Comparing Perceptions of Students, Teachers, and Parents on Disciplinary Issues in Public Senior High Schools – A Case Study of Schools in Kumasi, Ghana

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.