School mechanisms and socialization of student Leaders in conflict mediation in Lugari Sub County, Kakamega County, Kenya

Abstract

The global educational landscape has shifted towards Competency-Based Education (CBE),emphasizing the practical application of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values in real-worldcontexts. This shift intersects with the context of Kenyan secondary schools, particularly in therealm of conflict resolution, where student council leaders play a pivotal role. While manynations have implemented policies to support these leaders in conflict management, relyingsolely on policies has proven insufficient, resulting in persistent unrest within schools. This paperadvocates for an enhanced approach to the socialization of school council leaders, focusing onequipping them with effective conflict resolution mechanisms and communication strategies. Thepurpose of this research was to assess the school mechanisms in socialization of school councilleaders on conflict resolution. The objectives of the study were to find out the schoolmechanisms which enhance the socialization of school council leaders in conflict resolution andevaluate the status of these mechanisms in promoting resolution of conflicts in secondaryschools. The research was guided by the social change and conflict theory. It was descriptiveresearch adopting a mixed methods research approach. The research was carried out in secondaryschools in Lugari Sub-County. The target population for this study consisted of school councilleaders, guiding and counseling teachers and principals of the sampled schools. A total of 180students were selected through purposive sampling. Simple random sampling was used toidentify respondents in every class. Ten guiding and counseling teachers and ten principalsparticipated in the study. Data was collected using questionnaires and semi structured interviews.Quantitative data was analyzed and presented in percentages while qualitative data was analyzedthematically. The study found out that majority of the school council leaders, guiding andcounseling teachers and principals were in agreement that socialization of school council leadersin mechanisms like communication on arbitration, mediation, special training on conflictresolution with fellow students promotes conflict resolution in secondary schools. Mostsecondary schools were applying school mechanisms to promote a peaceful learningenvironment where the school council leaders could tackle most of the conflicts that arise. Thefinal report will provide information that will help educationists in alleviating the negativeeffects of conflict and student unrest in education sectors and socialization of school councilleaders on conflict resolution methods in schools. Research has revealed significant challenges