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The Likelihood of Using Corporal Punishment by Kindergarten Teachers: The Role of Parent-Teacher Partnership, Attitudes, and Religiosity

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Abstract

This study explores the likelihood of Arab kindergarten teachers from Israel using corporal punishment with children who misbehave while in their care. The study focuses on teachers’ characteristics, child-staff ratio, and the quality of parent-teacher relationships, in order to expand our understanding of the mechanisms underlying disciplinary choices. A stratified sample method was used to design a representative sample of Arab kindergarten teachers in Israel. Anonymous, structured, self-report questionnaires were completed by 86 kindergarten teachers who mailed them back to the researchers in sealed envelopes. More than a quarter of the teachers (27.9 %) reported that they are likely to use at least one of the corporal punishment acts listed in the questionnaire with children when they misbehave. The parent-teacher relationship was associated negatively with teachers’ use of corporal punishment. Greater religiosity and stronger attitudes supporting the use of corporal punishment to handle behavioral problems were associated with more reports of kindergarten teachers being likely to use corporal punishment. The relationship between religiosity and use of corporal punishment was mediated by teachers’ favorable attitudes towards the use of corporal punishment to discipline children. Future research should be conducted to investigate additional teacher, child, and kindergarten factors that might help predicting victimization of kindergarten children by their teachers.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the many kindergarten teachers and supervisors who generously gave their time and support to make this study possible. The study was supported by a research grant from the Anita Morawetz Fund for Research on Children at Risk.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel

    Mona Khoury-Kassabri & Shalhevet Attar-Schwartz

  2. Graduate Program in Early Childhood Studies, School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Hana Zur

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  1. Mona Khoury-Kassabri
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  2. Shalhevet Attar-Schwartz
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  3. Hana Zur
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Correspondence to Mona Khoury-Kassabri.

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Khoury-Kassabri, M., Attar-Schwartz, S. & Zur, H. The Likelihood of Using Corporal Punishment by Kindergarten Teachers: The Role of Parent-Teacher Partnership, Attitudes, and Religiosity. Child Ind Res 7, 369–386 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-013-9226-2

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