Teachers` and Students` Perception of Conflict Management of Principals: in Kolfe Keranyo Sub-City Primary Schools
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2018-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers and students perception of conflict management of principals: The Case of Kolfe Keranyo Sub-City primary Schools of Addis Ababa. It attempts to identify the major sources of conflict, perceptions about the functions of conflict, the most prominently used CMS and the strategies that are employed to handle it. In order to attain the objective of the study, descriptive survey method was materialized. Data was gathered from 240 respondents’ (232 of them were selected randomly while 8 of them purposively). Questionnaires and interview were the instruments used for data collection. The data gathered were analyzed using various statistical tools such as frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, one-way ANOVA and Post Hoc test. The computed data affirmed that disciplinary problems ranked first major source of conflict in the schools. Age-similarity among teachers, students and administrative workers including principals, and sexual harassment were rated as the second and third conflict generating factors in the study area. Apart from this, the collected data through open-ended question and interview asserts that principal(s) were assigned politically unlike merit-based competition and were not effective in handling disputes; as they should have to be. The findings of the study further show the that majority of the respondents perceive conflict as bad, negative and destructive which must be avoided rather than managing for benefit. Compromising was the first prominently used conflict management style in the schools. The second most prevalent style was avoiding followed by accommodating, collaborating and dominating consecutively. Above all, the study portrayed that the importance of contextual and/or indigenous conflict management mechanisms such as social committee, sheemagilies, group-networking, etc. in alleviating conflicts were to some extent put into practice in the schools. As a concluding remark, since school culture is dynamic who have different family backgrounds, learning experiences and seeing and managing things from their point of view regardless of others, members of school community should accept the inevitability of conflict that could not be avoided at all. Despite these loopholes, principals encountered frequent disputes and handled it according to their personal feelings and skills. Therefore, seminars, conferences, and symposia should be organized for members of school community on communication aspects, diversity management and conflict resolution strategies by Woreda and Sub-City Education Office. Moreover, Principals/Teachers’ Training Colleges and Universities should not only focus on conceptual and technical knowledge for trainees but also should include effective communication and conflict handling strategies is recommended.
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Teachers` and Students` Perception of Conflict Management