PERCEPTION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS ON CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES OF PRINCIPALS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Human civilization is full of events, and conflict arises as a result of these occurrences among humans. Conflict is unavoidable in today’s well-managed organizations and economies. The school is a formal, educational organization comprised of many people with diverse interests, many of which conflict with the school’s or institution’s established aims and purposes. Conflict is a common social phenomenon that occurs throughout human civilization, including the classroom. In a secondary school system, the principal is the institution’s leader. While performing their duties, principals and other managers may find themselves putting themselves in the shoes of their subjects, which can lead to conflict. Conflicts are normal in any organization, according to Kenan (2013), because people have different perspectives, and some people cannot tolerate the perspectives of others.
Differing viewpoints lead to conflict.
Conflict is a common occurrence in life, according to Onwurah and Oboegbulem (2011). In all organizations, including educational institutions, they are unavoidable. They attract people with diverse interests, goals, and aspirations. As a result, conflict has become a social problem. According to Ughamadu (2008), conflict is a “Sometimes there is disagreement about a subject, whether it is good or bad. It is a common occurrence in human relations, whether in the home, the workplace, the nation, or the world, because society or mankind must disagree in order to agree “.. According to the above definitions, conflict is a common occurrence in human relationships, it can result in positive or negative change, and as such, conflict management is important.
Conflict, Obi (2012) asserts that is unavoidable and inherent in all interdepartmental relationships. Conflicts are not always destructive because they reflect the diversity and complexity of human cultures. It is an unavoidable social phenomenon and an essential component of human existence. Under the contemporary/functionalist viewpoint, conflict is viewed as natural and necessary, and it should be encouraged for organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Conflict, according to Ademola (2000), stems from factors inherent in human nature: Human nature is greedy, egotistical, and innately conflictive: Governments will constantly seek their national interests, defined as power, and such interests will clash with those of others, resulting in the inevitability of conflict. Conflict, according to Obikeze (2012), is a natural part of human existence.
People’s daily lives are affected by it. It was born with him, it develops with him, and it lives with him.
In this viewpoint, conflict is seen as an unavoidable phenomenon. It is a natural occurrence that all human cultures are aware of, and it cannot be abolished or ignored. theonuselogu (2012). (2012). As a result, conflict management entails encouraging conflict in situations where its absence or repression may impair an organization’s performance, creativity, or innovation. This group believes that conflict can be both beneficial and detrimental, and that the best way to deal with it is to manage and enjoy its benefits while minimizing its negative consequences.
Nigeria’s educational system has changed dramatically since the implementation of universal basic education.
difficulties. Complications include, among other things, an increase in the number of students in secondary schools, a teacher shortage, student assessment through tests and examinations, indiscipline, overage students, insufficient facilities such as classroom blocks, seats, chalk boards, poor funding, and a lack of promotion. According to Omoebe (2002), there are conflict potentials in schools, colleges, polytechnics, and universities, and these conflicts emerge in management situations due to a lack of incentives (conflict between employees and management).
However, in order to achieve a high level of qualitative education, the principal, other school administration, staff and students, and the entire community, both intra and inter, must collaborate to carry out their noble task. Principals, teachers, and other non-teaching personnel,
Students, for example, cannot work in a different way in the school system. All of the jobs or functions mentioned above are intertwined, and such conflict cannot be avoided. Because conflict is unavoidable in school organizations, principals, school administrators, and managers should train their minds on how to handle it and be able to manage disputes by recognizing the immediate and remote causes of such conflict, according to Chukwu (2006).
1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT
Teaching and non-teaching personnel, students, and even members of the host community work at the school. In opposition to the school. The unfavorable mood of the environment caused by disagreement among staff members and the community has an impact on the achievement of goals if it is not adequately managed.
The philosophical goals of the institution. According to Uwana (2013), there is widespread allegation in our national dailies and periodicals about poor educational standards in our school system, as well as cases of students engaging in vices such as tardiness to school, truancy, disobeying principals and teachers, prostitution, cultism, refusing to do assignments, loitering during school hours, fighting among students, and so on.
Furthermore, various accusations and complaints have been leveled against principals and teachers and their attitudes toward work, such as tardiness to school, poor student control, absenteeism, involvement in examination malpractice, leaving school before closing time, poor attendance to class, and engaging in one or more businesses during school hours. There have also been reports of open feuds between administrators and their teachers. between teachers, students, and teachers. The argument is that school principals should be well-informed, competent, and experienced, and that they should be aware of potential sources of conflict and their presence in the school, as well as seek solutions to such issues. An unresolved dispute would disrupt the system. According to Effiong (2015), constant discord, student contempt for principals and instructors, as well as teachers’ contempt for the principal’s bad working relationship This circumstance has an impact on teaching, learning, and the institution’s moral tone. Based on the foregoing, management strategies should be used by school administration to handle conflicting ideas and opinions in order to restore normalcy among staff and move the school forward.
in order to meet the institution’s objectives. The purpose of this study is to discover methods that principals of schools and other managers can use to handle disputes between them and teachers, other school employees, and students in such a way that competing problems do not impair or inhibit achievement of Nigeria education goals. This study seeks to ascertain secondary school teachers’ perceptions of principal conflict management strategies based on this premise.
1.3 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES
The overarching goal of this study is to investigate secondary school teachers’ perceptions of principal conflict management strategies. The following are the specific areas in which this study will focus:
i. Determine the prevalence of conflict between the principal, teachers, and students in
Secondary schools.
ii. Determine the sources of conflict between principals, teachers, and students in secondary schools.
iii. To identify the common management strategies used by secondary school principals in resolving conflicts in their schools.
iv. To investigate secondary school teachers’ perspectives on the principal’s choice of conflict resolution strategies.
1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
The following research questions were developed to guide this study:
i. What are the levels of conflict prevalence among secondary school principals, teachers, and students?
ii. What are the root causes of conflict in secondary schools between principals, teachers, and students?
iii. What are the common management strategies used by secondary school principals to resolve conflicts in their schools?
iv. What are secondary school teachers’ thoughts on
What are the principal’s conflict resolution strategies?
1.5 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE
The principals of schools face numerous problems arising from conflict on a daily basis that, if not resolved, jeopardize the achievement of set goals. The study will assist secondary school principals in updating their knowledge of conflict-causing factors and in dealing with them when they arise, ensuring a conducive teaching and learning environment. They must ensure adequate staff motivation, democratic leadership styles, intergroup relationships, and open lines of communication. The study will benefit school principals by increasing their understanding of the immediate and remote causes of conflicts in schools, allowing them to implement appropriate conflict management strategies.
es in dealing with them. Teachers who are interested in becoming principals will benefit from this work. They will also apply what they have learned in this work to resolve conflicts among students without involving the school’s principal. Using the management strategies identified here after researching the root cause of the conflict would reduce student conflict.
1.6 STUDY OBJECTIVES
The scope of this study is limited to secondary school teachers’ perceptions of principal conflict management strategies. The study goes on to discuss the causes of conflict between principals, teachers, and students in secondary schools, as well as the common management strategies that secondary school principals use to resolve conflicts in their schools. The study is limited to selected secondary schools in Oyo State’s Ibadan Metropolis.
1.7 THE STUDY’S LIMITATIONS
The researchers encountered minor constraints while conducting the study, as with any human endeavor. The significant constraint was the scarcity of literature on the subject because it is a new discourse, so the researcher incurred more financial expenses and spent more time sourcing for relevant materials, literature, or information and in the data collection process, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited sample size covering only secondary schools in Ibadan Metropolis in Oyo State. As a result, the findings of this study cannot be generalized to other secondary schools in other Nigerian states. Furthermore, the researcher’s involvement in this study while also working on other academic projects will impede maximum dedication to the research. Nonetheless, despite theAll factors were downplayed in order to give the best and make the research successful despite the constraints encountered during the research.
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