Abstract:
The main purpose of this study was to assess students’ indiscipline and their causes as well as to
investigate how they impacted on academic performance of students in secondary schools. The
participants of the study were selected from six secondary schools out of a population of thirteen
(13) by using purposive sampling which are found in Kaffa zone. The study adopted descriptive
survey and correlation research design. During the study, two hundred and thirty egiht (238)
participants made up students, teachers, principals and supervisors were sampled. The students
and teachers were sampled using stratified random sampling technique while the principals and
supervisors were sampled purposively. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive
statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (t-test) while the qualitative
data (open ended questions, documents analysis and interview) were analyzed using narrative
techniques. The finding of the study revealed commonly observed types of students’ indiscipline;
the serious ones were late coming, high rate of absenteeism and cheating on examinations. With
regard to the causes students’ indiscipline due to home related which includes parental neglect,
poor income, uncontrolled media and broken homes are the major ones .The other cause is
attributed school related causes, which includes peer pressure, lack of offering sustainable
guiding and counseling service, lack of collaborative work are the main ones. It was also found
that the effects of indiscipline on academic performance include: students’ inability to
concentrate in class, study, loss of material which leads poor performance. From analysis of
ESLCE result and recorded students indiscipline cases shows that Schools that reported fewer
indiscipline cases had relatively better educational performance as compared to those that had
more indiscipline cases. In order to minimize indiscipline behaviors, the study recommends that;
discipline in the society should begin at the home. The home and the school must therefore
interact and co-operate in enhancing discipline.
