Teachers’ Knowledge of Education Tort Liability and Students’ Discipline In Secondary Schools in Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated teachers' perceptions of their civic responsibility for student discipline in Delta State public secondary schools. In this study, a descriptive study was used. This study was based on two research questions and two hypotheses. The study population included 14,482 teachers from 473 Delta State public high schools (2020/2021 sessions). The sample size was 450 teachers (200 males and 250 females). A stratified random sampling method was used to select samples for the study. A self-developed 12-item questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. The instrument was validated by experts. A reliability coefficient of 0.78 and 0.85 was obtained using the test-retest reliability method. The mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, and the acceptance control level was 2.50, while a Z-test with a significance level of 0.05 was used to test the hypotheses. The results showed that teachers were unaware of acts responsible for intentional and negligent misconduct. Organizing seminars, workshops, and conferences for teachers and other school staff on aspects of education law, dealing with students` discipline, and expanding their knowledge base in order to avoid litigation was recommended, among others.