The role of web 2.0 tools in managing organizational conflict: A case of state primary schools in Sakarya province

In recent years, Web 2.0 tools have deeply affected the education sector as well as other sectors. Conflict and conflict management in organizations are the subject of study in many disciplines from business to international relations. In this study, the use of Web 2.0 tools and the literature on conflict management in organizations are discussed together in the context of the education sector. The main purpose of the thesis is to examine the role of Web 2.0 tools in the management of conflicts in public primary schools. Thus, it is expected to explore the nature of the conflict between administrators, teachers and parents in public primary schools in the virtual environment. Mutual conflicts and disagreements in individual or group relationships in public or private schools are frequently the subject of scientific studies. However, the role of Web 2.0 tools, which are increasingly used in the education sector, especially in the pandemic and post-pandemic period, in conflict and conflict management has been examined in a very limited number of studies. In this respect, this thesis is expected to fill an important gap in the relevant literature. In line with this purpose and background, the following research question was determined based on the relevant literature: "What is the role of Web 2.0 tools in the management of organizational conflict in public primary schools in Sakarya?". In this thesis, it is first necessary to reveal the current situation regarding the frequency and dimensions of conflict in the use of Web 2.0 tools in public primary schools, and then to understand the nature, type and how the conflict between administrators, teachers and parents is managed. Since such an endeavor requires the use of both quantitative and qualitative data, "explanatory sequential mixed design" as a mixed research method was preferred in this thesis. The research covers public primary schools in Sakarya city center. In the collection of quantitative data, the questionnaire form developed by the researcher was applied to the number of teachers determined according to the stratified sampling technique in the second semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. The findings obtained from the quantitative research were analyzed using basic statistical techniques with the SPSS 22.0 program. The qualitative research part was designed based on the findings obtained from the quantitative research. A questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions developed by the researcher was used in the qualitative research. Qualitative data were collected in the first semester of the 2021-2022 academic year with the participation of two groups of school principals and teachers who expressed conflict in the use of Web 2.0 tools. The thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter explains conflict conceptually, the second chapter discusses conflict management, and the third chapter examines stakeholders and their roles in public primary schools in Turkey. In the fourth chapter, the use of Web 2.0 tools in education is evaluated in terms of their advantages and disadvantages. The fifth chapter, which is the last chapter of the thesis, consists of the research design developed in parallel with the research question and problem, analysis of the findings and discussion. According to the findings obtained from the research, although Web 2.0 tools are not proportionally high in the conflicts experienced by teachers, they constitute a problem area in school management and educational processes. The participants support the use of Web 2.0 tools. Therefore, it is predicted that potential conflicts will increase as a result of the further spread of Web 2.0 applications. In addition, it is understood that school principals develop solutions by using the integration and reconciliation style in solving Web 2.0-based conflicts.