THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN IMPROVING STUDENT DISCIPLINE

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to examine the role of teacher communication in fostering student discipline in educational settings, analyze the forms of verbal and nonverbal communication that influence disciplinary behavior, identify barriers to effective communication in discipline development, and formulate strategic communication approaches as part of student management. Method: This study employs a systematic literature review by collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing national journal articles indexed in Google Scholar and SINTA, published between 2021 and 2025, using key terms related to teacher communication, student discipline, and classroom management. Results: The findings indicate that empathetic and positive interpersonal communication by teachers strengthens teacher-student relationships and fosters intrinsic motivation for discipline. Nonverbal communication, particularly proxemics and proximity control, effectively prevents disruptive behavior without verbal intervention. School-family communication synergy reinforces disciplinary values consistently, while communication barriers can be addressed through democratic, positive, and emotionally intelligent strategies. Novelty: This study offers an integrative framework that connects verbal communication, nonverbal proxemics, Self-Determination Theory, and school-family partnerships as a unified system for building sustainable student discipline, going beyond single-variable approaches prevalent in prior literature.