Classroom Discipline

Classroom discipline is predominantly understood as a form of regulation or control that aims to create and maintain order and that is associated with a whole host of strategies and practices. Schools and preschools put great emphasis on keeping order, and teachers also often rank classroom discipline as more important than teaching. Problems with school discipline are frequently seen by the public as the most serious issue confronting schools and are repeatedly portrayed in the media. The importance placed on classroom discipline has far-reaching consequences for children’s identity formation and everyday life in schools. This entry examines how classroom discipline is shaped by conceptions of childhood, contemporary forms of classroom discipline, and influences on classroom discipline.