Guidance and Counselling from Educational Foundations Department, Adamawa State University, Mubi. The test – retest reliability was carried out on 30 teachers from two Junior Secondary Schools within an interval of three weeks; while a reliability coefficient of 0.86 was obtained. Data were analyzed using mean, standard Deviation, ANOVA, Pearson moment correlation and t-test. The study revealed that corporal punishment was still used by teachers as a form of discipline to junior secondary school students in Mubi Educational Zone. The dangers associated with corporal punishment in Junior Secondary Schools in Mubi Educational Zone as perceived by teachers included mental retardation, memory loss, absenteeism in class, emotional trauma such as low self-esteem, depression and suicidal acts, physical scars, maiming and violence. The study concluded that corporal punishment has multidimensional and obnoxious impacts over the academic performance and socio-psychological well-being of the students. It was recommended that in-service training and seminars should be organized by psychologists and guidance counsellors to improve teachers’ knowledge and skills about classroom management, effective discipline methods and children’s rights.