School Discipline Management Strategies as Predictors of Learner Engagement in Private Secondary Schools in Wobulenzi Town Council, Luwero District, Uganda

Abstract

This study examined school discipline management strategies as predictors of learner engagement in private secondary schools in Wobulenzi Town Council, Luwero District, Uganda. Guided by B. F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Theory, the study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from 100 respondents using structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. The study examined three discipline management strategies: positive reinforcement, guidance and counselling, and school rules and regulations. The findings revealed a moderate, positive, and statistically significant relationship between positive reinforcement and learner engagement (r = 0.477, p < 0.001). In contrast, guidance and counselling (r = 0.068, p = 0.505) and school rules and regulations (r = 0.073, p = 0.473) had weak, positive, and statistically insignificant relationships with learner engagement. The overall regression model was statistically significant, F(3, 95) = 13.780, p < 0.001, explaining 30.3% of the variation in learner engagement (R² = 0.303). However, positive reinforcement was the only statistically significant individual predictor (β = 0.548, p < 0.001). The study concludes that positive reinforcement is an important predictor of learner engagement, while guidance and counselling and school rules and regulations did not independently demonstrate significant predictive relationships. The study recommends that teachers strengthen the use of praise, encouragement, rewards, and recognition to promote learner participation and engagement in classroom activities.

Keywords: School discipline management, positive reinforcement, guidance and counselling, school rules and regulations, learner engagement.