Implementing Positive Discipline in Schools: Educator Challenges and Evidence-Based Recommendations for Systemic Reform

Abstract

Corporal punishment in Sri Lankan schools remains prohibited under national education policy, while a 2025 Penal Code (Amendment) Bill proposed an express statutory offence of corporal punishment against persons under 18; nevertheless, a persistent gap remains between policy prohibition and everyday disciplinary practice. Although prior research has documented the harms associated with punitive discipline, less is known about the practical, institutional, and sociocultural barriers that constrain teachers' adoption of positive alternatives. This study therefore aimed to identify the challenges teachers face when implementing non-punitive disciplinary approaches and to formulate evidence-based recommendations for a systemic positive discipline framework. A concurrent mixed-methods design was employed with 100 teachers and 200 students from ten government schools in the Sri Jayewardenepura Education Zone. Quantitative data from structured questionnaires were analysed using descriptive statistics, including priority-weighted mean scores and cross-category comparisons, while qualitative data from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were analysed thematically. The findings show that barriers operate at multiple, mutually reinforcing levels. Large class sizes (83.7%) and time constraints (79.6%) were the most prominent school-level constraints; inadequate teacher training (77.6%) was the leading professional barrier; parental expectations of punitive discipline (73.5%) represented a substantial sociocultural obstacle; and the absence of national implementation guidelines (69.4%) was the principal systemic deficit. Five qualitative themes were identified: time and resource scarcity, the knowledge-practice gap, cultural and generational resistance, absence of systemic support, and the emotional cost of implementation. The latter highlights teacher exhaustion and professional isolation as a comparatively underexamined dimension of disciplinary reform. The study concludes that sustainable change requires coordinated action across teacher education, school leadership, parent engagement, resource allocation, monitoring, and national policy. A multi-stakeholder restorative discipline framework, supported by practical professional development and institutional accountability, is recommended.