Investigating the Potential Effect of Race and Culture on Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Corporal Punishment and Its Subsequent Effect on Mandated Reporting

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man

Investigates how race and culture relate to preservice teachers’ attitudes toward corporal punishment and child maltreatment, and how those attitudes influence mandated reporting. In the U.S., parents may use corporal punishment and many states allow it in schools, creating potential conflicts between teachers’ views of “acceptable” physical discipline and abuse reporting duties. Preservice teachers rated corporal-punishment scenarios and reported knowledge and experiences; preliminary analyses compare African American and Anglo responses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Corporal punishment in national and international contexts

Attitudes versus real practice

Physical discipline, abuse, and behavior outcomes

Critiques: sampling and generalizability

Cultural acceptance and racial differences

Schools and mandated reporting context

Manuscript 3935 Investigating the Potential Effect of Race and Culture on Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Corporal Punishment and Its Subsequent Effect on Mandated Reporting John Kesner Vera Stenhouse Australian Journal of Teacher Education Investigating the Potential Effect of Race and Culture on Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Corporal Punishment and Its Subsequent Effect on Mandated Reporting John E. Kesner Georgia State University Vera Stenhouse, Ph.D. Abstract: In the United States, not only are parents permitted to utilize corporal punishment in disciplining their children, but 19 states still permit the use of corporal punishment in schools. Teachers are legally bound to report suspected maltreatment, yet their school may engage in a discipline practice which they may consider abuse. This potential conflict depends on the teacher’s definition of “acceptable” physical discipline and abuse. Thus, teachers’ attitudes teachers towards corporal punishment and child maltreatment are critical. Preservice teachers were surveyed about their attitudes towards corporal punishment, knowledge of child maltreatment and mandated reporting, personal experiences with corporal punishment and asked to rate several hypothetical parent-child discipline scenarios. Preliminary analyses indicate that despite a higher endorsement of and more personal experience with corporal punishment, African American participants did not differ from their Anglo counterparts in their ratings of parental discipline scenarios. These and other findings will be discussed. Introduction Despite condemnation from numerous national and international child development experts, corporal punishment is still a fact of life for children living in the U.S. The majority of children in the U.S. will experience physical punishment at the hands of their parents by adolescence (Gershoff, 2010). This phenomenon is not unique [to the U.S. as](to the U.S. as) the use of corporal punishment is an international issue. For example, Australian law permits parents to use“reasonable” corporal punishment in disciplining their children and only four of the seven territories have explicitly prohibited corporal punishment (Australia Institute of Family Studies, 2017) . Research in the U.S. showing a decline in favorable attitudes towards corporal punishment indicates changing attitudes, yet it is unclear whether changes in attitudes equals a change in practice (Taillieu, et al, 2014) . It is possible that the significant decline in substantiated cases of child maltreatment (Finklehor & Jones, 2006) is also evidence of a decline in the incidence of physical discipline. Many contend that there is a link between physical discipline and physical abuse; positing them as opposite ends ofa continuum of physical punishment Vol 43, 11, November 2018 71 Australian Journal of Teacher Education (Wallat, 2017; Rodriguez, & Sutherland 1999) . Given that the line between physical discipline and abuse are somewhat subjective, the decline in substantiated cases does not necessarily mean a decline in incidence of corporal punishment. Rather it may mean that the threshold of acceptable physical discipline has changed. There is a well-documented relationship between parental use of corporal punishment and higher rates of externalizing behavior problems in children (Alampay et al, 2017; Gershoff, 2002; Gershoff & Grogan-Kaylor, 2016; Straus, 2001), which includes aggressive and antisocial behaviors (Gershoff, et al, 2012) . This effect has been found to be more pronounced when the parent inflicting the punishment has a history of violence and/or abuse (Cicchetti, et al, 1992) . Although the association is strong, the causal mechanism is still the subject of debate. Whether it is the act of physical punishment or the sometimes-concomitant lack of parental warmth, low parental involvement or outright rejection which leads to the externalizi

FAQs

What conflict does the paper focus on regarding corporal punishment and reporting duties?

Teachers are legally required to report suspected maltreatment, even though school discipline practices may involve physical punishment they consider acceptable. The conflict depends on how teachers define acceptable physical discipline versus abuse.

How were preservice teachers examined in the study?

Preservice teachers completed surveys about attitudes toward corporal punishment, knowledge of child maltreatment and mandated reporting, personal experiences, and ratings of hypothetical parent-child discipline scenarios.

What does the preliminary analysis suggest about race differences in scenario ratings?

Despite higher endorsement and more personal experience with corporal punishment, African American participants did not differ from Anglo counterparts in how they rated parental discipline scenarios.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man