Teachers’ stress intensifies violent disciplining in Tanzanian secondary schools

Hermenau²,

Nkuba

et al. 2019

Preprint

Self Cite

Background: Despite the existing national and international plans of action to end violent discipline strategies used by teachers in schools, they still prevail in Tanzanian schools. This underlines the need to implement schoolbased interventions that aim at reducing violent discipline by teachers. In this study, we will evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the preventative intervention Interaction Competencies with Childrenfor Teachers (ICC-T) in Tanzanian primary schools. Following its success in secondary schools, we hypothesize that the intervention will reduce teachers' positive attitudes towards and their use of violent discipline at school.Methods/design: The study will be conducted in six randomly selected regions in Tanzania. We have already randomly selected two schools in each region (12 in total) that fulfill our inclusion criteria. From each region, one school will be randomly assigned to the intervention and the other to the monitoring group (no intervention). Eighty students between the ages of 9 to 12 years (N = 960) and 20 teachers from each school (N = 240) will be included in the trial. We will collect data directly before the intervention (t1) and 6 months after the intervention (t2) both at intervention and monitoring schools. Using guided questionnaire assessments, we will measure violence by teachers using students' reports on their exposure to and teachers' reports on their use of violence using the Conflict Tactics Scale. Furthermore, we will assess teachers' positive attitudes towards violent discipline using a modified version of the Conflict Tactic Scale. The feasibility of the intervention will be evaluated using purpose-built measures assessing the demand, applicability, acceptability, and integration of core elements into daily work in the participating schools. Discussion: The proposed study will allow us to test the feasibility and effectiveness of an intervention aiming to reduce positive attitudes towards and the use of violent discipline by teachers in school settings. With the reduction of violent discipline by teachers, this study contributes to national and international efforts towards ending violence against children as well as the attainment of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals that also aim to prevent all types of maltreatment of children.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reducing violent discipline by teachers using Interaction Competencies with Children for Teachers (ICC-T): Study protocol for a matched cluster randomized controlled trial in Tanzanian public primary schools

Hermenau²,

Nkuba

et al. 2019

Preprint

Self Cite

“…Hecker et al (5) reported that teachers' stress as well as lack of alternative disciplining strategies among teachers intensified the use of violent discipline among teachers. Furthermore, Meyer and colleagues (23) reported that a lack of a positive school environment and children's exposure to community violence-which itself was linked to adverse mental health outcomes-were associated with the use of violent discipline by teachers at school in low income countries, such as Tanzania.…”

Section: Factors Influencing the Use Of Violent Discipline By Teachersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Violent discipline takes diverse forms, including the use of hands or objects by teachers and school staff, such as a cane, whip, or stick (2). Despite the existence of different national and international intervention strategies to end violent discipline by teachers, the prevalence of the use of violent discipline by teachers is still reported globally (3)(4)(5). In many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, including, for example, Tanzania, violent discipline by teachers is still legal and considered by teachers as being a necessary and effective disciplinary tool to control student behaviour (6).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing violent discipline by teachers using Interaction Competencies with Children for Teachers (ICC-T): Study protocol for a matched cluster randomized controlled trial in Tanzanian public primary schools

Hermenau²,

Nkuba

et al. 2019

Preprint

Self Cite

Background Despite the existing national and international plans of action to end violent discipline strategies used by teachers in schools, it still prevails in Tanzanian schools. This underlines the need to implement school-based interventions that aim at reducing violent discipline by teachers. In this study, we will evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the preventative intervention Interaction Competencies with Children for Teachers in Tanzanian primary schools. Following its success in secondary schools, we hypothesize that the intervention will reduce teachers’ positive attitudes towards and their use of violent discipline at school. Methods The study will be conducted in six randomly selected regions in Tanzania. We have already randomly selected two schools in each region (12 in total) that fulfill our inclusion criteria. From each region, one school will be randomly assigned to the intervention and the other to the monitoring group (no intervention). Eighty students between the ages of nine to twelve years (N = 960) and 20 teachers from each school (N = 240) will be included in the trial. We will collect data directly before the intervention (t1) and six months after the intervention (t2) both at intervention and monitoring schools. Using guided questionnaire assessments, we will measure violence by teachers using students’ reports on their exposure to and teachers’ reports on their use of violence using the Conflict Tactics Scale. Furthermore, we will assess teachers’ positive attitudes towards violent discipline using a modified version of the Conflict Tactic Scale. The feasibility of the intervention will be evaluated using purpose-built measures assessing the demand, applicability, acceptability and integration of core elements into the daily work in the participating schools. Discussion The proposed study will allow us to test the feasibility and effectiveness of an intervention aiming to reduce positive attitudes towards and the use of violent discipline by teachers in school settings. With the reduction of violent discipline by teachers, this study contributes to national and international efforts towards ending violence against children as well as the attainment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals that also aim for preventing children from all types of maltreatment.

Prevalence of and factors contributing to violent discipline in families and its association with violent discipline by teachers and peer violence

Nkuba²,

Hecker

2022

Child Abuse Review

Self Cite

Using a multi-informant approach, we assessed 914 children (mean age = 12.58 years, standard deviation [SD] = 1.43) and 893 caregivers (98.3 per cent female, mean age = 40.07 years, SD = 11.46) in Tanzania. Results showed that 93.3 per cent (n = 828/893) of caregivers reported using violent discipline, while 91.0 per cent (n = 832/914) of the children experienced it in their families. Further, 95.0 per cent (n = 868/914) and 93.7 per cent (n = 853/914) of students experienced violent discipline by teachers and peer violence at school, respectively. In a multilevel path model, children's mental health problems (standardised regression coefficient [β] = 0.192 [CI: 0.130, 0.255], p < 0.001) were associated with their experience of violent discipline in families. Caregivers' own childhood experience of violent discipline (β = 0.169 [CI: 0.105, 0.232], p < 0.001), their positive attitudes towards violent discipline (β = 0.228 [CI: 0.166, 0.290], p < 0.001) and mental health problems (β = 0.175 [CI: 0.113, 0.237], p < 0.001) were associated with their use of violent discipline. Violent discipline in families significantly correlated with violent discipline by teachers (correlation coefficient [r] = 0.413 [CI: 0.354, 0.472], p < 0.001) and peer violence (r = 0.354 [CI: 0.294, 0.415], p < 0.001) implying children's polyvictimisation. K E Y W O R D S family violence; mental health, attitudes towards violence; peer violence; polyvictimisation; school violence; violent discipline Key Practitioner Messages• Violent discipline is highly prevalent in families in Tanzania and is associated with higher risk for violence exposure in school by teachers and peers. • Preventive strategies prioritising legal protection are insufficient on their own in societies where violence against children may be normalised or even supported. • Successful and effective intervention approaches that challenge societal norms and beliefs towards violent discipline should be adopted, implemented and evaluated in both family and school contexts.