| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of the study was to investigate how various headteachers' conflict
management styles affect development of teachers' teamwork in public secondary
schools in Gichugu Division. The level of conflict focused was that of
intrapersonal conflicts within the teachers that is caused by conflicting interests.
Determinants of teachers' teamwork put into consideration were collective
responses to submission of schemes of work, records of work, performance
registers, and end of term marks. The study was guided by-five main objectives:
To establish how teachers' intrapersonal conflicts influence the development of
teamwork, to determine how secondary school teachers manage their
intrapersonal conflicts and school work to create teamwork in public secondary
schools, and to identify the conflict management styles used by headteachers to
resolve intrapersonal conflicts among teachers to enhance teachers' teamwork.
Other objectives were to establish the effect of headteachers' conflict
management styles and development of teamwork among secondary school
teachers and to determine the challenges faced by the head teachers on collegiality
while dealing with teachers intrapersonal conflicts.
The study employed a descriptive survey design. The sample of the study
comprised of all secondary schools in Gichugu Division, 29 headteachers and 342
teachers. Stratified random sampling was used to acquire a representative sample
of the teachers from the strata of mixed, girls and boys public secondary schools.
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Data was gathered using a questionnaire as the main instrument and an interview
guide for triangulation purposes. Qualitative data was analysed thematically while
quantitative data was analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS) computer software and presented in descriptive statistics.
The findings of the study were that teachers' intrapersonal conflicts in schools are
caused by: family commitments, running of shops, pressure for further education
and operating of matatus. Compromising and accommodation are the oftenly used
conflict management styles by headteachers. The study also found that there was
generally no teamwork among the teachers towards achieving the objectives of
the school. It is therefore important for the headteachers to apply an appropriate
style depending on its impact on team performance.
The major challenges that headteachers faced while dealing with teachers
intrapersonal conflicts were teachers' failure to open up, teachers' taking personal
offence and lack of appropriate solution to the problems. The findings indicated
that many headteachers had not attended any conflict management course and the
lengths of conflict management courses were inadequate.
Based on the findings, several conclusions were made. Teachers' intra personal
conflicts are caused by factors in the external environment such as family
commitments, running shops, further education and operating matatus and may
hinder achievement of team goals. Intrapersonal conflicts adversely affected
teachers' team work.
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It is recommended that the Ministry of Education should organise workshops and
seminars for teachers on how to effectively balance their extra activities and those
of the school without compromising teamwork, the Ministry of Education should
increase the frequency of conflict management in-service courses to headteachers
so that they can acquire the necessary conflict management skills.
Suggestions for further research were: geographical scope of the study be
expounded to base the findings at district level and hopefully at national level, a
similar study may be necessary focusing on others levels of conflict and their
effect on teachers' teamwork. | en_US |
