Head Teachers’ Conflict Resolution Strategies in Public Basic Schools: A Descriptive Survey of the Nkwanta South Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

This study investigated the sources of conflict and the strategies head teachers adopt to resolve them in public basic schools in the Nkwanta South Municipality of Ghana. The study was guided by Fiedler’s (1964) Contingency Theory and utilised a quantitative methodology based on a descriptive survey design. The study targeted a population of 206 head teachers of public basic schools in the Municipality, from which 120 were selected through proportionate stratified sampling across education circuits to serve as the study sample. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 120 head teachers, of whom 103 returned valid responses, yielding a response rate of 85.8 per cent. Data were analysed using means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages. The results revealed that institutional, work-related and leadership-related factors were the main sources of conflicts in public basic schools. Poor infrastructure and inadequate funding were the main institutional sources of conflict, while weak policy enforcement, misinterpretation of rules and poor communication were the main leadership-related conflict triggers. The study further revealed that collaboration was the most frequently used conflict resolution strategy, followed by avoidance and compromise. Drawing on the contingency theory, the study concluded that effective conflict resolution is dependent on situational factors and the head teachers’ capacity to adjust their leadership responses to changing circumstances. The study recommends improved school infrastructure, timely release of funds and continuous training of head teachers in conflict management to promote cooperation and improve school climate in public basic schools.