Visible Order and Experienced Fairness: Procedural Justice and Conflict Governance in Ghanaian Boarding Senior High Schools

Abstract

This qualitative multiple-case study examined how heads of two public boarding Senior High Schools in Ghana manage conflict and how school actors perceive the fairness and effectiveness of these practices. Conflict is a common feature of boarding schools, where shared living arrangements and limited separation after disputes often intensify tensions. Using purposive sampling, data were collected through eight semi-structured interviews with school heads, senior house staff, and guidance and counselling coordinators, together with two focus group discussions involving sixteen student leaders. Thematic analysis identified two interconnected dimensions of effective conflict management: visible order, reflected in restored calm, compliance, and routine, and experienced fairness, reflected in respectful, timely, consistent, and participatory procedures. Findings revealed a structured conflict-management process involving rule communication, fact-finding, cooling-off periods, mediation, counselling, disciplinary committee hearings, parental involvement, sanctions, and follow-up. The study contributes to school leadership scholarship by conceptualising conflict management as conflict governance, a structured leadership process that coordinates rules, relationships, evidence, communication, and follow-up to sustain organisational legitimacy. The findings underscore the importance of combining orderly school environments with fair procedures and provide practical insights for school leaders, guidance and counselling units, education authorities, and policymakers. The study recommends structured conflict-handling pathways, strengthened counselling support, capacity building for school actors, and proactive stakeholder communication to promote sustainable conflict governance in Ghanaian boarding Senior High Schools.