A Hidden Complexity: School Corporal Punishment on Students with Disabilities

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Examining the Experiences of Students With Disabilities Across Sectors: Discipline, Pedagogy, and Sense of Belonging (Table 1)

Abstract

School corporal punishment (SCP) is of deep concern to teachers, parents, and students alike. Despite legal safeguards under the IDEA, students with disabilities are not protected from this physical discipline in many states. While there are many different ways environments can influence the individual, limited research has focused on factors related to SCP faced by this minority group. This article comprises a systematic review locating empirical research about SCP against this student body. We explore the student-level factors and school-level factors related with these incidents with the lens of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, as a basis for recommending future research, policymaking and education practices in the field.

Author

• Xinxia Li, The George Washington University