Understanding conflict management strategies by principals in Nkangala district

The study was conducted after being permitted by the University of Pretoria Faculty of Education Ethics Committee and Nkangala district, Mpumalanga Province, Department of Education requesting permission to access participants. The participants signed informed consent forms before the collection of data. A qualitative approach within the interpretivist paradigm was employed using a case study research design.

A situational leadership theory was used as a lens through which to guide this study. Six principals from primary schools in the Nkangala district were purposively sampled. Data was collected from participants using semi-structured interviews. The data analysis for this study followed Creswell’s six steps of data analysis. Refer to the attached files for more information about the false names of participants, research questions, themes and subthemes. The researcher followed case study design while investigating and capturing the complexity of the study.