Publisher Home ↗ editor@randspublications.org
International Journal of Social Sciences, Language and Linguistics eISSN 2051-686X Submit Article
Research Articles Open access

Beyond the Cane: Reimagining School Discipline in Fiji and the Pacific

Published
Pages 33-45
Views 89
Downloads 117

Authors

  • Davendra Sharma Lecturer and PhD Scholar, University of Fiji, Fiji Islands Author

DOI

https://doi.org/10.55640/ijssll-06-04-03 ↗

Abstract

Corporal punishment has historically been embedded within schooling systems across Fiji and the Pacific, often justified as a culturally accepted method of maintaining discipline and authority. However, increasing global advocacy for child protection, alongside regional policy reforms aligned with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, has intensified calls to critically reassess its role in contemporary education. This paper interrogates the continued use and perceived effectiveness of corporal punishment in addressing student behavioural challenges, arguing that it is neither pedagogically sustainable nor ethically defensible in modern learning environments.

Drawing on interdisciplinary literature, policy analysis, and emerging empirical insights from the Pacific context, the study highlights the adverse psychological, social, and educational consequences associated with punitive disciplinary practices. It further situates corporal punishment within broader ethical frameworks, particularly deontological ethics, utilitarianism, and the ethics of care, to demonstrate its incompatibility with principles of dignity, equity, and relational pedagogy. Importantly, the paper foregrounds the tension between entrenched cultural norms and evolving human rights discourses, emphasizing the need for contextually grounded yet transformative approaches to discipline.

In response, the paper advances a reconceptualization of school discipline through the lens of positive behaviour support, restorative practices, and culturally responsive pedagogy that resonate with Pacific values of respect, community, and reciprocity. It argues that effective discipline must move beyond compliance-driven models toward approaches that foster self-regulation, accountability, and holistic student development. The study concludes by offering policy and practice recommendations aimed at supporting educators, school leaders, and policymakers in transitioning from punitive to restorative and ethically grounded disciplinary frameworks.

Ultimately, this paper contributes to ongoing debates on educational reform in Fiji and the Pacific by positioning discipline not as control, but as a transformative process central to nurturing inclusive, respectful, and future-ready learners.

Keywords

Corporal punishment; school discipline , Fiji , Pacific education , restorative practices , positive behaviour support , ethics of care , culturally responsive pedagogy , student behaviour , educational reform

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Aristotle. (2009). Nicomachean ethics (W. D. Ross, Trans.). Oxford University Press. (Original work published ca. 350 B.C.E.)

2. Bear, G. G. (2010). School discipline and self-discipline: A practical guide to promoting prosocial student behavior. Guilford Press.

3. CASEL. (2020). What is social and emotional learning? Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. https://casel.org/what-is-sel/

4. Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice (3rd ed.). Teachers College Press.

5. Gershoff, E. T., & Grogan-Kaylor, A. (2016). Spanking and child outcomes: Old controversies and new meta-analyses. Journal of Family Psychology, 30(4), 453–469. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000191

6. Gregory, A., Clawson, K., Davis, A., & Gerewitz, J. (2016). The promise of restorative practices to transform teacher-student relationships and achieve equity in school discipline. Review of Educational Research, 86(2), 325–353. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315602726

7. Harman, G. (1975). Moral relativism defended. Philosophical Review, 84(1), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.2307/2184078

8. Kant, I. (2002). Groundwork for the metaphysics of morals (A. W. Wood, Trans.). Yale University Press. (Original work published 1785)

9. Locke, J. (1988). Two treatises of government (P. Laslett, Ed.). Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1689)

10. Mill, J. S. (2001). Utilitarianism. Hackett Publishing. (Original work published 1863)

11. Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts, Fiji. (2020). Policy on child protection in schools. Government of Fiji.

12. Morrison, B. (2007). Restoring safe school communities: A whole school response to bullying, violence, and alienation. Federation Press.

13. Nabobo-Baba, U. (2006). Knowing and learning: An indigenous Fijian approach. University of the South Pacific.

14. Noddings, N. (2013). Caring: A relational approach to ethics and moral education (2nd ed.). University of California Press.

15. Rachels, J., & Rachels, S. (2019). The elements of moral philosophy (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

16. Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Harvard University Press.

17. Sugai, G., & Horner, R. (2002). The evolution of discipline practices: School-wide positive behavior supports. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 24(1–2), 23–50. https://doi.org/10.1300/J019v24n01_03

18. Thaman, K. H. (2009). Towards cultural democracy in teaching and learning with specific reference to Pacific Island nations. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 3(2), 1–9.

19. UNICEF. (2017). A familiar face: Violence in the lives of children and adolescents. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/reports/familiar-face

20. United Nations. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child. United Nations. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child

Explore related research

Similar Articles

1-10 of 144
Continue exploring

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2 3 4 > >> 

Search the journal

Find articles by title, author or keyword.