Abstract

Verbal and non-verbal interactions that occur daily between teachers and headteachers, teachers and pupils, and among pupils can generate conflict that may adversely affect teaching, learning, and schooling effectiveness. Little attention is, however, paid to the quality of relationships that exists between teachers and pupils, among teachers, among pupils, between teachers and their school heads, and between schools and their local communities. This study sought to investigate conflict prevalence in Ghana’s primary schools, and how relationship conflict is understood to affect teaching and learning at the level of headteachers as administrators, teachers as classroom managers, and pupils as learners, and direct beneficiaries of primary education. Using data gathered via interview, questionnaire administration, and observation in 30 public primary schools in 10 circuits of one district of Ashanti Region, the findings revealed a high prevalence of fighting, heckling, bullying, and other forms of relationship conflict among pupils; strained teacher–pupil relations due to insolence, indiscipline, and use of offensive language; and teacher–parent arguments and quarrels due to harsh punishment and verbal assault of pupils. Teacher–pupil conflicts may extend to teachers excluding the affected pupils from teaching and learning activities, denying them the rights to ask and answer questions, and have their class exercises marked, leading to lowered pupil self-esteem, reduced concentration during lessons, and passive involvement in learning activities, which could result in truancy and school dropout. Strengthening guidance mechanisms and encouraging peer mediation could significantly curb conflict in school environments and thereby raise educational standards in the district.

Highlights

  • 99.2% (119) of the 120 teachers and all 30 headteachers and 130 pupils described conflict as a daily occurrence, among the pupils. This corroborates Siann and Ugwuegbu’s (2000) finding that relationship conflicts occur among these key players in the school system, all of which have direct negative consequences for teaching, learning, and educational standards. This is despite efforts made by the headteachers and guidance and counseling committees to apply existing conflict resolution guidelines to deal with disagreements, quarrels, fights, and other relationship conflicts that erupt in the schools

  • The study points to the established conflict resolution structures being ineffective for resolving relationship conflicts that occur among personnel who function in the school environment, which calls for further research into Ghana’s policy and procedure for conflict management in the basic school system

  • The headteachers intimated that any kind of conflict that emerges in the school environment has direct consequences for teaching and learning, with 27 or 90% of them attesting that conflict undermines school administration

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Summary

Introduction

Relationship ConflictsConflict is a natural aspect of most ongoing close relationships, probably due to the high value placed on individualism (Olson & Defrain, 2001). Conflict inherently involves some struggle, incompatibility, or perceived differences in values, goals, or desires; characteristics, beliefs, and lifestyles; and power of influence and action between two or more parties in a relationship, combined with attempts to control each other and antagonistic feelings toward each other (Hart, 2002; Ivancevich & Matteson, 2002; McShane & Von Glinow, 2000; Meeks, Heit, & Page, 2005). Opposing actions and hostile emotions are very real hallmarks of human conflict (Deutsch & Coleman, 2000). This happens because people’s values and needs have been shaped by different socialization processes that depend on differing cultural and family traditions, levels of education, breadths of experience, and lifestyles, which make individuals see the world differently (Ivancevich & Matteson, 2002)

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