primary school students who were beaten by teachers or family members in the name of discipline tended to show more behavior problems, not fewer, the researchers found.
And? Did they truly expect the kids who were not demonstrating behavior problems to be punished more than the kids who didn't?
Well, your syntax is a little garbled, but I agree with what I think you’re saying. The authors of this study seem to think that the punishment causes the misbehavior, rather than the opposite.