How effective is school discipline in preparing students to become responsible citizens? Slovenian teachers' and students' views

Effective schoolwork includes discipline. Which disciplinary approach, however, is the most effective in a democratic society, and are schools practicing it? In this study 55 class teachers of 11-14 year-olds, and 245 6th-grade and 8th-grade students of primary school in Slovenia were surveyed to determine the teachers' predominant disciplinary techniques. The basic finding of the study is that disciplinary techniques with a higher degree of teacher control and low student autonomy predominate. That kind of discipline is not in accordance with democratic principles. In the future, special attention must be given to reshaping disciplinary practice to become more democratic.