A SURVEY ON THE COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVE CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN KWARA STATE UNIVERSITY

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. Background of the study

Communities within university systems and higher education are as diverse as the academic fields and roles available within them. Its inner workings are the result of a multifaceted design process. This indicates that the internal processes of a college or university are molded by a wide variety of logic, habits, and dynamics. Even though the external environment has its own set of difficulties, limitations, and demands, management in higher education is famously tough and complex due to a perfect storm of external forces and internal pressures inside each institution thus making conflict inevitable(Ibukun, 2017).

According to Tedeschi (2016), conflict is a condition of incompatible interaction between various actors (social entities such as people, corporate bodies, and so on), behaviors, or goals. Conflict occurs inside an organization when the goals, interests, or values of various persons are irreconcilable (Kazimoto, 2019). Conflict in organizations often emerges as a result of disagreement over a specific topic or decision made inside the organization involving interests or views(Adeyemi, 2019). Adeyemi (2019), described conflict as "the active striving for one's own preferred outcome, which if attained, precludes the attainment by others of their own preferred outcome, thereby producing hostility". Scholars like Donohue & Kolt, (2015) define conflict as a state of hostile disagreement between two or more parties. This is sometimes stoked by one group's resistance to another in an effort to achieve a goal that the other group views as undesirable. Therefore within the university community, conflict is unavoidable since the persons involved in it typically have different sets of beliefs and values, which is why conflict management is necessary.

It is important to remember that occurrence of conflicts in university community often results in undesirable circumstances and consequences such as distrust among actors, communication breakdown, and in more extreme instances breakdown of law. Conflict management is thus the capacity to bring any form of conflict under control or the handling of a conflict scenario with the goal of restoring calm and allowing the parties involved to live together amicably. Similarly, Elmagri, & Eaton (2016) opined that conflict management entails using dialogue and communication to mitigate the disruptive and harmful effects of conflicts. Olakunle (2018) added support by saying that communication is crucial to our survival and has a critical role in every facet of our lives. According to Ekundayo and Alonge (2017), effective communication between university administration and students is an important part of conflict management since it may alter the attitude of an angry individual.

Categorically, there are many different kinds of communication, but the main ones can be broken down into the following categories: intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, extrapersonal, public, traditional, cultural, international, and mass. According to (Kazimoto, 2019), many forms of communication may be employed at different junctures within university community conflict for varied goals in order to manage and resolve conflicts between the administration and students of educational institutions. Scholars of communication like Nwabueze (2014) and Dike (1988) cited in David (2015) agree that at any time, the dissemination of information or messages can shape or change people's perceptions. Communication in tertiary institution is facilitated in large part by the use of traditional, interpersonal, and mass media (newspaper, magazine, radio, television, and the internet).

Therefore, due to the fact that communication plays a number of roles in conflict management, such as calming frayed nerves, educating parties involved in the conflicts, establishing and interpreting meanings, information exchange, instrument for growth and development, social transformation during conflict, promoting better teamwork, stimulating debate, and sensitizing people, it is essential to find ways to improve communication during times of conflict. Because of this, Fareo & Jajua (2018) averred that administrators and university students agree that open lines of communication are crucial during times of conflict. Several actions on communication motivated this study to assess communication as a tool for conflict resolution in selected tertiary institutions.

1. 1. Statement of the problem

In recent times, the current discontent among Nigerian university students has been attributed to a number of causes, including tuition fee increases, cults, a lack of response from administration to student concerns, and an inadequate means of getting about campus. Among the many other challenges, Aina (2017) mentioned the case of student disengagement on decision-making, excessive school pressure, students' shifting value systems, pressing national issues, and welfare concerns. All of these have been a major issue of serious concern to school authorities, parents, the government, and even students themselves, as they have led to revolts and conflicts among students, the breakdown of law and order, the closure of schools, the expulsion of students, and the destruction of lives and property.

Many conflicts on college campuses, according to communication experts who work to settle such conflicts, stem from miscommunication or misunderstandings in the flow of information, distribution, or between management. The location, tone, and timing of announcements have been noted by Adeyemi (2019) as potential sources of tension between students and administration. Communication is the lubricant that keeps social relationships moving or continuous with little or minimal frictions, and Ekundayo and Alonge (2017), argues that a lack of communication or inadequate use of communication may lead to a condition of discontent in educational institutions. That's why it's so dangerous when lines of communication between administration and students at universities and colleges are broken or don't work: it may lead to conflicts and even a state of unrest.

Many academic institutions in Kwara state, have showcase studies on the efficacy of using communication to manage and resolve conflicts. In retrospect, greater communication may have averted or mitigated these tragedies. This demonstrates that institutions either do not make enough use of communication to resolve conflicts, or else ignore the problem altogether. Evidence suggests the methods and mechanisms used to address emergencies were inappropriate. Thus, tertiary educational institution administrations miss out on the benefits of conflict management and resolution that may emerge from better use of communication technologies between administrations and students. As a result, there may be a breakdown in communication between administrators and students at universities, which might negatively impact the atmosphere on campus. Given this context, the purpose of the study is to look into how conflicts are handled through various forms of communication at Kwara state University, Nigeria.

1.3 Objective of the Study

The general objective of the study was to determine the communication strategies required for effective conflict resolution in kwara state university. The specific objectives are to:

1. Determine the level of information flow and usage between managements and students of tertiary institutions in Kwara state University.

2. Investigate the level of communication usage in conflict resolution between managements and students of Kwara state University.

3. Ascertain the communication strategies that managements of Kwara state University employ in conflict resolution between the managements and students;

4. Determine whether communication strategies employed by managements of Kwara state University has significant effect on conflict resolution.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study

1. What is the level of information flow and usage between managements and students of tertiary institutions in Kwara state University?

2. What is the level of communication usage in conflict resolution between managements and students of Kwara state University?

3. What are the communication strategies that managements of Kwara state University employ in conflicts resolution between the managements and students?

4. Does the communication strategies employed by managements of Kwara state University has significant effect on conflict resolution between them and the student?

1.5      Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses will be tested using Chi-square statistical tool at 0.05 significant level.

Ho1: The level of information flow and usage between managements and students of tertiary institutions in Kwara state University.

Ho2: The communication strategies employed by managements of Kwara state University does not have significant effect on conflict resolution between them and the student.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study is geared towards creating the consciousness of the importance of communication for a peaceful co-existence between managements and students of tertiary institutions. The study would enable managements of higher institutions to determine communication strategies and approaches that can be used to ensure peace on campuses. Apart from higher institutions of learning, it would serve as essential tool for different organizations to know the importance of effective channels and process of communication in ensuring peace between organizations and workers. The study would also make management of higher institutions of learning to be conversant with the communication strategies to be employed between it and the students.

The expectation is that the findings should assist the university authorities by analyzing past management approaches adopted during students’ conflict with a view to improving students’ conflict management and subsequently offer suggestions on better means of handling such conflict whenever they occur. In addition, data generated would provide the platforms for the acquisition of necessary knowledge and skills needed to work through conflict situations. The study would provide a working guide to the management of every higher institution or the communication patterns between it and students as a panacea for peace on campuses. Finally, the study would contribute empirically to the body of existing literature and it would serve as a reference source to students or other researchers who might want to carry out their research on the similar topic.

1.7 Scope of the Study

The scope of the study border on the communication strategies required for effective conflict resolution in kwara state university. The study will further discuss the usage of inter-personal channel of communication by managements in the resolution of conflicts between the managements and students in institutions of higher learning and find out the effectiveness of communication strategies employed by managements on the relationship between managements and students of tertiary institution.

Geographically,the study will be carried out Kwara state University. The university is the first private university in Kwara state located in Ogume, Kwara state, Nigeria, and was founded in the year 2005. The participants for this study will be obtained among undergraduates in the school.

1.8 Limitation of the study

The Researcher, while carrying out this study, experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, and the attitude of the respondents. However, the researcher was able to manage and to ensure the success of this study.

More so, the method utilized in the study posed some challenges to the investigator including the possibility of biases and poor judgment of issues. However, the investigator relied on respect for the general principles of procedures, justice, fairness, objectivity in observation, and weighing of evidence to overcome the challenges.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Conflict: This is a form of dispute or disagreement with serious divergent of opinions, wishes and anger that occur between managements and students of Novena University

Conflict Management: This connotes the practices the which aids the handling of conflicts between students and management of Novena University sensibly, fairly, and efficiently . It is the process by which disputes are resolved in the university.

Communication: This includes the means through which students and the management of Novena University dialogue to resolve conflicts arising in the school environment.