Vad är en konflikt för dig? - En kvalitativ intervjustudie om elevers upplevelser av konflikter

Abstract

This thesis attempts to illustrate how students experience conflicts. By connecting student experiences to the school’s social agenda, the importance of conflict management at the schools was highlighted. Subsequent student interviews enabled mapping of student strategies for dealing with, and understanding conflicts. The answers were analyzed using the Marshall Rosenberg theories and other recent research into non-violent communication. The results revealed that the students have varying associations to conflicts as well as strategies and feelings they associate with conflict. This variability supports the theories of Rosenberg (2004) and thus reveal that individuals learn early on to use jackal communication using judgment, value; and guilt-based language. This study shows that the student’s way of expressing their emotions is limited as they find it difficult to describe other feelings than hate/anger and sorrow when they are in conflict situations. This further supports current thinking in conflict research and pedagogy regarding repetition of a conflict-averse culture. The students’ connection is therefore limited to their own definition of conflict, which was often negative.