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The article reports on research that investigated the image of teachers held by school learners. Based on a conceptual-theoretical distinction between the ideal teacher, the totally effective teacher and the typically excellent teacher, it was assumed that learners would focus on the first, which is a mental construct, and not on the third, which refers to a flesh-and-blood person actually found working in classrooms. They would not be aware of the discrepancy existing between the ideal teacher and the actual typically excellent teacher. A hundred learners in each of England, Latvia, Greece, Serbia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Pakistan, South Africa and Mexico were asked to write a one-page essay on the following topic: 'What does a typical teacher look like?' The investigation confirmed the correctness of the assumption. Despite clear instructions to describe a typical teacher, many respondents from all 10 countries described what they regarded as the ideal teacher. There seems to be a discrepancy between what learners want in a teacher (the ideal teacher) and what they actually have (the typical teacher). It is also possible that the lack of exposure to truly transformative teachers may in many instances lead to ineffective education. This may be one of the causes of problems with learner discipline in school that has thus far been overlooked in the scholarly pursuit to get to the root of problems with learner discipline, possibly because it does not fit neatly into the widely used model of categorising the causes of problems with learner discipline in schools. Hierdie artikel berig oor navorsing waarin die beeld wat skoolleerders van onderwysers huldig, ondersoek is. Gebaseer op 'n konseptueel-teoretiese onderskeid tussen die ideale onderwyser, die volledig-effektiewe onderwyser en die tipiese onderwyser is daar van die veronderstelling uitgegaan dat leerders op die eerste, wat 'n teoretiese konstruk is, sou fokus en nie die een wat 'n werklike persoon van vlees-en-bloed voor in 'n klaskamer vol leerders voorstel nie. Hulle sou nie bewus wees van die gaping tussen die ideale onderwyser en die werklike tipiese, uitstekende onderwyser nie. 'n Groep van 100 leerders uit Engeland, Litoue, Griekeland, Serwië, Slowenië, Bulgarye, Turkye, Pakistan, Suid-Afrika en Mexiko is versoek om 'n enkelbladsy-opstel oor die tema: 'Hoe lyk die tipiese onderwyser?' te skryf. Die ondersoek het die veronderstelling bevestig. Ten spyte van duidelike aanwysings om die tipiese onderwyser te beskryf, het al die respondente die ideale onderwyser beskryf. Dit blyk dat 'n teenstrydigheid bestaan tussen die beeld van 'n ideale onderwyser en die werklikheid voor die leerders in die klaskamer. Die moontlikheid bestaan dat die gebrek aan blootstelling aan waarlik transformerende onderwysers tot oneffektiewe onderwys kan lei. Indien wel, kan dit een van die oorsake vir skole se leerderdissiplineprobleme wees - 'n faktor wat tot nou in wetenskaplike pogings om tot die wortel daarvan deur te dring, oor die hoof gesien is, waarskynlik omdat hierdie faktor nie gemaklik in die algemeen gebruikte model van leerderdissiplineprobleme op skool inpas nie.

The research that this article reports on investigated the incidence of learner discipline problems, the effect of them on teachers, the teachers' methods of maintaining discipline and the effectiveness of those methods in one township, namely Jouberton in Klerksdorp, South Africa. The experiences of both teachers and learners were surveyed. It was found that discipline at the school is far from satisfactory and problems with discipline are more serious than the international norm indicates. These problems have a serious effect on a large part of the teachers' family life, personal health, job satisfaction and morale. Whilst both teachers and learners commendably prefer the educationally sound preventive and positive methods of maintaining discipline, the application of these methods appears not to be effective: it seems as if teacher education falls short in the area of maintaining discipline, particularly regarding the successful application of proactive methods of maintaining discipline. Finally, the learners' views on the maintenance of discipline are an alarming indictment of the principles of democracy, human rights and human dignity, and of rationality as a tool for conflict resolution. Recommendations are made for follow-up research with the objective of amelioration. Die navorsing waaroor hier gerapporteer word, het ondersoek ingestel na die voorkoms van leerderdissiplineprobleme, die effek daarvan op onderwysers, onderwysers se metodes om dissipline te handhaaf, en die doeltreffendheid van dié metodes, soos dit voorkom in 'n historiese Swart woonbuurt, naamlik Jouberton, Klerksdorp, Suid-Afrika. Die belewenis van onderwysers sowel as leerders was gepeil. Daar is bevind dat dissipline by die skool ver van bevredigend is en dat dissiplineprobleme ernstiger is as die internasinoale norm. Hierdie probleme het ernstige gevolge op 'n groot persentasie van onderwysers se persoonlikie lewe, werksbevrediging en moraal. Terwyl dit prysenswaardig is dat beide onderwysers en leerders die opvoedkundig meer aanvaarbare voorkomende en positiewe metodes van dissiplinehandhawing verkies, blyk dit dat dat onderwysers nie daarin slaag om dié pro-aktiewe metodes van dissiplinehandhawing suksesvol toe te pas nie. Laastens dui leerders se mening oor metodes van dissiplinehandhawing op 'n kommerwekkende minagting van die beginsels van demokrasie, menseregte en menswaardigheid, en van rasionaliteit as instrument in konflikresolusie. Aanbevelings vir opvolgnavorsing ter verbetering van die dissiplinesituasie aan skole word gemaak.

Teachers in South African schools battle with problems in learner discipline. Research indicates that teachers are at a loss as to handling these situations. The aim of this article is to survey incidents of serious learner misconduct in a representative selection of education systems abroad to extract any guidelines that might be applicable to South African schools. Eight education systems were surveyed: Brazil, England, Turkey, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia and New Zealand. The international systems surveyed in this article developed promising models, namely the National Safe Schools Framework (NSSF) in Australia, the Response Early Intervention and Assessment Community Health (REACH) programme in Singapore, the National Education Plan in the state of Sáo Paolo, Brazil, and the two models in the category of positive disciplinary approaches in New Zealand, namely the Respectful Schools: Restorative Practices in Education and the New Zealand Minister of Education's Positive Behaviour for [a] Learning Action Plan. A study of these international practices and underlying principles for dealing with discipline in pedagogical situations (Christian or secular) could provide guidelines for South African teachers and education authorities. Suid-Afrikaanse skole het met probleme met leerders se dissipline te kampe. Die doel van hierdie artikel is om gevalle van ernstige probleme met leerderdissipline in 'n verteenwoordigende steekproef van buitelandse onderwysstelsels te ondersoek om riglyne vir Suid-Afrikaanse skole te vind. Agt onderwysstelsels is ondersoek: Brasilië, Engeland, Turkye, Singapoer, Maleisië, China, Australië en Nieu-Seeland. In die internasionale stelsels wat ondersoek is, is belowende modelle aangetref, naamlik die National Safe Schools Framework (NSFF) in Australië, Response Early Intervention and Assessment Community Health-program (REACH) in Singapoer, die Nasionale Onderwysplan in die staat Sáo Paolo, Brasilië, asook twee modelle in die kategorie positiewe dissipline in Nieu-Seeland, te wete die Respectful Schools: Restorative Practices in Education en die Minister van Onderwys van Nieu-Seeland se Positive Behaviour for [a] Learning Action Plan. 'n Studie oor internasionale praktyke en die beginsels onderliggend aan die hantering van dissplineprobleme in (Christelike of sekulêre) opvoedingsituasies kan riglyne vir Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysers en onderwysowerhede verskaf.

Learner discipline is a problem in South African schools. The most serious aspect is addressing learner-discipline problems. Research has shown that teachers are at a loss for effective methods for maintaining discipline. The literature that does exist pertaining to methods of maintaining discipline, invariably enumerates a host of techniques in a 'bag of tricks' fashion: behaviouristic, like treating symptoms, that is, the behavioural manifestation rather than addressing the causes of that behaviour, paying no attention to the psychic dynamics and social context behind poor discipline. This is at variance with the fact that learner-discipline problems have a causal base which reaches far beyond the individual teacher-individual learner interaction. At the levels of the school, family and society, as well as at the level of the spiritual and social functioning of the child and how that might result in discipline problems, and how that should be taken into account when addressing learner discipline problems, a host of literature has been published in recent years. This article surveys this literature, synthesising it in a systematic way that shows a broader and more extensive way of approaching the issue of the problems of addressing learner discipline in South African schools. Although the problem of ill discipline in schools is not limited to or absent from schools that educate on biblical principles, the discussion in the literature occasionally ventures into a brief mention of how the problem could be approached from a holistic and integrated Christian perspective. Leerderdissipline in Suid-Afrikaanse skole is 'n probleem. Die mees problematiese aspek is die hantering van dié probleme. Navorsing het aangetoon dat onderwysers nie oor doeltreffende metodes om leerderdissipline te handhaaf beskik nie. Literatuur oor dissiplinehandhawingsmetodes wat wel bestaan lys 'n reeks tegnieke, in 'n behaviouristiese paradigma, wat die simptome eerder as die oorsake van die probleem aanspreek, en wat nie die psigiese dinamika en sosiale konteks van leerderdissiplineprobleme erken nie. Dit rym nie met die feit dat leerderdissipline 'n oorsaaklike basis het wat veel verder as die individuele onderwyser-individuele leerder interaksie strek nie. Op die vlakke van die skool, die gesin en die samelewing, sowel as die spirituele en sosiale funksionering van die kind en hoe al hierdie faktore in dissiplineprobleme kan uitloop en in berekening gebring behoort te word wanneer dit by die aanspreek van leerderdissiplineprobleme kom, is 'n magdom literatuur die afgelope aantal jare gepubliseer. Hierdie artikel bied 'n oorsig van dié literatuur en dui so 'n meer omvattende benadering aan om leerderdissiplineprobleme in Suid-Afrikaanse skole te hanteer. Ofskoon die probleem van leerderdissiplineprobleme nie beperk is of afwesig is van skole wat onderwys op 'n Bybelse grondslag verskaf nie, word die bespreking van die literatuuroorsig voorsien van 'n Christelike lewensopvatlike bobou.

Tot op hede was navorsers geneig om elkeen van die oorsaaklike of bydraende faktore tot leerderdissiplineprobleme in skole afsonderlik van mekaar te benader. Hierdie artikel het oor navorsing rakende die teoreties-regverdigbare samevloeiing van hierdie faktore rakende dissiplineprobleme in klaskamers gerapporteer. Graad 9-leerders en hulle opvoeders (onderwysers) het vraelyste voltooi waarin hulle op 'n semantiese differensiaalskaal moes aantoon tot watter mate hulle meen elkeen van die 36 moontlike oorsake 'n rol speel in die voorkoms van dissiplineprobleme in hulle skool. Roetinefaktoranalise het aan die lig gebring dat veral sewe faktore 'n bydrae lewer tot wangedrag in hulle besondere skool, naamlik sosiale probleme in die gemeenskap, ouers se invloed op die leerders se gedrag, die gesag van die opvoeder, demokratiese deelname van die rolspelers aan die skoolbestuur, die skoolstrukture as 'n invloed op die voorkoms van leerderwangedrag, asook fisiese geremdhede en psigologiese gestremdhede. Hitherto, researchers in the field of the various causal or contributory factors of learner discipline problems in schools tended to approach each of those factors in isolation. This article reported on research regarding the theoretically justifiable notion of the confluence of the various factors that culminate in learner discipline problems at school. Grade 9 learners as well as their educators completed questionnaires in which they had to indicate on a semantic differential scale the extent to which they thought each of the 36 possible causes played a role in the incidence of learner discipline problems in their school. Routine factor analysis revealed that seven factors contributed to learner misbehaviour in their particular school, namely social problems in society, the influence of parents on the behaviour of their children, the authority of the educator, democratic participation in school governance, the nature of school structures, and also physical and psychological disabilities.

Modern societies have become much more complex in recent decades, also in terms of ethnic identities and differences. The question arose whether education systems were capable of addressing the needs of ethnic and other minorities in countries across the globe. After examining a cross-section of education systems (in Australia, Canada, China, Israel, Malaysia, Rwanda, Russia and South Africa) with the aid of a set of specially developed criteria, it was concluded that these systems seemed to comply with the criteria in various ways, albeit in different measures and in several configurations. It is recommended that policy makers apply such criteria for enhancing the capability of an education system to address the needs of ethnic minorities and to meet the demands of increased social complexity. Samelewings het onlangs toenemend kompleks begin raak, ook in terme van etniese identiteite en verskille. Die vraag is of onderwysstelsels van lande reg oor die wêreld in staat is om te voldoen aan die eise van die verskillende etniese en ander minderhede. Na bestudering van 'n steekproef onderwysstelsels (dié van Australië, Kanada, Sjina, Israel, Maleisië, Rwanda, Rusland en Suid-Afrika) aan die hand van 'n stel spesiaal ontwerpte kriteria is tot die slotsom gekom dat hierdie stelsels oor die algemeen aan die kriteria voldoen, dog in wisselende mate en in allerlei konfigurasies. Dit is aanbeveel dat beleidmakers kriteria soos hierdie toepas ten einde toe te sien dat 'n onderwysstelsel inderdaad in staat sal wees om te kan voorsien in die behoeftes van etniese minderhede en aan die eise van toenemende sosiale kompleksiteit.