Conflict Management Strategies in Schools According to The School Administrators’ Perspective

The purpose of this study is to comprehensively identify and analyze the conflict management strategies employed by school administrators in Ust-Kamenogorsk (Kazakhstan) when addressing conflicts with teachers in their schools. The study is aimed at understanding what behavior models and approaches school principals choose when tension or disagreements with teachers arise, as well as identifying preferred behavior and interaction strategies in conflict conditions within the educational environment. The quantitative research method was used in the research. To collect data, the participants (school principals) were offered the “Personal Information Form” and the “ROCI II – Organizational Conflict Inventory” questionnaire developed by A. Rahim. The personal information form included information on the participants’ gender (male/female), school type (Kazakh-language school/ Russian-language school/ mixed-language school), and their work experience (1-5 years/ 6-10 years/ 11-16 years/ 17–20 years/ 21 years and above). The ROCI II questionnaire consists of 28 statements and covers five main conflict resolution strategies: cooperation, compromise, competition, accommodation, and avoidance. Responses were assessed on a Likert scale (from “very rarely” to “always”). The study involved 99 principals from 30 schools in Ust-Kamenogorsk. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical program, which is widely used to analyze data in the field of education. The results showed that the most frequently used strategy is “cooperation”, characterized by a desire for integration and joint problem solving. However, in some cases, school leaders also resort to the “avoidance” strategy. These findings indicate that school leaders prefer constructive approaches to conflicts, but in some situations tend to distance themselves from the conflict to avoid its escalation.