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 xiv 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.