PERSONALITY AND PUPIL CONTROL BEHAVIOUR

Pupil control behaviour is conceptualized as a continuum ranging from “custodialism”, which views students as irresponsible and undisciplined needing strictness and punishment to “Humanism”, which emphasizes a democratic atmosphere in which students are capable of self‐discipline and are treated accordingly. The theoretical framework relates dogmatism, pupil control ideology and pupil control behaviour. The general hypothesis is that closed‐mindedness will be positively related to custodialism in pupil control ideology, which in turn manifests itself in custodial pupil control behaviour. The prediction was supported. The results of the investigation indicate that dogmatism and pupil control behaviour are related; but more importantly, that the association is not direct. The analysis suggests that dogmatism operates through ideology to structure behaviour.