Du Plessis, Stephanie2026-07-092026-07-092025https://hdl.handle.net/10566/24892The Apartheid regime and the Bantu Education policy left profound and lasting inequalities within the South African education system. These inequalities have created a continuum of a culture whereby teachers are still resorting to punitive practices to manage learner behavior and discipline in their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to explore how an introduction of a relational well-being approach could shift the mindsets of teachers about relationality when dealing with learner behavior and discipline in their classrooms. It was envisaged that by using a relational well-being approach, teachers would revert from using punitive practices and focus on applying a more restorative approach. Ten educators were selected from one school in the Cape Winelands area. A basic qualitative research design was used for this study and participants were involved in focus group discussions and they completed reflexive journals, questionnaires and posters. The findings of the study show that, after participants were exposed to a relational well-being approach, teachers understood the value of relationships in their classrooms. It was also found that, once teachers were exposed, they focused on developing relationships with their learners and found that it created a more nurturing classroom environment. Participants expressed that after exposure, their relationships were more open and they connected with their learners. A growing concern that was uncovered in the study was the lack of parental involvement in primary schools. Participants expressed their frustrations in this regard and wanted parents to be held more accountable. The study concluded that teacher training is required to educate more teachers on how to utilise relationality in their classrooms, thus aiding them in minimizing disruptive behavior.enRelationalitycorporal punishmentdisciplinerelationshipswell-beinginclusive and supportive classrooms.Thesis