Corporal punishment in elementary education: views of Barbadian schoolchildren

Most previous research has suggested that children often express little unconditional disapproval of the use of corporal punishment in schools. However, this might be expected to change when pupils become aware that such treatment is no longer permitted in many countries, or hear it labelled as "abuse." This paper reports on research conducted in elementary schools in the Caribbean island of Barbados, where head teachers (or their authorized deputies) are still permitted by law to use corporal punishment. Findings indicated that approximately three-quarters of pupils surveyed still approved use of corporal punishment with their own age group, although their comments also suggested that a considerable amount of routine (and illegal) "flogging" or "lashing" by regular classroom teachers occurred, which many wished to see stopped. The growing risk of clashes between parents and schools was also identified. While this and other recent studies in Barbados provide little evidence of support for the total abolition of corporal punishment within the educational system, it is hoped that research may have some role to play in exerting pressure on schools to eliminate some of their more ritualized and pedagogically counterproductive practices.