Beating the devil out of them: effects of corporal punishment on school children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of corporal punishment on school students in Pakistan. The data was collected through a survey from N=250 students (96 females and 154 males) from government schools (n=109) and madrassas (n=141) in District Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The study found that corporal punishment is rampant (83%) in schools and madrassas. The study reveals male students receiving more punishment and exhibiting higher levels of emotional adjustment, delinquency, and aggression with mean differences with t-value of 248= 4.92, p < .001; 0.87, p < .05; 3.67, p < .000 and 7.89, p < .001 than female students. Schools use more corporal punishment than madrassas, causing higher emotional adjustment for students, indicated by significant mean differences with a t-value of 248= 1.20, p < .003, and 3.18, p < .001. Madrassa students exhibited higher juvenile delinquency and aggression with mean differences with a t-value of 248=1.67, p < .095, and 9.90, p < .000 than school students. The predictor variables showed a positive correlation with the outcome variable (? = .034, t = .530, p < .01) and emotional adjustment (? = .388, t = 6.63, p < .001) for students.