PRINCIPALS CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND SCHOOL PERFORMANCE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS OF BOLE SUB-CITY OF FINFINNE

The study examined the relationship between the conflict Management strategies used by principals and the performance of the schools under their leadership in Bole Sub-City, Finfinne, Ethiopia. The study utilized a mixed method correlational research design guided by the pragmatism paradigm. The target population of the study included sixteen primary schools, four hundred and seventy-eight teachers, and sixteen principals. In selecting the respondents, six schools were randomly sampled, while one hundred and forty teachers were proportionally and stratified sampled, and six principals were purposefully sampled. Cooperative conflict management was the most commonly used strategy, followed by avoiding, compromising, dominating, and accommodating. School performance was high across all IPO dimensions, with output ranking highest, followed by process and input. Cooperative strategies showed strong positive relationships with all performance variables. Regression analysis revealed that conflict management strategies explained 51% of the variance in school performance. Schools using cooperative strategies achieved 100% exam pass rates and Level 3 inspection ratings, while schools using compromising or avoiding strategies achieved only 96% pass rates and Level 2 ratings. Accommodating strategies showed no correlation with performance. Notably, 80% of principals had never received formal conflict management training. Conclusion: Cooperation-based conflict management is the best means of improving performance; accommodation brings no improvements in performance; there are major differences in performance according to dominant conflict management style by the principal; and lack of formal training has prevented its consistent application. The Bole Sub-City Education Office should mandate formal conflict management training for all principals. The Ministry of Education should include conflict management skills in principal performance appraisals. Principals should apply cooperative methods and avoid accommodation and domination. Future research should adopt experimental and longitudinal designs.

Keywords: Conflict management, school performance, primary schools, principals, cooperative strategies, Bole Sub-City, Ethiopia