my chapter 6 final

CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION To conduct the new system in handling student behaviour, all relevant people must cooperate to make a changes. Human behaviour not easy to change, but with psychology way we can handle it, that why MOE build a system MDDS, merit and demerit with have positive (+ve) and negative (-ve) effect to balance the situation.

my chapter 5 final

CHAPTER 5 IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 The use of demerit/merit system ‘Sistem Pengurusan Disiplin’ (SPD) or in English, Discipline Management System, is closely related to Sistem Maklumat Murid Berkomputer (SMM), or Computerised Students’ Information System, which is created with the purpose of online recording of students’ act of misbehaviour (demerit) and good moral conduct or students’ positive contribution (merit). For every student’s act of deviance such as fighting in the class or disobeying teacher’s order some merit points will be deducted from the total of 100 merit points from the beginning of the year. Similarly if any student has shown good moral conduct or act such as helping the teacher with various tasks, some merit point will be given to the respective student. Every calculation and analysis of these marks is done with the help of computers. However, other than merit/demerit system, school organisations are free to choose any alternative that is considered suitable for the need of their students. Based from the previous discussions, we could highlight the fact that disciplinary problems such as cigarette smoking, bullying and gangsterism is reaching to alarming state as it is getting worse day by day. These problems are seen as national problems and have been gathering concern from various sides in the educational field. Therefore, various approaches had been suggested and are hoped to take place soon so that the nation’s needs and aspirations to produce human capital that could assist the country’s development are able to be fulfilled without failure. Some of the plans or approached that has already and will be implemented soon could be divided into two phase, according to the current National Educational Blueprint, which are the Current Action Plans and the Long-Term Action Plans. Both of the plans include the elements of rewards and sanctions in accordance to the rules and procedures stated in Circulations from the Ministry of Education of Malaysia. This management of disciplinary system covers the three aspect of act (Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 18/1998: Penggunaan Budi Bicara Ketika Mengambil Tindakan, 2 Sept. 1998), which are: 1. Preparations of the basic management of moral conduct, especially on deciding on the misconduct of moral act. 2. The implementation of moral conduct process, and; 3. Reprimanding the acts of misconduct. 5.2 Enhancement of Teacher and Students Interaction in the Classroom to Reduce Disciplinary Issues In order to avoid misunderstanding and disciplinary issues during teaching and learning session, it is important for the teachers and their students to have good interaction inside or outside the classroom. This is because not all teachers considered issues faced by their students as a serious issue. Similarly, students might not be aware of their personal issues, for example, a bullied student might not be aware that he or she are being bullied by the surrounding peers until it is too late. According to Izzy Kalman, a psychologist and psychotherapist from a school in New York, America, a further enhancement on students-teacher interaction is highly needed. Kalman stated that, “Teachers should teach the students the best way to avoid the bullies bullying or hurting us [the students] physically, mentally or emotionally. Students should be taught on how to treat the bullies as friends so that the bullies will turn into their real friends thus [the bullies] will no longer bullying the students.” (Roughly translated from Pendidik, 2006, p. 60) On the other hand, teachers are also encouraged to use variety of media tools that is related with the issue such as pasting anti-bullying and anti-gangsterism posters in classroom and school compounds, distributing non-smoking pamphlets, showing anti-smoking and anti-drugs videos, introducing anti-bullying or anti-drug songs and so on. Continuous usage of multimedia tools during teaching and learning session will slowly create awareness of the danger of the issues thus helping curbing the issues among the students. Gootman, as cited by Abdullah Sani (2006, p. 105) agrees that an effective discipline system should be accompanied by effective teaching and learning session. 5.3 Strengthening the Religious and Morality aspects. Enforcement and awareness of religious beliefs such as Islamic belief is suggested as one of the effective strategies in handling disciplinary problems among the students. Islamic religion is seen as a comprehensive (syumul) religion which holds the universal values that widely accepted by the entire human race, regardless of their religion and beliefs. Therefore, the former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has introduced new concept, Islam Hadhari, as an approach to encourage people regardless of their age class, economic status and beliefs to learn the Islamic faith more deeply. It encourages people of the nation to return to the teaching of Islam and put it into everyday practice. Generally speaking, most of the students who had partaken in various deviance acts are found not practising the religion requirements, such as the five daily prayers, not knowing what are permissible (halal) and prohibited (haram) according to Islamic teachings and other basic requirement as a man of faith. Looking at this situation, we could say that now is the time for us to reshaping the students to become a stronger person, spiritually, which follows the teaching of prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. Reshaping students or younger generation with good moral behaviour is important as good moral will be reflected into the students’ daily acts. It is said that if the students have good moral behaviour, they will act as a better person. This strategy has been conducted by one of prominent scholar of Islamic faith, Imam al-Ghazali, whom believes that a person’s moral is flexible and could be nurture into a better state through adequate and suitable practice and teaching. (Mohd Nasir, 2005, p.158). Therefore, various religious activities which are hoped to help moulding the students into a better person should be planned and carried out in every schools such a Qiamulail (late night prayers), Majlis Bacaan Yassin Perdana (Yearly Quran Recital Program, especially on reciting Yassin verse) and encouraging each and every Muslim students to recite daily prayers in school assembly. These type of activities will encourage Muslim students to further learn the teaching of their own religion thus return to the basic teaching of Islamic religion. 5.4 Motivation Other than giving awareness and education inside the classroom, various educational activities outside the classroom such as school campaigns, talks, motivational talks and camps should be carried out to assist the students in preparing them to face various challenges in outside world. In this context, participation from others such as the surrounding communities and outside organization is encourage so that every side could contribute in handling the disciplinary problems collectively. Some of the organisation that could provide assistance for the school organization in handling the problem would be the Malaysian Royal Police Force (PDRM), Ministry of Health, Agensi Dadah Kebangsaan, Persatuan Bekas-bekas Penagih Malaysia (PENGASIH), and Jabatan Penjara. Collaborative movement from various organizations mentioned previously will increase the effectiveness of a program planned by the school organization. For example, when planning for the yearly Minggu Anti-Dadah (Anti-drug Week), school authorities could request for a representative from various organisation to give a talk, or participate in a forum on the danger of drug and cigarettes for their students. By exposing the students to these experienced individuals, it will increase students’ level of excitement and participation in attending the program. Through this type of program, students will become more aware on the topic, thus helping the students to choose a better choice of lifestyle in the future. This, on the other hand, will then contribute to positive human capital development, thus helping the country to develop further. 5.5 School counselling unit Counselling unit in schools, especially the school counsellor should participate actively in assisting the school in handling students’ disciplinary problems. As the professionals who hold the expertise in the field, they have important roles in guiding the students in solving and avoiding various social issues. In addition, school counselling units also play the role of creating a conducive and problem-free school climate that is optimum for teaching and learning. The implementation of Pembimbing Rakan Sebaya (peer support system) with the supervision from the school counsellors is one of the good measures that could succefully help the other students who are facing various problems. This is because Pembimbing Rakan Sebaya member are selected among the students in the school. Being someone who is closer to the students, who might have faced the similar situations the troubled students are facing, Pembimbing Rakan Sebaya could contribute greatly in advising their peers, with minimal help from the school counsellor. In addition, as they are closer to the students, the troubled students would be able to discuss their issues more freely this getting more inputs on how to solve their issues. Most importantly, Pembimbing Rakan Sebaya could potential help guiding the peers to move on from their problems. 5.6 Collaboration of various community organizations Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) and Community Brigade (which could consists of the heads of nearby departments and organisations such as Royal Police Force, the Chairman of Health Organisation, religious leaders and etc.) should work hand-in-hand in handling students’ disciplinary problems. The collaboration of these various community organizations could bring a bigger impact and influence on the surrounding community so that every individual who lives in the community could contribute in the prevention programs. For example, if a student was seen smoking cigarettes outside the school compound a report could be made to the school administrator so that disciplinary actions could be done. In addition, if shop owners are willing to work together with the Royal Police Force in prohibiting underage students from buying cigarettes, the number of underage smoker could significantly be reduced. It could be seen that the collaborative work will provide a great solution for various disciplinary problems. 5.7 Poster displays and Noticeboard Poster displaying and erecting related noticeboards inside and outside of school compounds, such as “No smoking areas”, “Anti-bullying”, “Drug kills”, “Smoking is really bad for your health and others could be useful for handling the problem. These posters and noticeboard will act as a constant reminder for every individual in the organization so that they are aware that disciplinary problem is a shared problem and they have the responsibilities to curb the issue. 5.8 Sekolah Penyayang program In accordance to the need of the Ministry of Education of Malaysia and National Resolution Seminar for Students’ Discipline, there is a suggestion to introduce the Sekolah Penyayang program. Through this concept, elements such as coaxing, love, compassion and caring are given special emphasis, which means, in every action that is to be carried out, a consideration of the role of teachers as the “second parents” of the students and the role of students as the “children” will be given. Students who had shown good moral behaviour will be given appreciation and rewards in various formal programmes while troubled students, especially those who have disciplinary issues, will receive guidance through mentor-mentee programmes, such as “Pelajarku Anakku”. 5.9 Co-curricular activities Students’ participation in co-curricular activities throughout the year is to be made compulsory. Students are also required to participate in various activities such as Sport Day, Cooperation Day and Patriotism Month. Mark should be given and accumulated for every activities, so that the students will be encouraged to participate more in the school activities. Displaying the point will also promote healthy competition among the students. In context with the merit/demerit system, it is also suggested that for every students’ mistakes, marks would be deducted from the student house or club. This will help the student in realising their roles as an individual living in a society. Moreover, students’ participation in co-curricular activities throughout the year will decrease the amount of time spent outside the school, thus reducing the potential of the students getting in troubles outside the school. 5.10 Sanctions and Punishments This serves as the last alternative to be taken to the students who broke the school’s rules and regulation. However, sanctions and punishments should comply with the rules and regulation that were set up in Ordinan Pelajaran 1957, Peraturan-peraturan Pelajaran (Disiplin) 1959 and in various circulations from the Ministry of Education. In order to avoid misconducts or negligence, teachers and school administrative are constantly reminded to place the educational rules and regulation as the main points to be considered when making decisions, especially in handling students’ disciplinary problems. This is also to avoid misunderstanding between teachers and parents which could cause the issues to be brought forward to the courts. Failure to conform with the rules and regulations set up by the Ministry of Education thus causing injuries on their students will lead for teacher’s prosecution. Among various acts for teachers are: Section 320 (serious injuries), Section 323 (trials for deliberately causing injuries), Section 324 (deliberately causing injuries by walking with weapons and other dangerous materials), Section 325 (trials for deliberately causing serious injuries) and Section 326 (deliberately causing serious injuries by walking with weapons and other dangerous materials) (Mohd Ismail Othman, 2006, p. 83) Some of the circulations regarding this matter are: 1. Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 6A/1975, Displin Murid-murid Menghisap Rokok. 2. Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 3/1993, Lapor Kepada Polis Salah Laku yang Berbentuk Jenayah. 3. Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 7/1995, Tatacara Mengenakan Tindakan dan Hukuman terhadap Pelajar-pelajar Sekolah. 4. Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 4/1996, Perlaksanaan Kuasa Disiplin dan Hukuman di Sekolah. 5. Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 4/1997, Hukuman ke atas Murid Menghisap Rokok. 6. Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 5/1997, Sekolah sebagai Kawasan Larangan Merokok. 7. Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 16/1998, Menangani Kegiatan Gengster di Sekolah. 8. Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 18/1998, Penggunaan Budi Bicara ketika Mengambil Tindakan. 9. Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas Bil. 6/2000, Menangani masalah Keselamatan, Dadah dan Gengster.

my chapter 4 final

CHAPTER 4 RESULTS 4.1 Results from the interview session From the interview session conducted with the school principal, she commented on the effectiveness use in school, stating that: “Melalui pemerhatian saya, apa yang saya dapat lihat setelah kami mengunakan sistem ini , kebanyakan dari pelajar kami sudah mula berubah menjadi pelajar yang lebih baik terutamanya bagi pelajar yang mempunyai masalah disiplin. Pihak kami telah menjalankan sistem ini menurut panduan yang telah diberikan oleh kementerian, dan ternyata sistem ini berkesan.” Rough translation: “Based from my observation, after implementing the [new merit] system, most of my students started to become better students, especially those with disciplinary problems. Our schools had implemented the system with the accordance to the guidance given by the Ministry of Education, and it is proven that the system works.” Then the principle mentioned on the decrease of disciplinary problems in the school, stating that: “Berkaitan dengan jumlah peratusan, memang telah terbukti penurusan peratusan masalah disiplin berlaku. Yang mana kebanyakan pelajar sudah mula mengambil berat tentang sistem ini. Hal ini kerana sistem ini akan menyebabkan impak yang besar ke atas siri mereka. Yang mana mereka mungkin boleh digantung atau dibuang sekolah.” Rough translation: “In terms of the percentage [of the number of disciplinary problems in the school], it is proven that there has been a decrease in the percentage of disciplinary problem occurring [in the school]. This could be because more students are beginning to be aware with the system [and how it work]. [They are aware] that this system will give a huge impact on them. They could be suspended or kick out from the school. From the school principal’s answer, it is clear that the system had successfully reduced the percentage of disciplinary problem reported and occurred in the school. This is because the students are now aware on the benefits of the system and the consequences they could face if they refuse to follow the system. The researcher then asked about the advantages and drawbacks found in the demerit system. The principal responded with: “Sebagai mana yang telah saya kata kan di awal tadi, sistem yang telah di laksanakan olek kerajaan ini amat baik untuk pihak sekolah. Kami bukan sahaja dapat mengurangkan masalah disiplin pelajar bahkan dapat memberi semangat kepada pelajar untuk berubah. Namun begitu, pada saya terdapat masalah berkaitan pskologi pelajar kerana ada juga ibu bapa yang datang kepada saya mengadu bahawa sistem demerit ini mengganggu anak-anak mereka. Kerana pada mereka, ada di kalangan guru yang mungkin tidak suka seseorang murid secara peribadi menggunakan kuasa demerit terhadap pelajar berkenaan. Hal ini telah dibangkitkan dalam mesyuarat PIBG yang lepas. Oleh itu, pada pihak saya kami cuma melaksanakan apa yang diarahkan oleh kementerian dan selebihnya terpulang kepada para pelajar untuk menerimanya” Rough translation: “As I have mentioned previously, this system, which was introduced by the Ministry of Education and implemented in my school [in my opinion,] gives very positive impacts for the school. Not only we could reduce students’ disciplinary problems, the students were also motivated to changer for better. Nevertheless, in my opinion, there are problems related to the students’ psychological aspects as there are parent who came to me and complaining that the demerit system “disturbs” the child’s [teaching and learning process in school] This is because, for them, [there are possibility that] there are some teachers whom possibly disfavour their children and purposely/personally are using the demerit power against the students. This issue has been mentioned during the previous Parents-Teacher Asssociation (PTA) meeting. Therefore, as our [school] perspective, we only implement what is advised by the Ministry of Education while the others [issues], it is up to the students to either accept or reject it. Thus, the answers given during the interview session shows the advantages and drawbacks of demerit system. Although it contributed positively on the students’ moral behaviour development and motivation, there are issues on the possible biasness among the teachers. When introduced by the Ministry of Education, this system brings forward two types of systems, namely merit and demerit. The teachers should supposedly find a balance between these two systems, however, in order to reduce the disciplinary problems, it is seen that the demerit system are more frequently used in the school.

my chapter 3 final

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction This research were conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the use of demerit system in school in handling discipline problems; to identify the percentage of the decrease of discipline problems through the implementation of demerit system; and to seek out the advantages and drawbacks of the demerit system. This section contains research design and sample; and data collection procedures and instrument. 3.2 Research Design This research used qualitative approach as it involves a case study of a situation in a specific school. An interview session was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the use of the new system to solve student disciplinary problems. 3.3 Sample The sample for this study is the principal of SMK Seafield, USJ, Subang Jaya, Puan Hajjah Zaleha Abu Hassan. Holding the post as the principal since the first year of the school were entitled as cluster school, Puan Hajjah Zaleha has a great knowledge in handling students with disciplinary cases. 3.4 Data collection procedures This research involves an interview session with the principal of the school. A few questions, which are displayed in Section 3.5 of this paper were prepared beforehand. The interview session was recorded and transcribed [Kindly refer to Chapter 4 for the transcription of the interview session] 3.5 Data collection instrument Semi-structured interview session consisting of three questions was conducted. The questions were as followed: i. What are the effects of the implementation of demerit system in handling discipline problem in schools? ii. To what extent the demerit system contributes to the decrease of discipline problems in schools? iii. What are the advantages and drawbacks of the demerit system on the students?

my chapter 2 final

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction School administrators and disciplinarians who seek to deter rule violators by suspensions or expulsions face several problems. First, informal social control becomes supplanted by formal social control under a mandatory discipline regime. In the scenario that a student breaks a school rule, the teacher does not have the ability to use the situation as teaching opportunity. Instead, they may believe that they are required to suspend the student, as mandated by the school policy. Therefore, adequate socialization, which controls delinquency, may be impeded by punishment. Another problem facing school staff is imposing punishment on a population in society which is not ostensibly prone to experiencing a deterrent effect. A key component of the classical school of thought is that people are rational beings that exercise free will. However, children are often impulsive and do not always consider the long-term consequences of their actions. Youthfulness is a mitigating attribute which has lessened the seriousness of punishment for adolescents in the past. Finally, overly harsh punishment may unintentionally damage the student’s attachment to the school. While Sampson and Laub (1993) acknowledge that supervision, discipline, and attachment to the family are key ingredients to conforming behavior, discipline needs to be used in such way that the child is not abjured by its implementation 2.2 Demerit system Teachers use a demerit system in class when classroom rules are broken. Classroom demerits add up over the period of a week and start over every Monday. Use of demerits will result in the following: • First demerit - Warning issued to student • Second demerit - Parent notified • Third demerit - Parent notified and ASD assigned • Fourth demerit - Parent notified and ASD assigned • Fifth demerit or more - Referral to a principal Below is demerit sample form: Image source: www.byrnesrebelsathletics.com Since the 18th century, philosophers, criminologists, and penologists have scrutinized the importance of a person’s bond to society with respect to the imposition of punishment. As an opponent of the practices of torture and the death penalty, Cesare Beccaria emphasized controlled punishment not only to ensure protection from a despot state power, but also to keep people connected to conventional society. In his well-known book, Of Crimes and Punishment, Beccaria (1764) stated the following: “All that extends beyond this - is abuse, not justice. Observe that by justice I understand nothing more than that bond which is necessary to keep the interest of individuals united, without which men would return to their original state of barbarity. All punishment which exceeds the necessity of preserving this bond are in their nature unjust.(p. 3) The utilitarian author understood that punishment in a just society should be exercised for the rectification of the individual and progress of society by maintaining communal ties. Unlike retributive philosophers like Plato or Kant, Beccaria’s concerns were in the preservation of the future. Because human beings are intrinsically social, punishment should be wielded to foster interpersonal connections, not hinder them.” Another utilitarian and Classical theorist, Jeremy Bentham, examined the actual definition of sanction and explicated sanction systems or sources of sanctions. Bentham (1970) found that the word “sanction” was rooted from the Latin word Sanctio, which “was used to signify the act of binding, and, by common grammatical transition, any thing which serves to bind a man: to wit, to the observance of such or such a mode of conduct” (p. 34). In contemporary society, sanctions may function in the form of punishments or rewards. The systems which bind a person to society, the normative order, or others, include physical, religious, moral, and political sanctions. Physical sanctions are those consequences which naturally follow a deviant or criminal act. For instance, a person may physiologically not be able to handle excessive drinking over a long period of time, as exemplified by conditions like cirrhosis of the liver. To the extent that people believe in the afterlife and religious authority, Bentham suggested that religious sanctions, such as excommunication, can affect their behavior. Third, political sanctions originate in the state and guide public policy. These are laws and consequences that seek to increase the costs and decrease the benefits associated with crime. Potentially more important than political sanctions, moral sanctions involve the reactions of people surrounding the penalized individual. Some theorists (Hirschi, 1969; Kornhauser, 1978) assert that moral sanctions may have a more serious effect on crime than political sanctions; however, formalized sanctions, such as incarceration or arrest, are still paramount over considerations of informal sanctioning which seeks to strengthen social ties. Ultimately, though, Bentham believed that the criteria of effective deterrence of behavior include the certainty, celerity, and severity of punishment or sanctions. Rather than asserting ideals for punishment, some researchers examined how punishment was utilized throughout history. Two centuries after the writings of Beccaria, Foucault (1977) elaborated on the methodical nature of punishment and modern systems of control. Citing Bentham’s Panopticon, Foucault suggested that institutional control of power and knowledge extends beyond the confines of the prison wall into society. Like pieces of the same puzzle, Foucault asserted that various social institutions (i.e., prisons, schools,hospitals, etc.) operate under the same functions; to control and track people throughout their lives. Along these same lines, the author claimed that punishment functioned as the institutional deprivation of knowledge (Foucault, 1977). These previous propositions have direct implications for the state of punishing and monitoring juveniles in society; especially in the school (Kupchick & Monohan, 2006). While the Foucaultian assumption that punishment in contemporary society deprives the individual of power is cogent, his premise of institutional control needs further speculation. Specifically, the imposition of suspension or expulsion may lead the student to disengage from the educational institution, thereby diminishing the school’s control over their conduct. However, one possibility is that the ‘tracking’, as Foucault would suggest, is still ostensible through the transfer of control to other social institutions, namely the criminal justice institutions. Moving beyond the philosophy and theories of contemporary societal punishment, several criminologists have examined the ideal goals of punishment and the effects of punishment on individual control and subsequent delinquency. De Li (1999) suggests that punishment should serve a dual purpose, which attempts “to prevent and control delinquency, but also to promote successes in areas that are most important to juveniles, including education, employment, and job status” (pp. 392-393). However, it is clear from the author’s writings that he questions the efficacy in the application of formal social control (i.e., arrests) on juveniles. Others have also recognized the detriment of juveniles who become involved in the criminal justice system while in school (Nickerson & Martin, 2008; Sweeten, 2006). Indeed, findings in this area suggest that formal sanctions are positively correlated with future delinquency (De Li, 1999; Sweeten, 2006). Sweeten (2006) found that court involvement did increase the likelihood that juveniles dropped out of school. Drop outs, inturn, are positively associated with the individual’s future delinquent behavior (Thornberry, Moore, & Christenson, 1985). 2.2 Statistic The rise in social deviance among adolescents can be viewed from various aspects. Throughout 1995,4012 adolescents (remanded in prison and Henry Gurney School) were involved in crimes where 96.2%were male adolescents. The phenomenon is rather alarming and should not be viewed lightly as there aremore male detainees in rehabilitation centres and under remand. Although there is an increase in thenumber of male adolescents involved in criminal misconduct, statistics show that the involvement of femalejuveniles in crime has also increased 161.5% from 325 cases in 1974 to 850 cases in 1995. The statistics of the Prison Department of Malaysia show that of the 2964 juveniles who are servingprison sentences: 1231 (41.6%) are Malays; 110 (3.7%) Chinese; 314 (10.6%) Indians; 197 (6.6%) otherraces including the Bumiputera in Sabah and Sarawak, and 1112 (37.5%) foreign juveniles. The increase incriminal misconduct among adolescents is influenced by several factors particularly involving those directlyinvolved with adolescent development such as parents, the school, the family, social institutions, thecommunity and the government. Year Young Prisoners Juvenile Detainees Juveniles Total 2000 1651 121 536 2308 2001 1565 119 533 2217 2002 2020 128 527 2675 2003 2517 125 535 535 2004 2314 118 532 2964 Source by : www.unafei.or.jp 2.3 roles of authority person 2.3.1 General Principles • The basic rule is that no-one may disrupt school life. • Discipline is important. Self-discipline is preferred, but if anyone is incapable thereof, the school must provide thenecessary procedures to enforce discipline. • Respect must be shown for the needs and interests of others. Regular communication and consultation betweenlearners and educators is essential. This will ensure the necessary dissemination of information and make for harmonious relationships. • It is the collective responsibility of all to ensure that all school facilities are adequately and properly cared for. • No form of intimidation, political or otherwise is allowed. • No learner has the right at any time to behave in a manner that will disrupt the learning activity of other learners, or • Will cause another learner physical or emotional harm. • Learners are expected to abide by the School rules with regard to appearance and behaviour when representing the • School both during School hours and after School hours, at School and away from School. Learners may not say or • Do anything that will discredit themselves or the School. 2.3.2 Parents/guardians, learners and teachers are jointly responsible for ensuring that all learners attend School. • The housemaster (senior school) or class teacher (junior school) must keep an accurate register of learner attendance and must keep copies of all communication to parents when absence from the classroom is reported. • All learners are to arrive at School before the official starting time. Learners who are late for School will be marked absent as registers are completed at the beginning of each School day. • Absence from a class, without the permission of the relevant housemaster, is prohibited. • Any dayboy who is absent from School must hand an absentee note from a parent/guardian to his housemaster. • Should a dayboy be absent from School for a period of three (3) days or longer, this leave of absence must be supported by a letter from a registered medical practitioner. • Any absence from a formal examination, test or task must be supported by a letter from a registered medical practitioner. • No learner may leave the School during School hours without a letter from a parent/ guardian requesting the release of their child and the permission of the housemaster. • All learners will attend Chapel unless permission has been obtained from the Headmaster. 2.4 Effectiveness leadership in handle discipline problem Effective leadership is crucial to an organization’s success. There are several common characteristics that effective organizational leaders share. Without these characteristics, initiatives and change can fail. Leaders can take many different steps to help keep projects from failing. Leaders need to be self-aware of how their actions are perceived by those they manage (Moment, 2007). Employees will sometimes mirror the behavior of managers. Aghdaei (2008) talks about the philosophy of “shadow of a leader,” where the leader demonstrates the wanted behavior (p. 16). Leaders should model hard work for employees (Weiss, 2000). Aghdaei (2008) states that “when you repeatedly demonstrate meaningful, positive behavior, people are motivated to follow” (p. 16) Strategic planning is crucial to guide leadership (Choen, 2008). Leaders must make clear and specific goals and objectives, be able to communicate those, and make sure that the goals are measurable. Planning and having a strategy are important in order to make initiatives succeed. Managers have to move ideas and initiatives to executable steps that their team can implement (Maddock & Viton, 2008). A leader has to clearly communicate what is needed (Weiss, 2000). If the employee does not understand what to do, then the initiative is set up for failure. Leaders also need to know how to handle and address failure. Hesselbein et al states that “failure can become the next step of learning, the beginning of another new creative idea” (Hesselbein, Goldsmith, & Somerville, 2002, p. 89). Failure can be a learning experience and should not necessarily be punished. Also by punishing failure, employees may be more reluctant to suggest innovative ideas for fear of failure. Principle is responsible to handle student discipline using MDDS for make school decrease the discipline issue. Hence, need effective leader to handle the situation.

my chapter 1 final

Dealing with disciplinary problems: A case study on a cluster school in USJ Subang Jaya district that has successfully implemented demerit system to reduce student disciplinary problems.

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study Education organisation is considered as the most important organisation in each and every country. It does not only serve as the indicator of the country’s development but also provide some information of how far the country will progress in the near future. This paper will discuss on this topic focusing on the human capital development. This is due to fact that human capitals are seen as the most important and invaluable asset of a country to improve its economy and social development. Although the emergence of globalisation era, enhanced by the materialistic development and ICT progression, is said to be able to further contribute into development of a nation; this progress would not work well if the human capitals are not in a good condition. This paper will also try to seek out the importance of human capital development and list down a few approaches which is hoped to help the process. This is done to suit the nation’s need and aspirations in preparing the nation for Vision 2020. The plans and strategies mentioned in this paper are relating to the current National Education Blueprint, which is the current major reference material for national educational organisation development. The “human capital” term was introduced by Arthur Cecil Pirgou in 1928 through his book entitled A Study in Public Finance. This concept is also highlighted by Gary Becker in his book with the title Human Capital in year 1964. Both of these writers hold a strong belief that human capital could be develop through education and practice. (Abu Samah, 2007, p. 8). In terms of Islamic history perspective, the concept of human capita; is formerly introduced by the prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h in Mecca, where he developed human capital and act as the perfect example of a good and productive human being; which is one of the various heavenly-given task for him as the prophet of Islamic faith. (Ahmad Imam Arief, 2007, p. 59). The examples shown by prophet Muhammad was followed by the people around him and those who had chosen to turn into Islamic faith, which then contribute to the Golden Era for Islamic Era, especially during the ruling of the Abbasid Caliphate. Relatively speaking, human capitals could be referred as the capacity of an individual or population which is constructed from the mixture of knowledge, skills, expertise and the individuals’ inner self and behaviour; which could be both acquired by experience or carried from birth. In Malaysia, the importance of human capital development were given strong emphasise, especially in Penyata Razak 1965 and Laporan Rahman Talib 1960, in which both of these important documents were further developed into the Akta Pelajaran 1961, Jawatankuasa Kabinet 1979, and National Educational Philosophy 1988. As stated in the National Educational Philosophy: “Education in Malaysia is a continuous effort towards enhancing potentials of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner in order to create individuals who are well-equipped intellectually, spiritually and emotionally. This effort aims to produce knowledgeable, ethical and responsible Malaysian citizens who are can contribute towards the harmony and prosperity of the community and nation.” This shows that Malaysia placed a strong emphasis on developing human capitals through its education sectors and organisations in order to assist the nations’ development. To foster human capital that will then take part in development processes, it is essential to promote assistance not only in primary education, but also in various stage of learning. In terms of schools organisation in Malaysia, the school rules and regulations were prepared with the cooperation of the school disciplinary board and parents-teacher-association (PTA). It is also based from the guidelines given by the Ministry of Education. School rules and regulations serve as guidance for parents, teachers and students to a standard of discipline which will assist the students through their schooling experience and in turns, help mould individuals with good moral behaviour which is highly needed for the nation’s development. In order to further enhance the standard of discipline in schools, the Ministry of Education has introduced E-Discipline; a merit-demerit points system. It is to replace the former manual + Microsoft Excel system that has been used by schools in Malaysia for years. The current change in the merit-demerit system was introduced to reflect the change of the government’s system in order to cope with the digital era experienced by the whole world population. Through this system, the schools are required to list the accumulated demerit points for every student at least once per month. Students can then check with the teachers the offenses they have committed and how they can off-set these demerit points, for example undertaking goodwill tasks such as clearing schools’ store room or cleaning the class window. Based from the successful result of the program for St. Thomas Secondary School, Sarawak, it could be said that a good school principal could further increase the efficiency of the program. The school principal, Peter Foo provided a good example of good leadership. Leadership, on the other hand, has been the most significant area of research in education especially in term of the role of a principle. It is said that the lack of the leadership characteristic of the principal will curb the school’s goal, accomplishment and effectiveness. As reported by BERNAMA, St. Thomas Secondary School is seen as the role model for schools. Other school authorities, including one from Malaysian neighbouring country, Brunei Darussalam, are coming to the school to learn how to solve the disciplinary problems for their primary and secondary school students. When asked by BERNAMA, the principal, Peter Foo and his Senior Assistant (1), Tilai Bala Udan, for the school’s secret of success, they give out an integrated and systematic discipline system called the “Merit and Demerit Discipline System” (MDDS) as the solution. The previously mentioned principle stated that, underpinning the system are the various stakeholders whom responsible for moulding or shaping the characteristics of the students, namely, the school administrators, teachers, prefects, class monitors, parents and school counsellors. Involvement of the various stakeholders, Foo said, is deliberate and structured to assist on the positive shift in students’ behaviour. Furthermore, the school’s principle has displayed a good example of good leadership skill when he stated, “We have the highest hope for the school, true to its mission statement of ‘Aim Higher’. We aspire to be the national benchmark for areas related to disciplines, prefect system and counselling department. Most importantly, we would like to see our students do well in life.” By having a clear aim and strong motivational drive, the school had effectively reduced the disciplinary problems in the school. Therefore, this paper seeks to investigate the effectiveness of the “Merit and Demerit Discipline System” (MDDS) in a cluster school situated in USJ, Subang Jaya, Selangor. 1.2 Problem Statement There have been a few suggested explanations and definitions on the source of deviants; i.e.a person who is differing from a norm or from the accepted standards of a society. Functionalist theorist, for example, assume that deviants as the dysfunction of the society. On the other hand, the Conflict theory stated that the deviants are those who were oppressed by the oppressing minorities. However, sub-culture and deprivation status theory also suggested that the deviants came from the differentiation between smaller groups in a society among the bigger groups of society. The source of the act of defiance could be simplified, from these theories to came from the economic problems and the deviants’ emotional state. To put into simpler word, relatively speaking, majority of the deviants came from the society with lower income and possess weak emotional strength. A study by Tattum (1986) shown that some students deliberately display acts of defiance as a neutralisation technic in their interactions among their peers. According to Merton (1986), there are four types of deviant acts; which are innovation (a way to accomplish a goal with wicked or socially-unacceptable steps), ritual (a repetition of previously done acts), backing-off (usually done by an individual who is no longer interested with his or her stated goal thus creating other alternatives to be act on) and resistance (not accepting the schooling goals thus replacing with others unrelated goals). Educational organisations are often faced with various act of deviance from its students, especially relating to smoking inside and outside school compounds, gangsterism, bullying case, drugs problems and many others. The issues arising from these problems will be further broken down in the next section: i. Cigarette smoking There are a lot of concerns involving the smoking problem among students. This situation is getting worse every day and required a faster and more effective solution. It is said that half of the number of men in Malaysia is smoking cigarettes. Of every 100 male students under 18 years old, 45-50 of them smoke cigarettes, with 30% of them came from the age of 12 until 18 years old. To make the matter worse, it is also found that the number of female teenagers who smoke cigarettes is increasing. Statistics shows that in 2000 until 2004, the number of female teenagers who smokes cigarettes increases from 4% to 6%. In addition, a study in 2004 shows that in each five female students, aged below 18, one of them is a cigarette smoker. These statistics shows the alarming state of Malaysian teenagers. The issue of cigarette smoking among school students is very concerning as they are in their teen years, in which they should have a better and healthier lifestyles. Therefore, the Ministry of Education had come up with a statement that this act should not be considered as a normal occurrence thus a quick action should be taken. (Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia, 1983, p. 123) ii. Bullying and gangsterism According to Kamus Dewan, bullying is an act of “torturing and making fun of an individual who is trying to adjust to a new environment.” (DBP, 2002, p. 186). Bullying is act of making fun of a person or a group of minorities, usually done to a weaker person or group of individual with the purpose of scaring of the victims. Bullying case usually occurred in residential schools. Different from gangsterism, bullying acts are usually done by a few individuals and each of these individuals usually unrelated with each other. In addition, those who did the act of bullying will only team up for the particular act of bullying only. However, it is important to highlight that the bullying act could lead into gangsterism. Students who are involved in gangster groups will not only operate in school compounds but outside the school area as well. When the students have the sense of belonging in these groups, then fuelled with the desire to ‘prove their worth’ in these groups, they would be able to carry out various acts of deviance. Gangsterism in Malaysia is not an uncommon term. This phenomenon has been occurring since the colonial era. During this period, Ghee Hin and Hai San gangster groups are among the most infamous groups known. Interestingly, the goals and aims of these gangster groups are almost innocent at the beginning, which is for welfare and taking care of their members. However, nowadays, the concept had changed and the members of gangster groups are no longer limited to Chinese adults, but also opened to school students. Gangsterism is a national issue and it has been a major concern since the 1990s. Nevertheless, there is lack of effective solution for it. The situation is getting worse as it begins to affect students from both urban and rural areas. Gangsterism among school students ranged from smaller and less serious act of crime such as stealing, bullying and fighting and to more serious and devilish act of crime such as gang raping and others. From a study carried out from Malaysian School Division in 1986, 48 types of the act of deviance in Malaysian schools were listed down. From the number of sample (2,542,336), in which 1,077,534 of the students were primary school students, 112, 679 (4.4%) of the students had been exposed to various act of deviance. (Ramlan Hamzah, 1995, p. 135). Among those numbers, 5, 056 or 0.47% of the students had participated in fighting, which is one of gangsterism act. In addition, in a research from the Division of Research and Development of School Act from the Ministry of Education on the gangsterism act in daily schools, a shocking result was found especially in term of the participation of female students in a gangster-like acts such as fighting and immoral acts. (Dewan Siswa, 2005, p. 8). These findings, although from a huge range in date, shows that the act of gangsterism was and still apparent among school students in Malaysia. Referring to the success story of a school in Sarawak in implementing “Merit and Demerit Discipline System” (MDDS), it is hoped that the new approach are able to manage students’ disciplinary problems more systematically and affectively. 1.3 Purpose of Research Specifically, the research objectives of this study are as follow: i. To investigate the effectiveness of the use of demerit system in school in handling discipline problems; ii. To identify the percentage of the decrease of discipline problems through the implementation of demerit system; iii. To seek out the advantages and drawbacks of the demerit system on the students. 1.4 Research questions i. What are the effects of the implementation of demerit system in handling discipline problem in schools? ii. To what extent the demerit system contributes to the decrease of discipline problems in schools? iii. What are the advantages and drawbacks of the demerit system on the students? 1.5 Significance of study To research the effectiveness using MDDS in school discipline system in Malaysia to decrease the discipline issue. 1.6 Limitation of the research This research focuses on the school that had successfully used the demerit system. A cluster school in USJ Subang Jaya, SMK Seafield, was chosen as the sample. The purpose for the research is to look at the impacts when the system is used in the school, whether the administrators are able to manage the school more systematically and lessen the discipline problems. This research also seeks to examine the school principal’s leadership qualities that contribute to the success of the implementation of the demerit system. However, there are several identified limitations of the research, which include: i. Time constraint This research was conducted in a very short period of time, from September 2013 until December 2013. This reduce the amount of time for data collection process. More interviews and observation could be made, if only more time is given. ii. Study area A cluster school in USJ, Subang Jaya were selected as the sample of this research. Due to the fact that the research was done in only one school, the result of the research may not be applicable to every school in Malaysia. 1.7 Operational definition 1.7.1 Demerit system Listed are the rules and regulations for the demerit system: (Taken from: http://www.ssijb.edu.my) 1. Every student is given 100 merit points at the beginning of the year. 2. Every teacher has the right to subtract or add student’s merit point accordingly but the particular student must be informed for every addition or subtraction made. 3. Students can volunteer to any teachers for various voluntary tasks and merit points could be given by the teacher. (Maximum merit point given should not exceed 5 points) However, student could not request for any amount of points from the teacher. 4. The voluntary work could be arranged to be held on Saturdays or other day or periods outside the schooling hours. 5. SMD slip could be acquired from discipline teacher or in the SMD box located in Teachers’ Room. 6. Every form that has been fill in and signed by the respective teacher must be submitted into the SMD box located in the Teachers’ Room according to students’ form at the end of the week or at least, at the end of every month. 7. Discipline teachers should be informed for every disciplinary case which resulted on subtraction of more than 10 points. Teacher would only fill in the SMD points and let the discipline teachers to take further necessary actions. Discipline teachers will then fill in the SMD slip with the appropriate amount of marks to be deducted from the students and then re-submit the form into the respective SMD box. 8. Coordinating teachers will then collect all SMD forms and arrange it into respective classes and submit the forms to the SMD secretary. 9. SMD secretary will key in students’ updated merit point into the computer system. 10. Two copies of the update SMD points will then be distributed to coordinating teachers and form class teachers, one copy each. 11. The updated merit points will be displayed in the noticeboard on every 5th day of the month so that every student will be updated with their latest merit point accumulated or attained. This list of rules and regulations was taken from http://www.ssijb.edu.my, where the decrease of disciplinary case is seen one year of implementation of the system. There are a few other school organisations that had successfully implemented the system. 1.7.2 Comprehensive School-Wide Plan Certainly, fair and reasonable policies governing serious and chronic discipline problems, as well as the strategic use of rewards, should be part of a school-wide discipline program. However, effective schools make this only one part of a much more comprehensive plan. A comprehensive school-wide plan consists of a full range of evidence-based strategies and techniques to achieve four important goals: (a) developing student self-discipline, (b) preventing student discipline, (c) correcting student discipline, and (d) remediating and responding to serious and chronic discipline problems. Strategies for each of these components of comprehensive school-wide discipline follow. 1.7.3 Developing self-discipline Self-discipline is seen in socially and morally responsible behaviour that is motivated primarily by intrinsic factors, not solely by the anticipation of external rewards or fear of punishment such as using MDS’s. Research shows that self-discipline promotes positive relations with others and a positive school climate, fosters academic achievement, and promotes self-worth and emotional well-being. Strategies for developing self-discipline are commonly part of evidence-based programs for character education and for social and emotional learning. Such programs include the following strategies. Self-discipline can improve if student learn about the benefit of Merit point to increase self-achievement in get lot of merit point.

final proposal