Teachers implementation of corporal punishment and its effects on students’ learning in secondary schools in Tanzania

The paper presents the practice of corporal punishment on students’ learning in secondary schools in Tanzania. Specifically, the study examined how teachers implement corporal punishment and its effects on students’ learning in secondary schools. The study adopted a qualitative research approach with a multiple case study design. Data were collected from 76 participants selected purposefully from two regions: Morogoro and Rukwa, specifically in four districts: Morogoro Municipal, Mvomero, Sumbawanga Municipal, and Nkasi district. The participants were students, teachers, Regional Education Officers, District Secondary Education Officers, and school board members. In-depth interviews, focus group discussions, observation, and documentary reviews were methods used to collect data, which were analysed through thematic analysis to address the research questions. The findings revealed that corporal punishment was administered inappropriately without considering rules and regulations. It was also found that corporal punishment affected students’ psychological, social, and physical well-being and underachieved their academic performance. Furthermore, students withdraw from schools because of anxiety associated with corporal punishment. It is recommended that the government, through the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, should conduct seminars and awareness workshops for in-service teachers on how to employ alternative punishment instead of corporal punishment due to its adverse impact on students’ learning outcomes. The study also recommends developing a curriculum for pre-service teachers in colleges and universities. The study concludes that alternative punishment should be encouraged and adopted, while teachers should adhere to rules and regulations in the administration of corporal punishment.