ASSESSING CONFLICT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS: A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE WESTERN PART OF SAVANNAH REGION OF GHANA

Abstract

While many studies have investigated the causative factors of school conflicts, less academic attention has been paid to school conflict resolution practices. This study addresses this gap by investigating the various conflict resolution practices in senior high schools located in the western part of the Savannah Region. The Study specifically aimed to identify the conflict management strategies adopted by schools, their perceived effectiveness, embedded challenges, and the influence of cultural factors on school conflict resolution. A mixed methods approach was adopted and a total number of 372 participants, involving teachers, students, and school management were recruited to participate in the study. While the students and teachers were chosen through stratified and simple random sampling techniques, the school management was selected through expert purposive sampling. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to gather primary data and these were analysed using simple descriptive statistics and inductive thematic analysis. The study found that mediation, sanctions, restoration, reconciliation, and forgiveness were the commonest strategies employed in managing school conflicts in the study area. It also found that these were largely perceived to be effective as they were able to resolve conflicts as well as restore peace although there were concerns about their inclusivity and cultural sensitivity. The study also identified challenges of lack of conflict resolution skills, training, financial resources, and dealing with diversified individuals. It was also found that cultural factors such as respect for authority, the traditional peace practices of reconciliation, forgiveness, and restorative justice have a positive impact on resolving school conflicts, promoting a sense of collectivism and communalism among students and staff both engender and frustrate school conflict management processes. The study therefore recommended that school management should train conflict resolution experts, make conflict management processes inclusive, transparent and fair and also leverage on engendering cultural practices to build sustainable peace structures