Factors Influencing Personality Conflict Resolution Among Head Teachers In Public Primary Schools In Nyeri Municipality, Kenya
Abstract
The Kenyan government had been resolving teachers’ conflicts through various
bodies like Kenya National Union of Teachers and Teachers Commission of
Kenya. However, conflicts among head teachers and teachers still exist in schools.
Failure to resolve conflicts may lead to tension in the school and teachers
absenteeism. As a result, students may suffer when teachers fail to resolve
conflicts. While head teachers may be willing to resolve conflicts in the school,
this may be impeded by various factors like their gender and their skills in conflict
resolution. Therefore, factors affecting conflict resolution are critical for
successful conflict resolution.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing conflict
resolution among teachers in public primary schools of Nyeri municipality. The
study was guided by the following objectives: to establish the extent to which
personal traits influence conflict resolution among teachers in primary schools in
Nyeri Municipality, to determine how gender differences influence conflict
resolution among teachers in primary schools in Nyeri Municipality, to assess the
extent to which social norms influence conflict resolution among teachers in
primary schools in Nyeri Municipality and to establish how skills in conflict
resolution influence conflict resolution among teachers in primary schools in
Nyeri Municipality. Descriptive survey research design was used in this study.
The population for this research was the 42 public primary schools in Nyeri
municipality. Simple random sampling, as a sampling technique was employed to
give a fair chance for everyone involved in this research to be identified. The
study used questionnaires for teachers, focus group discussions for pupils and
interviews schedules for school heads for data collection. Descriptive statistics
was used for data analysis and the results were presented using frequency tables.
According to the findings of the study, head teachers’ personal characteristics
were found to affect conflict resolution, among head teachers. Personal
characteristics like being assertive, good communicators and being friendly
promote accommodating conflict resolution strategies. However, there are head
teachers who use avoidance which is not effective as the problem is usually not
addressed. Head teachers’ gender was found to affect conflict resolution because
male head teachers are more controlling, more domineering, more assertive more
confrontational while female head teachers are more sympathetic, more fearful,
more emotionally charged and weaker and this interfered with the way the
resolved conflicts. Social norms affect conflict resolution because some teachers
are socialized to believe that male head teachers are better skilled to deal with
conflict resolution, male head teachers make better managers than female head
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teachers and female head teachers cannot tackle problems effectively. Training on
conflict resolution affects conflict resolution because head teachers have
inadequate training in the same and most do not go for refresher courses on
conflict resolution and the ones who go do so rarely. This affects the way they
resolve conflicts.
The researcher recommended that conflict resolution by head teachers should be
done with professionalism irrespective of gender. The Ministryof Education
should offer refresher courses, seminars and workshops on conflict resolution to
head teachers and teachers to upgrade their skills in the same. The researcher
suggested that a similar study should be done in other areas in Kenya.
Citation
Master in Corporate Governance, university of Nairobi, 2013Publisher
University of Nairobi, College of education and external studies,
Collections
- Faculty of Education (FEd) [5964]