Influence of Electronic Media on Secondary School Students Discipline in Mbarara Minicipality, Mbarara District South Western Uganda

Abstract

The broad a1111 of this research was to establish the inOucncc or electronic media on secondary school students discipline in Mbarara Municipality, Mbarara district, Uganda. The focus was to establish the types and magnitude of indiscipline cases among secondary school students, to describe the commonly accessed electronic media by secondary school students and to establish the relationship between use or electronic media and secondary school students' discipline. This study was guided by social learning theory which stresses the importance of observational learning imitation and modeling by Albert Bandura (2006). By the use of a cross sectional study design with both quantitative and qualitative components the researcher investigated the total population of I 039 that included students and school administration staff of Cleveland and Mbarara secondary school and extracted a sample of 320 student respondents chosen by the use of stratified and 12 administrative staff by purposive sampling. The researcher used the questionnaire and interviews as research instruments, reliability and validity were tested by the content validity index. The data collected among secondary school students through the questionnaire was recorded and interpreted in the tables and qualitative data collected through the interviews from administrative staff was recorded under study themes. The major findings of the study indicated that students were involved in various indiscipline cases; the highest was particularly unofficial group discussions and sharing of on line phone pictures in class. The commonly accessed electronic media by the students was the phone. I Iowcvcr, there was no statistical relationship between the prevalence or indiscipline among secondary school students using electronic media as opposed to those not using electronic media .since fishers chi-square is greater than 0.05. Basing on the teachers responses majority or the teachers reported that exposure to electronic media has caused moral degeneration and wastage of precious time by the students. The study concluded that access and use of electronic media is good for study purposes although it affects negatively on the academic performance and discipline of these students. The study recommended that learning clubs should be established to foster use of the internet for learning purposes where students are given topics that require searching information in the library and on the internet where topics are presented in weekly clubs; pay phones should be available in schools for communication purposes where regulations are enforced to minimize the sneaking in or phones by students. Jlso sensitization of parents, teachers and students on the positive and negative impact or electronic media especially television and use or mobile phones should be promoted.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................... xii

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ xiii

CHAPTER ONE~ ...................................................................................................................... 1

1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ ]

I. I Background to the study ...................................................................................................... I

I. I. I 11 istorical Perspective ....................................................................................................... I

I . I .2 Theoretical Perspective ..................................................................................................... 3

I. I .3 Conceptual Perspective ..................................................................................................... 11

I. 1.4 Contextual Perspective ...................................................................................................... 4

I .2 State111ent of the problen1 ..................................................................................................... 5

I .3. I (}eneral Objective ............................................................................................................. 6

I .3 .2 Speci fie C)bjectives ........................................................................................................... 6

I .4 Research Questions .............................................................................................................. 6

1.5 Null I lypothesis ................................................................................................................... 6

l .6 Scope or the study ................................................................................................................ 6

I .6.1 Content Scope ................................................................................................................... 6

I .6.2 Geographical Scope .......................................................................................................... 7

I .6.3 Tin1e Scope ....................................................................................................................... 7

1.7 Significance of the study ...................................................................................................... 7

l .8 Conceptual Framework ........................................................................................................ 8

CHAPTER TWO ..................................................................................................................... 9

LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................... 9

2.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 9

2.1 The types and magnitude of indiscipline cases among secondary school students ............ 9

2.2 The commonly accessed electronic media by secondary school students ......................... 11

2.3 To establish the relationship between use of electronic media and secondary school

students' discipline ................................................................................................................... 13

CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................... 18

METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................ 18

3.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 18

3.1 Research l)csign ................................................................................................................. 18

3.2 Study area ........................................................................................................................... 18

3.3 Study population ................................................................................................................ 18

3.4 Target Population ............................................................................................................... 19

3.5 San1plc size ........................................................................................................................ 19

3.5 Sa1npling Strategics ........................................................................................................... 19

Selection of the student participants ........................................................................................ 19

3.6 Data Collection Instruments .............................................................................................. 21

3.6.1 Questionnaire .................................................................................................................. 21

3.6.2 The intcrvic .................................................................................................................. 21

3.6.3 Quantitative data ............................................................................................................. 22

3.6.4 Qualitative data ............................................................................................................... 22

3.7 Data collection proccdurcs ................................................................................................. 22

3.8 Quality Assurancc .............................................................................................................. 23

3. 9 Data Management/ Analysis ............................................................................................... 23

3. IO Ethical considerations ...................................................................................................... 211

3.11 J,in1itations ....................................................................................................................... 211

3.12 Dissc1nination .................................................................................................................. 25

(:IIAPTEll FOlJIL ................................................................................................................. 26

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETENTION .............................. 26

4.0 Introcluction ........................................................................................................................ 26

CIIAPl'ER. FIVI~ ................................................................................................................... 37

DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................... 37

5.0 lntrocluction ........................................................................................................................ 37

5. I Discussion .......................................................................................................................... 3 7

5.1.2 Types and magnitude or indiscipline among secondary school students in Mbarara Municipality ................................. 3 7

5.1.3 The commonly accessed electronic media among students in Mbarara Municipality ... 38

5.1.3 Relationship between use or electronic media and students· indiscipline in Mbarara Municipality .............................. 39

5.2 CC)NCLUSIC)N .................................................................................................................. 113

5.3 RECOMMI:NDATIONS ................................................................................................... 43

REFI:Rl:NCI:S ........................................................................................................................ 45

APPI:NI)ICES ......................................................................................................................... 118

APPENDIX 1: STUDENTS' QUESTIONNAIRE .................................................................. 118

APPENDIX 2: TIME SCIIEDULE ........................................................................................ 54

APPENDIX 3: PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE STUDY ................................................... 55

APPENDIX 4: INTERVIEW GUIDE ..................................................................................... 56

APPENDIX 5: SIIOWING STUDENTS SENT HOME AFTER STRIKE ............................ 57