Evaluating Stakeholders' Perceptions of Compromise and Negotiation as Conflict Management Techniques among Federal Unity Schools in South-South, Nigeria

This study evaluated stakeholders' perceptions of compromise and negotiation as conflict management techniques in Federal Unity Schools in Nigeria's South-South geopolitical zone. Two objectives guided the study: to ascertain stakeholders' perceptions of the application of compromise technique, and to determine the extent to which stakeholders perceive the application of negotiation technique, in resolving and managing conflict in these schools. Two research questions and two corresponding null hypotheses were formulated accordingly. A descriptive survey design was adopted, drawing on a population of 2,566 principals, teachers, Ministry of Education officials, and Parent-Teacher Association members across Federal Unity Schools in six South-South states. Using proportionate and cluster sampling techniques, 333 respondents were selected, of whom 315 returned validly completed, structured questionnaires built on a five-point Likert scale. Frequency counts and mean scores answered the research questions, while One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tested the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings showed that both compromise (grand mean = 4.00) and negotiation (grand mean = 4.21) are actively applied in Federal Unity Schools, with compromise used mainly as a quick, give-and-take settlement for day-to-day disputes and negotiation used for more structured bargaining with unions, Ministry officials, and other external parties. ANOVA results indicated no statistically significant difference in the perceptions of principals, teachers, MOE officials, and PTA members regarding either approach (compromise: p = 0.347; negotiation: p = 0.392), pointing to broad stakeholder consensus. The study concludes that compromise and negotiation are complementary bargaining-based approaches that help stabilise Federal Unity Schools, and recommends that both be reinforced through structured training for administrators and staff.