The Influence of Corporal Punishment in Childhood on Attitudes Towards Corporal Punishment, Mandated Reporting and Parental Discipline in Preservice Teachers

In the United States, not only are parents free to utilize corporal punishment in disciplining their children, but 21 states still allow corporal punishment to be used in schools. Yet, teachers are legally bound to report... [ view full abstract ]

In the United States, not only are parents free to utilize corporal punishment in disciplining their children, but 21 states still allow corporal punishment to be used in schools. Yet, teachers are legally bound to report suspected maltreatment to child protective services (CPS).  This potential conflict lies in the definition of “acceptable” physical discipline and abuse

The attitudes teachers have towards corporal punishment and child maltreatment are critical in determining where they draw the line between discipline and abuse.  These attitudes developed over the course of a lifetime are influenced in part, by the lived experiences of teachers. Is a teacher who experienced corporal punishment as a child more of less likely to consider physical discipline as maltreatment?  
The purpose of this study was to assess the pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards corporal punishment, their actual experiences as a recipient of corporal punishment, their duties as mandated reporters, and perceptions of parental discipline. Fifty-one preservice teachers were surveyed about their attitudes towards corporal punishment both at home and at school. They were also asked about their experiences with corporal punishment as a child and finally, asked to rate several hypothetical parent-child discipline scenarios.
Preliminary analyses indicate that despite a higher endorsement of and more experience with corporal punishment, African American participants did not differ from their White counterparts in their ratings of parental discipline scenarios.  Asian participants did not differ from the White participants in their endorsement of or experience with corporal punishment, but they did rate the most severe discipline scenarios as less abusive than both White and African American participants.  These and other findings will be discussed.