Restitution is one of the alternative educational measures in primary school, which gives the student an opportunity to repair the mistake they have made. Unlike traditional, retributive forms of punishment, restitution does not focus on the mistake, but rather on repairing the harm. It is essential that the student is given the opportunity to reflect and contribute ideas for repairing the harm, as this is important for the development of emotional and behavioral self-regulation. The purpose of the study was to examine the understanding of restitution among primary school students, teachers, school counsellors, and headmasters. In addition, the aim was to explore the use of restitution, its effectiveness, and the alignment between its description in the educational plan and its actual practice. The study was designed as a multiple case study of five primary schools. It included 40 participants. At each school, we conducted semi-structured interviews with three students, three teachers, a school counsellor, and the headmaster. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings indicate that restitution is most often understood as correction of a mistake, community service, or an alternative to administrative punishment. In practice, restitution was often intertwined with elements of retributive punishment, and rarely met its core principles, e.g. the student’s creative role in repairing harm. In the participating schools, restitution was not implemented in its true sense; instead, it usually took the form of teacher-assigned community service. Common examples included assistance with practical tasks, giving classroom presentations, or providing peer support. Key conditions for effective restitution included the student’s active engagement, connection between the mistake and the consequence, and parental support. Major barriers were students’ and teachers’ unwillingness to engage, lack of parental support, and systemic or organizational constraints. This study deepens the understanding of restitution in Slovenian schools and highlights shortcomings in its implementation.
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