Conflict and Conflict Management Techniques: A Field Study of Childcare Workers in a Group Home for Displaced and Disturbed Children

• In Event: Mananging Conflict and Contributing to Peace in Educational Settings

Abstract

First-hand observations were made of the occurrence of conflict and the conflict management techniques used by childcare workers in a group home for displaced and disturbed children. The analysis revealed that the highly structured environment of the group home paradoxically contributed to chaos and conflict among child clients. Most childcare workers successfully used a verbally facilitative approach to managing conflict, but one childcare worker consistently escalated or created conflict by being verbally aggressive and abusive.

Author

• Michael N. Anhar, Merced College