School Conflict: What Teachers Should Know

Abstract

The school system is awash with various intensities of conflicts. School personnel, especially teachers, are faced with the serious problem of how to mitigate these conflicts without recording much success. This is because of poor orientations of teachers about conflict management dynamics. Their poor knowledge of conflict dynamics and its management approaches has exposed them to the various negative consequences of conflict situation. This article therefore, explored the issues of school conflict and its management approaches. In doing this, it argued that conflict in the school is a normal and expected phenomenon but becomes unacceptable when it escalates beyond the normal limit. In this study, the various forms of school conflict were discussed, as well as their specific causes and consequences. The role of perception in conflict and how teachers can effectively confront school conflict were explored. The aim is to keep teachers abreast of the changing contours of school conflict and to make sure that they are equipped with the required knowledge for its constructive management in order to enhance their productivity.