The Reality of Corporal Punishment in the Kindergarten Institutions from Teachers' Point of View

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the reality of corporal punishment in the Jor-danian kindergarten institutions in Irbid Governorate. The study population represents all working teachers in kindergarten institutions in the Irbid gov¬ernorate school for the (2010-2011) academic year. The total number of the population study were (452) schools, meanwhile, the sample represents (122) of them. A stratified sampling process was selected to cover the governorate. The unit of analysis was the teacher working in the school. The results indicated that the main reasons for pushing the teachers to use corporal punishment are: Child uttering tough words, continuous lying and attacking colleagues. The most prominent forms of punishment practiced by the teachers are: disk "cheek and ear" and beatings on the fingers, while the results revealed that the most notable results of corporal punishment from teachers' point of view were: psychological harm, anxiety, and drop out of kindergarten. The results also showed that there are no significant differences at the level of (a = 0.05) on the reality of corporal punishment among kindergarten teach¬ers due to the social situation of variable parameter, number of years of expe¬rience, academic qualification and all areas of study. Also, the results revealed that there are no significant differences at the level of (a = 0.05) on the reality of corporal punishment among kindergarten teachers due to the labor sector, the variable fields and forms of corporal punishment. Meanwhile, the results showed statistically significant differences at the level of (a = 0.05) on the reality of corporal punishment among kindergarten teachers based on the rea¬sons for corporal punishment and of the private sector