The roles of authoritarian personality, childhood punitive experiences, and status of teachers in predicting attitudes towards and behaviors of corporal and psychological punishment in school
Abstract:
The purpose of this research was to study the roles of authoritarian personality, childhood punitive experiences, and status of teachers in predicting attitudes towards and behaviors of corporal and psychological punishment in schools. Three hundred teachers from public schools in Bangkok completed a series of questionnaires: A general information questionnaire, The Authoritarian Personality Scale, The Attitude toward Corporal and Psychological Punishment Scale, The Childhood Physical and Psychological Punitive Experiences Questionnaire and The Corporal and Psychological Punishment Behaviors Questionnaire. Results are as follows: 1.Childhood physical and psychological punitive experiences and authoritarian personality of teacher have significant positive correlations with attitudes towards and behaviors of corporal and psychological punishment. Teachers age also significantly correlates negatively but education does not significantly correlate negatively with attitudes towards and behaviors of corporal and psychological punishment. 2. Education, age, childhood physical and psychological punitive experiences and authoritarian personality together can significantly predict attitudes towards and behaviors of corporal and psychological punishment. 3. Attitudes towards corporal and psychological punishment together can significantly predict corporal and psychological punishment behaviors. 4. Male teachers have significantly more favorable attitudes towards corporal punishment than female teachers and female teachers use significantly more corporal punishment behaviors than male teachers. Male and female teachers do not differ significantly in attitudes towards and psychological punishment behaviors