Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess the practice of conflict management in government
secondary schools in Gambella, a regional state in the Nuer Nation Zone. In order to attain
the objective of the study, a descriptive survey research design was used. Both random and
non-random sampling techniques were used to select sample respondents out of the target
population. With these techniques, the schools’ principals and deputy directors, as well as
department heads and administration personnel, were selected. The total sample size of the
study was 100. Primary and secondary sources of data were used in the study. Data for the
study were collected using a questionnaire, an interview, and document analysis. Based on
the nature of the data collected, both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis
were employed to analyze the data. IBM SPSS statistical tools were used to analyze the data,
and mean and standard deviation were presented. That is, data obtained in response to
closed-ended items were analyzed quantitatively, while those obtained from open-ended
items, such as interviews, focus group discussions, and documents, were analyzed
qualitatively. As a result, the study concludes that violations of school rules and workplace
ethics, workloads, unfair period allocation and distribution, employee benefit-related
matters, and unreasonable absence from the workplace were the major causes of conflicts in
the schools under study. The findings of the study further showed that the majority of the
respondents' perceived conflict as bad, negative, and destructive, which must be avoided
rather than managed. Compromising is the most prominently used style of conflict
management in the schools under study. The second most prevalent style is avoiding,
followed by accommodating, collaborating, and dominating consecutively. Above all, the
study portrayed that the importance of contextual and/or indigenous conflict management
mechanisms such as social committees, sheemagilies, group networking, etc. in alleviating
conflicts was to some extent put into practice in the schools. As a concluding remark, since
school culture is dynamic and built by people who have different family backgrounds,
learning experiences, and see and manage things from their point of view regardless of
others, members of the school community should accept the inevitability of conflict that
cannot be avoided at all. Despite these loopholes, principals encountered frequent disputes
and handled them according to their personal feelings and skills. Therefore, seminars,
conferences, and symposia should be organized for members of the school community on
communication aspects, diversity management, and conflict resolution strategies by the
concerned Education Office. Moreover, teacher training colleges and universities should
focus on effective communication and conflict handling strategies. The study also
