Variability Pattern in Conflict Management Strategies among School Administrators of Secondary Schools in Nigeria

Abstract

The present study examined current management strategies adopted by school administrators for resolving conflict, with a view to determining the extent to which these actors agree on conflict management procedures. Adopting a stratified random sampling technique, to ensure adequate national representation, 2400 administrators from rural and urban school districts were surveyed. Key stakeholders in the education enterprise, such as teachers, principals, proprietors of schools as well as members of the school board were, in addition interviewed. Clear disparity appear to exist between sampled groups, in a majority of the tested variables of avoidance, forcing, and bribing, but a clustering pattern, indicating group consonance, was observed in the application of bargaining method. The result highlights administrators' preference in the use of bargaining as a conflict management tool in school districts. This research has identified the preferred conflict management strategy among school administrators. In addition it has thrown light on areas of dissonance, in conflict management strategy, among education managers.