CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SKILLS OF NURSE TUTORS IN BASIC SCHOOLS OF NURSING

ABSTRACT
This study assessed the conflict management skills of Nurse Tutors in Enugu State Basic School of Nursing. Conflict abounds in Basic Schools of Nursing which has a lot of consequences like strained relationships, collapse agreement, poor academic performances and so on. It becomes necessary to assess especially in these institutions where conflicts abounds whether nurse tutors posses the necessary skills to resolve the conflict as the findings may necessitate a training for them. The purpose of this study is to assess the conflict management skills of nurse tutors in Enugu State Basic Schools of Nursing. A descriptive survey method was used for the study which was carried out in three (3) Basic schools of Nursing in Enugu State. All (50) nurse tutors teaching in the three Basic Schools of nursing were used. Modified Thomas Kilman’s generated questionnaire was used for the data collection. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Results were presented in tables as percentages, means and standard deviations; t- test and ANOVA, was used to test for hypothesis. A good number of nurse tutors highly possessed stress management skill in managing conflict. Overall mean is 4.74 SD = 0.666, most of the respondents highly make use of social skills in managing conflict. Overall mean is 5.10 S.D = 54. Most of the respondents moderately make use of avoidance skills in conflict management overall mean is 3.99, SD = 101, many of the respondents highly utilized collaborative skills in managing their conflict. Overall mean is 4.5, S.D = 50. Majority of the respondents make moderate use of competing skills in conflict management overall mean is 4.10, SD = .69. Hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference between male and female nurse tutors in their conflict management skills overall F – test =.33 Hypothesis 2: There is no significant association between nurse tutor’s conflict management skills and their cadre, overall F – test = .33.
 
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Man is a social being and interacts with people which may not be as fruitful as desired. Within the society there are individuals from different background, with different perspectives and approaches to life. This gives rise to opposing viewpoints, disagreement, competitions, arguments, suspicions, pain etc. Consequently, it is inevitable for conflict to exist. In fact, conflict is a part and parcel of everyday life and each individual enters into some type of conflict in his/her life. Thus Reece and Brandt (2006) defined conflict as people striving for their preferred outcome which if attained prevents others from achieving their own preferred outcome thereby resulting in hostility and breakdown in human relation. According to Johnansen (2012) and Kelly (2006), conflict is a result of perceived threat to one’s needs, interest and/or concern and has something to do with arms, fighting a war, a struggle between opposing principles or aims, a clash of feeling or interest. For Carnevals, Pruit, and Seilheimer (2007) conflict is a complex process affected by dispositional, contextual and inter personal factors.
The definitions indicate that conflict is multidimensional and so is of many types and varied causes. An obvious cause of conflict is disagreement over issues that lead to competition and struggle for scarce resources because of perceived threat to one’s interests. Specific causes depend on the environment and conflict could be found in all areas of life including family, workplace, and organizations/institutions. Organizational| institutional conflicts result mainly from the struggle for organizational resources. Workplace conflict can also result from poor communication, lack of employee motivation and/or unequal treatment in terms of allocation of duties/responsibility and authority or in the distribution of benefits (Morrison, 2008).