Comparing Perceptions of Students, Teachers, and Parents on Disciplinary Issues in Public Senior High Schools – A Case Study of Schools in Kumasi, Ghana
Paul Kwasi Kumah 
, Mary Assumpta Ayikue & Charles Obeng
Issue: Vol.6 No.5 Issue Article 7 pp. 450-466
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2025657 | Published online 11th April, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of students, teachers, and parents on disciplinary issues in Public Senior High Schools in Kumasi, Ghana. “This study employed a stratified simple random sample approach to determine a sample size of 387 students, 387 parents and 216 teachers. Quantitative data was gathered from four public senior high schools in Kumasi, namely Islamic Senior High School, Kumasi Technical Institute, Opoku Ware School, and Serwaa Nyarko Senior High School. Utilizing ANOVA, the study compared the perspectives of students, teachers, and parents on the definition and purpose of discipline. The use of semi-structured interviews also provided insights into the perception of parents, students, and teachers in public senior high schools in Ghana.The study revealed varying perspectives on the definition and purpose of discipline among students, teachers, and parents. Thus, teachers held a neutral stance, parents disagreed, and students strongly agreed on the concept of discipline. Additionally, differences in perceptions between students and teachers were noted regarding prevalent disciplinary issues such as disobedience and leaving school without permission. Neutrality among teachers and students was identified concerning the destruction of school property as a prevailing disciplinary issue. This study concludes that there are significant variations in how students, teachers, and parents perceive the concept and purpose of discipline. It is recommended that there should be regular meetings and workshops to engage parents and teachers in determining the positive purpose of disciplinary actions collaboratively. By providing insights into the differing perceptions of students, teachers, and parents on disciplinary issues in Ghanaian high schools, this study provides an understanding of how these perspectives impact disciplinary policy and intervention effectiveness.
Keywords: Homogeneity, Variances, disciplinary
Adamu, Abass, Benjamin Blandful Cobbinah, and Rukaya Alhassan. “Assessment of the Factors Causing Senior High Students Involvement in Examination Malpractice in the Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana.” Open Journal of Social Sciences 9, no. 6 (2021): 241–54.
Agyemang, E. O. “ Investigating into the Causes and Effects of Students’ Unrest in Ghanaian Schools: A Case Study of Adu Gyamfi Senior High School in the Sekyere South District, Ashanti Region .” University of Education, Winneba, 2016.
Akers, Ronald L, and Wesley G Jennings. “Social Learning Theory.” The Handbook of Criminological Theory, 2015, 230–40.
Alabira, I. N. “Factors Associated with Student Disciplinary Behaviour: A Study Of Sakasaka Cluster Of Schools In The Tamale Metropolis Of The Northern Region Of Ghana ,” 2023.
Amoah, Samuel Asare, Francis Owusu-Mensah, Prince Laryea, and Abena Gyamera. “Managing School Discipline: The Students’ and Teachers’ Perception on Disciplinary Strategies.” British Journal of Psychology Research 3, no. 2 (2015): 1–11.
Asiedu-Yirenkyi, C. “ Incidence of Indisciplinary Behaviour among Students in Senior High Schools in Bantama Sub-Metropolitan Schools in the Kumasi District of Ghana.” European Journal of Education Studies, 2019.
Bloomfield, Jacqueline, and Murray J Fisher. “Quantitative Research Design.” Journal of the Australasian Rehabilitation Nurses Association 22, no. 2 (2019): 27–30.
Boxer, Paul, Nancy G Guerra, L Rowell Huesmann, and Julie Morales. “Proximal Peer-Level Effects of a Small-Group Selected Prevention on Aggression in Elementary School Children: An Investigation of the Peer Contagion Hypothesis.” Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 33 (2005): 325–38.
Bradshaw, Elizabeth A. “A Rose by Any Other Name: State Criminality and the Limits of Social Learning Theory.” The Hilltop Review 5, no. 1 (2011): 3.
Culberson, Linda J. The Role of Discipline in Classroom Management. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1999.
Dickson, K. B. A Historical Geography of Ghana. CUP Archive, 1969.
Dunne, Mairead, Ricardo Sabates, Cynthia Bosumtwi-Sam, and Andrew Owusu. “Peer Relations, Violence and School Attendance: Analyses of Bullying in Senior High Schools in Ghana.” The Journal of Development Studies 49, no. 2 (2013): 285–300.
Erwin, Fukuzawa Rebecca. “Classroom Management, School Culture and Community: An Ethnography of Middle School Discipline Policies.” 法政大学小金井論集 3 (2006): 13–36.
Gcelu, Ntombizandile, A S Padayachee, and Moses Onyemaechi Ede. “School Stakeholders’ Collaborative Strategies for Management of Discipline in Secondary Schools in ILembe District.” International Journal of Mechanical and Production Engineering Research and Development 11, no. 6 (2021): 1–14.
Ghana Statistical Service. “The 2021 Population and Housing Census of Ghana General Report. Vol 3B,” 2021. https://census2021.statsghana.gov.gh/gssmain/fileUpload/reportthemesub/2021 PHC General Report Vol 3B_Age and Sex Profile_181121b.pdf.
Green, Christa L, Joan M T Walker, Kathleen V Hoover-Dempsey, and Howard M Sandler. “Parents’ Motivations for Involvement in Children’s Education: An Empirical Test of a Theoretical Model of Parental Involvement.” Journal of Educational Psychology 99, no. 3 (2007): 532.
Gregory, Anne, and Michael B Ripski. “Adolescent Trust in Teachers: Implications for Behavior in the High School Classroom.” School Psychology Review 37, no. 3 (2008): 337–53.
Gunu, Ibrahim Mohammed. “Exploring Alternative Disciplinary Measures in Ghanaian High Schools; Unveiling the Guidelines for Positive Behaviour Management in Policy and Practice.” Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies 10, no. 2 (2019): 133–39.
Gyan, Emmanuel, Kwame Baah-Korang, Paul McCarthy, and Peter McCarthy. “Causes of Indiscipline and Measures of Improving Discipline in Senior Secondary Schools in Ghana: Case Study of a Senior Secondary School in Sunyani.” Journal of Education and Practice 6, no. 11 (2015): 19–25.
Hwang, Hyisung C, and David Matsumoto. “Culture and Social Behavior.” In Getting Grounded in Social Psychology, 343–59. Psychology Press, 2017.
Jenkins, Andrew, and Akiko Ueno. “Classroom Disciplinary Climate in Secondary Schools in England: What Is the Real Picture?” British Educational Research Journal 43, no. 1 (2017): 124–50.
Jerome Freiberg, H, David Oviatt, and Emily Naveira. “Classroom Management Meta-Review Continuation of Research-Based Programs for Preventing and Solving Discipline Problems.” Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR) 25, no. 4 (2020): 319–37.
Kaar, T. F. “The Incidence and Impact of Bullying on Students in Second Cycle Schools in Ghana: A Case Study of Selected Schools in the Bawku Municipality.” University of Cape Coast, 2009.
Kibui, Agnes W. “Stakeholders’ Perspective on Disciplinary Problems in Kenya’s Secondary Schools.,” 2017.
Kimani, Joshuah W. “School Factors Influencing Students’ Discipline in Public Secondary Schools in Kinangop District, Kenya,” 2013.
Klassen, Robert M, and Ming Ming Chiu. “Effects on Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and Job Satisfaction: Teacher Gender, Years of Experience, and Job Stress.” Journal of Educational Psychology 102, no. 3 (2010): 741.
Kumah, Paul Kwasi, Jonathan Mensah Dapaah, Peter Dwumah, Bimpeh Asiedu Hubert, and Isaac Addai. “Effective Disciplinary Strategies to Combating Indiscipline in Public Senior High Schools in Kumasi, Ghana.” Journal of Education and Practice 7, no. 7 (2023): 43–64.
Kwasi, Kumah Paul, Owusu-Boateng William, Dapaah Jonathan Mensah, and Dwumah Peter. “Perspectives and Determinants of Discipline in Public Senior High Schools in Ghana: A Multi-Stakeholder Study.” Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry 12, no. 8 (2021).
Lukman, Ajibola A, and Ali A Hamadi. “Disciplinary Measures in Nigerian Senior Secondary Schools: Issues and Prospects.” IOSR Journal of Research and Method in Education 4, no. 3 (2014): 11–17.
Machumu, Haruni J, and Zuena K Killugwe. “Stakeholders’ Perceptions on Discipline Management as a Means to Improve Students’ Academic Performance Emerging Experiences from Bunda District Schools, Tanzania.” Journal of Education, Research, and Behavioral Science 2,no.6(2013):76–89.
Marton, Klara. “Imitation of Body Postures and Hand Movements in Children with Specific Language Impairment.” Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 102, no. 1 (2009): 1–13.
Nkengbeza, David. Building a Professional Learning Community in a Conflict and Post-Conflict Environment: A Case-Study of a High School in Liberia. University of Jyväskylä, 2014.
Obilor, E I, and G U Miwari. “Assessing the Consequences of Violence in Nigerian Public Secondary Schools.” International Journal of Innovative Psychology & Social Development 9, no. 2 (2021): 133–43.
OECD. “Equity in Education: Breaking down Barriers to Social Mobility.” Paris: OECD Publishing, 20AD. https://www.oecd.org/education/equity-in-education-9789264073237-en.html.
Ofori, Kennedy Nyeseh, G. Tordzro, E. Asamoah and E. Achiaa,. “The Effects of Indiscipline on Academic Performance of Junior High School Students in the Fanteakwa District of Ghana.” JEP 9, no. 21 (2018).
Omoniyi, M. “Bullying in Schools: Psychological Implications and Counselling Interventions.” Journal of Education and Practice 4, no. 18 (2013): 70–77.
Opoku-Asare, Nana Afia Amponsaa, Harriet Takyi, and Margaret Owusu-Mensah. “Conflict Prevalence in Primary School and How It Is Understood to Affect Teaching and Learning in Ghana.” SAGE Open 5, no. 3 (2015): 2158244015592935.
Rumjaun, Anwar, and Fawzia Narod. “Social Learning Theory—Albert Bandura.” Science Education in Theory and Practice: An Introductory Guide to Learning Theory, 2020, 85–99.
Sackey, Elizabeth, Kwarteng Amaniampong, and Juliana Efua Abrokwa. “Analysis of the State of Discipline in Kwanyarko Senior High School in the Central Region of Ghana.” Journal of Education and Practice 7, no. 6 (2016): 124–39.
Salgong, Victor Kipkemboi, Owen Ngumi, and Kimani Chege. “The Role of Guidance and Counseling in Enhancing Student Discipline in Secondary Schools in Koibatek District,” 2016.
Skiba, Russell J, Mariella I Arredondo, and Natasha T Williams. “More than a Metaphor: The Contribution of Exclusionary Discipline to a School-to-Prison Pipeline.” Equity & Excellence in Education 47, no. 4 (2014): 546–64.
Skiba, Russell J, Robert H Horner, Choong-Geun Chung, M Karega Rausch, Seth L May, and Tary Tobin. “Race Is Not Neutral: A National Investigation of African American and Latino Disproportionality in School Discipline.” School Psychology Review 40, no. 1 (2011): 85–107.
Temitayo, Olaitan, Mohammed A Nayaya, and Ajibola A Lukman. “Management of Disciplinary Problems in Secondary Schools: Jalingo Metropolis in Focus.” Global Journal of Human Social Science, Linguistics and Education 13, no. 14 (2013): 7–19.
Ukala, Chinyere Catherine. “Students ‘perception of Discipline in Public Secondary Schools in Rivers State, Nigeria.” European Journal of Research in Social Sciences Vol 6, no. 3 (2018).
UNESCO. Global Education Monitoring Report 2018: Accountability in Education, 2018. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000265538.
———. Global Education Monitoring Report 2020: Inclusion and Education: All Means All. Paris: UNESCO, 2020. https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/report/2020/inclusion.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). “ Education for Justice (E4J) Initiative: Comprehensive Education Modules on Integrity and Ethics,” 2019. https://www.unodc.org/e4j/.
Warr, M. Companions in Crime: The Social Aspects of Criminal Conduct. Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Welch, Kelly, and Allison Ann Payne. “Zero Tolerance School Policies.” The Palgrave International Handbook of School Discipline, Surveillance, and Social Control, 2018, 215–34.
Rev. Fr. Dr. Paul Kwasi Kumah is an ordained Priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi and a lecturer in sociology. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the KNUST, an MPhil in Sociology from the KNUST, an M.Ed. in Educational Administration from the University of Cape Coast, PGDE in Education from the University of Cape Coast, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and the study of Religions from the University of Ghana, Legon, Bachelor of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome. Rev.Fr. Dr. Kumah has Certificates in Criminology from the University of Queensland, Australia, Philosophy from St. Paul’s Major Seminary in Accra, and Sacred Theology from St. Peter’s Major Seminary in Cape Coast, Ghana. His research interests include the Sociology of Education, Criminology and Criminal Justice, and Religion.
Sr. Dr. Mary Assumpta Ayikue is a professional teacher who holds the following degrees: Doctor of Philosophy – Urban Education, Concentration: Adult, Continuing, and Higher Education Leadership University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, USA; Master of Science – Educational Leadership University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, USA; Bachelor of Science – Major: Elementary Education, Minor: English as a Second Language University of Wisconsin Oshkosh USA.
Mr. Charles Obeng is currently an Mphil student pursuing Health Systems Research and Management at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (KNUST) with first-class honors. He is a multi-disciplinary trained researcher whose works extend into various areas of sociology and health. His research interests include education, public health, criminology, business and politics. His current study focus on examining the impact of health information technology on patient care quality and efficiency in public hospitals in Ghana.
Kumah, Paul Kwasi, Mary Assumpta Ayikue, and Charles Obeng. “Comparing Perceptions of Students, Teachers, and Parents on Disciplinary Issues in Public Senior High Schools – A Case Study of Schools in Kumasi, Ghana,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no.5 (2025): 450-466. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2025657
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
