Although the only evidence of its effectiveness is “folklore and conjecture,” corporal punishment is still used by 74 percent of the principals questioned in a nationwide poll, according to a university researcher.
Terry L. Rose, assistant professor of education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, surveyed 232 principals from 18 states.
Of the principals who practice corporal punishment, 91 percent said they spank students with paddles. The other 9 percent either hit students with books, hands, or rulers, or pinch the students or pull their hair, Mr. Rose’s survey found.
Principals of public schools in the South were most likely to practice corporal punishment. Boys were more likely to be physically punished than girls.
“Despite the absence of research support, corporal punishment continues to be used in public schools,” said Mr. Rose.
“We find ourselves using a disciplinary procedure that we know virtually nothing about,” he noted.
Mr. Rose said he would expand his research to examine the effectiveness of such punishment.--ce
