Assessment of Principal Strategies in Managing Conflict in Selected Secondary Schools
Chapter One
General Objective
The main objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of strategies used by school heads in managing conflicts in secondary schools in Port Harcourt.
Specific objectives
- To examine the principal knowledge and skills in managing conflicts in secondary schools.
- To examine strategies employed by principal in managing school conflicts
- To assess the effectiveness of strategies used by the principals in managing conflicts and challenges they face in applying the identified strategies for managing conflicts
- To suggest measures that could be taken to avoid future conflicts in schools
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
This chapter presents the literature on theoretical framework, empirical literature and knowledge gap.
Theoretical Framework
Concept of conflict
The term conflict has been defined differently by several scholars. Thomas (1976) for example, defines conflict as the process which begins when one party perceives that the other is frustrated, or is about to be frustrated. Amason (1996) described conflict as a form of socialization. He stressed that people in organizations have both personal and role preferences about the organizations actions and policies.
Other scholars, Schmidt and Kochan (1972) describe conflict as an opportunity for interfering with the other’s goal attainment. Hocker and Wilmot (1985) define conflict (from a communication perspective) as an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce rewards, and interference from the other party in achieving their goals.
Deutsch and Coleman (2000) argued that conflict exists because people have different needs, ideas, views and values. The challenge for schools, as for the wider community is to find ways of managing conflict constructively so that, those involved can learn and grow from the experience in all kinds of human relationships and social settings. In further more wide range of potential differences among people, the absence of conflict usually signals the absence of meaningful interaction. Conflict by itself is neither good nor bad. However the manner in which conflict is handled determines whether it is constructive or destructive.
Furthermore Coser (1967) says that conflict is a struggle over values and claims to scarce status, power, and resources in which the aims of the opponents are to neutralize, injure, or eliminate the rivals. Nyamajiwa (2000) say that conflict can be defined as the opposition of individuals, or groups’ interest, opinions or purpose. However conflicts which occur in organizations are neither good nor bad and indispensable. Underlying this view is the assumption that conflict is good only when it enables the organizational members attain the set goals peacefully. But it is bad when it hinders the effectiveness of the organizations (Mosha 1994 citing Gray & Starke, 1990).
Kilmann, (1970) points out that conflict is the outcome of frictions among groups, which is the consequence of contradictory ideas, the community or the institution can fall into conflict due to the divergence interest of the subordinates and those at corporate level, the author emphasized that conflict is very inevitable.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter presents the research methodology, includes the area of the study, the, research design, research approach, population, sample and sampling techniques, data collection instruments, validity and reliability issues, ethical considerations, and data analysis plan.
Research Design
The study adopted a case study design, accounting for responses of principals, teachers and students, identifying sources of managing conflicts and achieve time bound resolutions and conclusions respectively. This is because the nature of the study intended to generate knowledge by examining the conflict management techniques by school heads and their effectiveness in managing conflicts in public secondary schools in Nigeria. This design was selected because it can be used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data about conflict management techniques by school heads and their effectiveness in managing schools. According to Cohen et al (2007), case study design enabled the researcher to gather data at a particular point in time with the intention of describing the nature of the existing conditions. As a matter of fact findings using this design, enabled researcher to answer the key questions of this study.
Population
According to Kombo and Tromp (2006) population is an entire group of persons who have characteristic common to entire group. Cooper (1989) insists that all members or individuals or groups that are expected to be represented in the study form a target population. The population of this study constituted school heads, teachers and students. These populations of this study were drawn from five (05) secondary schools Port Harcourt.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE FINDINGS
Introduction
This chapter presents the research findings and their analyses. The study was guided by following objectives: to examine the principal knowledge and skills in managing conflicts in secondary schools, examine strategies employed by principal in managing school conflicts, assess the effectiveness of strategies used by the principals and challenges they face in applying the strategies in managing school conflicts and suggest measures that could be taken to avoid future conflicts in schools.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
This chapter presents the summary, conclusions and recommendations on the basis of the findings of the study.
Summary of the study
The purpose of this study was to investigate the conflict management techniques and their effectiveness in managing conflicts in public secondary school in Port Harcourt. Specific objectives that guided this study included to: principals knowledge and Skills on their role in managing conflicts in secondary schools; assessing strategies school heads employed in managing conflicts; assessing effectiveness of strategies school heads employed in resolving conflict and findings ways of improving conflict management strategies.
The review of literature centred on the theoretical framework that underpins the study, an overview of the concept of conflict management, conflicts in school institutions, sources of conflicts and Conflict management strategies in school. Based on the views advanced in this study the following generalizations were made:
- Many studies have been conducted in various countries on conflict
- The findings of the researchers did not fulfill the requisites of the study on hand, thus the study depicted what prior researchers left in the field of conflict management at secondary schools especially at Port Harcourt.
The study employed both qualitative and quantitative approach informed by a case study design. The study was conducted in five public secondary schools in Port Harcourt. The purposive, stratified and random sampling techniques were used to obtain the categories of respondents. The respondents included 5 school heads, 40 teachers and 40 students. The total sample comprised of 85 respondents. Data were collected through interview, questionnaires, focused group discussion and documentary review. Data analysed drew on the qualitative using descriptive analysis and quantitative approach using numerical analysis to produce a report.
The study revealed that most of principal were aware in managing conflict in their respective schools but they had little knowledge and skills on how to manage conflict.
Researcher found out that dictatorial technique on the part of school administration was the main causes of teacher-school conflict followed by poor physical working conditions and next was lack proper communication to teachers. On the side of students, punishment was the ranked as the most cause of student-teacher conflict in secondary schools, next were abuse language while dictatorship treatment of certain student by the teachers ranked as third factors led to student-teachers conflict.
Regarding the effectiveness of heads of conflict management mechanisms in resolving conflict in the public secondary school, all head teachers indicated that principals had made efforts to manage conflicts by using different strategies such as collaborating, comprising, avoiding and competitive. However, teachers were not satisfied by the strategies used by their heads. It was found that majority of teachers ranked most of the strategies used by principals as not effective. Majority single out withdrawing and forcing strategies as not being effective in curbing teachers conflicts.
With regards to challenges schools heads faced in the process of managing conflict, it was found that majority of the respondents mentioned rising of enemity among teachers as major challenge head of school faced in managing conflict. The others work discouragement whereas respondents said there is denial of cooperation.
Based on the findings which required the respondents to reveal the measures to be taken in improving conflicts management by heads of secondary schools, indicated: agreeing on the procedure taken for the resolution of conflicts, encouraging parties to work together, taking staff and students’ comments and suggestions/open door policy, use of suggestion box in the school, promoting negotiation among powerful sub-group leaders, involvement of school disciplinary committee and application of dialogue between the conflicting parties.
Conclusion
School administrators have been adversely affected by lack of knowledge and skills on conflict management. As a result principal tended to manage conflict by trial and error approach because they had no specific procedures and methods of managing conflict.
The findings also revealed that secondary school heads always encounter conflicts in different aspects of their daily operations, in the other side the heads of secondary schools solve those conflicts some by collaborating and others by compromising.
Since the context of managing conflict at secondary schools is a very divergent phenomenon, the findings indicated that a number of heads of secondary schools use only experiences which is not productive strategy in settling conflict, otherwise the researcher came up with the facts that conflicts exist in most Kinondoni secondary schools.
Recommendations
Having analyzed the collected data, the presented findings on chapter five and conclusion, this part of the research report presents the proposed recommendations of the findings as outlined below:
- The District Education Office should organize seminars and workshops aimed at improving rapport between principals and their staff and building good working relations between them. It should also organize workshops for principal every vacation to enable them acquire or improve their leadership skills and conflict resolution strategies so as to improve their managerial effectiveness. The facilitators of the workshops should do follow ups to ensure that whatever they have imparted are being implemented.
- Teachers, parents, school heads, students and the communities should be made aware of the long and short term negative effects of conflict on teaching and learning. This can be done through discussions at parent day meetings and symposia. In this regard, principal should be vigilant and effectively monitor teachers at work. They should sanction teachers who refuse to mark exercises done by their students because of existing conflict between them and the Such teachers should be counseled on the need to relate well with the students and their attention drawn to the fact that teachers and students are interdependent in the field of education.
- The Guidance and Counseling Committees in the schools should be strengthened so that they can educate the students on better ways of handling conflict. School authorities should complement reward students’ good behaviors and to encourage them to behave well in school. Peer mediation teams should be established with selected students who are well behaved and equipped with conflict resolution skills to help the schools handle interpersonal conflict. This group could be trained periodically by the district education office, civil society, or any community-based or non-governmental organization which is interested in conflict management so that basic schools in the district would have relatively reduced conflict environment. It is also necessary for students to be educated on all the conflict resolution mechanisms in the schools and sanctions for certain offences.
Recommendations for Further Study
This study was conducted in Port Harcourt with the purpose of investigating conflict management mechanisms and their effectiveness in resolving conflict in public secondary schools. It is therefore recommended that further research on conflict management and their effectiveness should be conducted in the following area:
- Relationship conflict management and leadership style
- Assess effect of discipline in students’ academic performance
- Assessing conflict management in private secondary schools
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