Self-control plays a significant role in child and adolescent development. The school environment is suggested as an important factor associated with individual differences in self-control. Among the many facets of school environment, school discipline is thought of as a critical factor that distinguishes students with good self-control from those with poor self-control. However, the existing findings are mixed. To take stock of the literature, this meta-analysis summarizes the overall association between three components of school discipline (i.e., structure, support, and teacher-student relationship) and self-control in students from preschool to high school. Based on 65 studies reporting 247 effect sizes (N = 55,940), the results show that school discipline is positively related to self-control (r = .189, p < .001, 95% CI = [.148, .229]). No significant publication bias was found. Moderator analyses showed that effect sizes are similar in magnitude across students’ sex, age, and ethnicity, school level, discipline level, culture (individualism and power distance), informant of school discipline and self-control, research design, and time lag. The effect size was stronger for the teacher-student relationship component and for studies using the same informant to assess the two constructs. These findings point to the importance of school discipline, particularly a good teacher-student relationship, associated with individual differences in self-control in students from preschool to middle school.
Urban school discipline policies and the value of education : understanding the urban middle school male student perspective