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USING FAMILY ORIENTATION IN THE CONFLICT RESOLUTION APPROACH

AMONG TEACHERS OF MSU-LANAO NORTE
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE CAMPUS
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A Dissertation
Presented to the Faculty
of the Graduate School of Graduate Studies
La Salle University
Ozamiz City, Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education
Major in Educational Management

by

Rosalie P. Saycon

October 2011

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

“Trust in the LORD….in all your ways, acknowledges Him, and

He shall direct your paths.”
-Proverbs 3:5-6
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With heartfelt and most humble gratitude, I thank the

Almighty God the Father, first for giving me this wonderful

life, second for sending us His Most Beloved Son Jesus

Christ who redeemed us from our transgressions with His most

precious blood.

Third, I thank God as He promises in His Word, “But

seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and

all these things shall be added unto you”. He never failed

in providing me strength, courage, guidance, wisdom and

abundant blessings.

And finally, I want to thank Him for providing me the

following people who had served as my inspiration and

strength throughout this undertaking. They are:

Danilo D. Saycon, my husband, for giving me his

unconditional love, moral and financial support,

understanding on the pursuit of my dreams, and having been

my best friend for many years.

Dr. Denise Abao-Tan, my dissertation consultant, for

her untiring and valuable assistance for sharing willingly

her time and expertise in the development of this

manuscript.
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Dr. Maria Nancy Quinco-Cadosales, my adviser, for

believing in me and helping me realize my capabilities that

I myself have not known, for giving her words of

encouragement, inspiration and time spent in improving this

paper.

Br. Jaime M. Dalumpines FSC, EdD, Dr. Flordeliz J.

Ejercito, Dr. Emma O. Suana, and Dr. Rezyl R. Mallorca, who

served as panel of readers and who gave their profound

insights for this study.

Prof. Orlando A. Fernandez, OIC MSU-LNAC Supt., for his

heartfelt support in convincing the administration to allow

this study.

MSU-LNAC teachers, for actively participating and

lending me their precious time for interview and

conversation that provided necessary data for this study.

Mrs. Gloria E. Bandala, Mrs. Nelia M. Lanzaderas and

Prof. Ricardo R. Quidato, a true friend and a colleague, for

their prayers, words of inspiration, moral support and

lending me their precious time and a shoulder to cry on

during the days that I was down.

My dear children, Dianne, Donna, Dannicah, Dannielle

and Dee Arr, for being so kind enough to understand my

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absence at home, for inspiring me to do my best for their

future and for being my constant source of strength to

pursue my dreams.

Lastly, to my eldest sister, Hadja Fatima H. Benasing,

who had never stopped believing and trusting in me.

To you Abba Father, I owe the highest glory, praises and thanks for

the fulfillment of this paper!

D E D I C A T I O N

This paper is humbly dedicated to the very magnificent and powerful

Almighty God The Father

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For providing me strength, courage, divine guidance, wisdom and for leading me

continuously in the path that I should walk on and for inspiring me to share my

knowledge towards my educational journey!

To my Husband and children,

For being my constant source of strength and inspiration to pursue my dreams.

Rosalie Patay- Saycon

ABSTRACT

In many cases, have all been seen conflict in the

workplace just seems to be a fact of life. Situations were
different people with different goals and needs have come
into conflict. The fact that conflict exists; however, is
not necessarily a bad thing: As long as it is resolved
effectively, it can lead to personal and professional
growth. A lot of researchers from graduate studies had been
investigating towards conflict management among employee-
and-employer relation, but little is done with grounded
theory research with regard to a clear and coherent
theoretical framework that underpins the conflict resolution
approach among teachers here in the Philippines. A developed
grounded theory was designed to find out the conflict
resolution approach among diverse culture of teacher in MSU-
Lanao Norte Agricultural College. Forty-three faculty
members in both College and High School department, and 6
administrators employed in the MSU-LNAC were interviewed
over a period of four months. Interviews were analyzed using
the Pandit’s and Tan’s grounded theory methodology and the
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cross-analysis method. “Using family orientation in the

conflict resolution approach” was the central concern that
emerged. Two main processes have been identified and
discussed that enveloped an emerging substantive theory of
“Using family orientation in the conflict resolution
approach”. There were multi-distinct yet related categories
and processes that served as a grounded frame of reference
in which respondents do in resolving conflict. The following
related categories namely: 1) Set the Scene or Active
listening, 2) Gather Information, 3) Agree the Problem 4)
Brainstorm Possible Solutions and Verification. Using family
orientation in the conflict resolution approach was neither
unimaginative nor just cyclical in nature, it is experienced
and undergone by conflict resolvers with varying degree of
conflict management skills, principles depending on the
problem at hand, personal values, beliefs, culture and some
other factors. The theory proposes that respondents can be
classified as dependent, independent resolvers and a process
of change according to how they solve conflict at home and
in school organization using their family orientation.
Managed in the wrong way, real and legitimate differences
between people can quickly spiral out of control, resulting
in situations where co-operation breaks down and the team's
mission is threatened. This is particularly the case where
the wrong approaches to conflict resolution are used. To
calm these situations down, it helps to take a positive
approach to conflict resolution, where discussion is
courteous and non-confrontational, and the focus is on
issues rather than on individuals. If this is done, then, as
long as people listen carefully and explore facts, issues
and possible solutions properly, conflict can often be
resolved effectively. Over-all, the present study gives a
clearer picture on the processes teachers and administrators
undergo, the conflict resolution approach, and the role of
influence that their family orientation skills and other
intervening factors may play in their success or failure in
doing their task.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page i
Approval Sheet ii
Acknowledgment iii
Dedication vi
Abstract vii
Table of Contents ix
List of Tables
List of Figures

Chapter

1 TECHNICAL LITERATURE AND THE RESEARCH

TAN/PANDIT’S Methodology 3

A Priori Constructs 5

The Problem 22

2 METHOD

The Research Design 23

The Research Setting 23

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Participants 26

Limitations of the Study 26

Data Sources 28

Research Instrument 29

Procedures 29

Data Analysis 30

Maintaining A Balance Objectivity 34

and Sensitivity

Measures of Good Grounded Theory 38

Ethical Considerations 40

References 42
Semi-Structured Interview Protocol 44
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List of Figures

1 The Interrelated Processes of

Data Collection, Data Ordering, and
12
Data Analysis to Build Grounded Theory

2 The Paradigm Model

14

3 Paradigm of the Process Employed

In this Study Based on Pandit & Tan’s
18
Grounded Theory Methodology

4 Illustration of Coding Process

32
Employ in this study

5 Constant Comparison Methods 34

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