Greek Teachers’ Perceptions about the Types and the Consequences of Conflicts within School Context

Abstract

Conflicts are an inevitable phenomenon within organizations. The organization of interest in this study is the elementary school and the conflicts that may emerge into its context. There are many types of conflicts and their consequences vary; there are positive consequences, but also negatives ones. When teachers are to express their opinions on conflicts, they think that conflicts happen often enough, and they recognize both their negative and positive effects. The present study examined teachers' perceptions on the frequency of certain types of school conflicts and their consequences. The researchers asked teachers working in public elementary schools in Achaia Prefecture, Greece. Personal characteristics of the study's participants such as age, gender, years in service and teaching specialization were also taken into consideration. It was found that a small percentage of teachers believed that conflicts happen very often. In general, teachers thought that negative consequences are more frequent than positive ones, even though, they recognized the beneficial aspect of conflicts. Lastly, the teachers' groups that were formed based on participants' characteristics showed significant differences. Study's limitations along with suggestions for future research are also discussed.

La Inteligencia Emocional Marca La Diferencia: El Impacto De Las Habilidades De Inteligencia Emocional Del Profesorado en Las Estrategias De Manejo De Conflictos en El Aula

“…El conflicto existe en clase, como resultado de la diversidad de intereses de los estudiantes, y si los docentes no crean un buen ambiente, actuando positivamente en lo que respecta a la comunicación, utilizando la autoridad legítima y manejando el conflicto de manera constructiva, los conflictos aumentarán exponencialmente (Espelage y Lopes, 2013). El conflicto docente-alumno es un problema escolar cada vez más común, y si no se gestio-La Inteligencia Emocional Marca la Diferencia: El Impacto de las Habilidades de Inteligencia Emocional del Profesorado en las Estrategias de Manejo de Conflictos en el Aula Las percepciones de los docentes sobre los conflictos indican que se centran principalmente en los aspectos negativos de los conflictos (Manesis et al, 2019). Se debe indicar que los métodos más utilizados en la escuela, frente a los comportamientos conflictivos de los estudiantes, incluyen advertencia, desaprobación, citación de tutores y, en algunos casos, suspensión del estudiante.…”

School Conflicts: Causes and Management Strategies in Classroom Relationships

“…Teachers' perceptions of conflict indicate that they focus mainly on the conflicts' negative aspects [6,25]. It is noteworthy that the methods most used at school, face of students conflicting behaviors, include warning, disapproval, summoning guardians, and in some cases, student suspension.…”

“…The concern with improving coexistence in schools, centred on the conflict variable, is addressed in different studies, whose objectives mark both understanding the school conflict [3][4][5][6], as well as preventing its occurrence [7]. Since it is impossible to eliminate school conflicts, it is essential and urgent to reduce their intensity, duration, and severity, so that the teaching and learning process is not harmed.…”

Negotiation Efficacy in Conflicts between Students: Results from a Portuguese Study

“…Similarity and differences among people are important psychosocial processes in interpersonal relationships management, since, whatever the links that unite them, there are moments in life where feelings, thoughts, interests, objectives and actions collide with each other (Manesis, Vlachou, & Mitropoulou, 2019;Torrego, Gómez, & Negro, 2007). The perceptions of conflict are different, since certain individuals will perceive it as negative or harmful while others perceive conflict as positive and beneficial (Rahim, 2011).…”

“…The role of interpersonal conflicts in school (organization founded in a profound net of affective, social and professional interdependent relationships) constitutes a stimuli to researchers, teachers or other professionals of school with the sense of developing the bases of a peace culture in that social organization Manesis, Vlachou, & Mitropoulou, 2019). In that sense, it is important to study conflicts in school since they have a negative effect not only on teachers' performance, but also on students' performance (academic success, quality of relationships, and sense of happiness) (Ӧzgan, 2016).…”