This poster discusses the views of fifty secondary pre-service mathematics teachers on Corporal Punishment (CP) in mathematics classroom as reflected in a survey interview conducted in 2006 in Tamil Nadu, India.

CP is the use of physical force intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort for discipline, correction, and control, changing behavior or in the belief of educating the child (Strauss & Stewart, 1999). In the context of mathematics classroom from k-12 in Tamil Nadu, CP is carried out in the following ways: smacking, using wooden sticks to hit buttocks, palms, and feet, caning, whipping, flicking ear lobes, etc. Forcing students to punish themselves such as forced sit-ups by holding ears, forcing them to bend like a chair, forcing them to carry weight on the back, or forcing them to stand in the scorching sun for extended periods of time, and cutting the privileges to low achievers (e.g. make them to sit on the floor, to clean the classrooms).

The use of physical punishment is deeply embedded in Indian culture and history, though schools have been instructed to avoid practicing CP. Indian Government has instructed the states to stop the use of CP in educational institutions. The National Policy on Education (1986; 1992) states in sections 5 and 6 that “CP will be firmly excluded from the educational systems”. CP is banned in other states of India such as Delhi (in 2000), Andhra Pradesh (in 2002), West Bengal (in 2004), and Chandigarh (1990s). CP is prohibited in Tamil Nadu in June 2003 through an amendment of Tamil Nadu Education Rule 51. The Rule 51 recommends every child be given an opportunity to learn error of his/her ways through corrective measures such as imposition and suspension from class, while making it clear that the school shall not cause mental and physical pain to the child in schools. As such, there is no definition of 'torture' of the children. Consequently, no punitive measure suggested for violators.
As a mathematics teacher educator, I was interested to know how pre-service secondary mathematics teachers view CP. I conducted face-to-face individual interview with 50 pre-service math teachers. I asked the pre-service teachers, “ What is your opinion regarding CP in math classroom?”. Some pre-service teachers (40%) supported the practice of CP, some (56%) were not, and some (4%) didn’t want to comment.
Pre-service teachers who favored CP defended their choice by saying: "teacher has the authority to punish students when they perform poorly in mathematics tests"; "physical punishment serves as a negative motivation forcing students to perform better". It would be interesting to study how many students improve their performance in mathematics in order to avoid CP. On the other hand, some pre-service teachers (28%) responded that causing physical pain will not improve students’ performance and instead would create an aversion towards mathematics and hostility towards math teachers. Some pre-service teachers (12%) suggested that addressing the issues of CP is crucial in order to create a safe and non-threatening environment in math classrooms.