Analysing Use of Corporal Punishment in Early Years Education in Nyeri and Kirinyaga Counties in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyse the status of teachers’ compliance with the ban on corporal punishment in early years education in Nyeri and Kirinyaga Counties in Kenya. This study is founded on the social learning theory and adopted an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design. The target population comprises 42,088 teachers, heads of institutions, learners in PP1 to Grade 3, and Education Officers from Nyeri and Kirinyaga Counties, Kenya. The research adopted a sample size of 191 respondents. A structured questionnaire was utilised to collect quantitative data, while qualitative data were generated through focus group discussions (FGDs) and semi-structured interviews (SSIs). Quantitative data analysis relied on descriptive statistics, while thematic analysis was undertaken to interpret and support the quantitative findings. The results indicated that corporal punishment remains moderately to highly prevalent in early years classrooms, where 73.9 per cent of teachers reported its continued and frequent use in schools. A good number of teachers (79.6%) acknowledged using it as a disciplinary measure or last resort, while 73.5 per cent reported having used it when alternative strategies failed. Learners in FGDs associated it with fear and reduced participation in class, while SSIs with education officers indicated that corporal punishment persisted, although a few isolated cases were reported. The study concluded that corporal punishment remains embedded in schools as disciplinary practices, recommending the need to strengthen compliance with the ban through profiling and surveillance in schools using CCTV cameras, coupled with continuous teacher professional development on positive disciplinary strategies and community sensitisation for adoption of cultural attitudes toward non-violent disciplinary approaches.