Fostering conflict resolution skills of primary school students through collaborative interaction

Abstract

The article examines the issue of fostering a transversal ability of primary school students to resolve conflicts in the process of collaborative interaction. The analysis of the source base indicates that this ability is fundamental to the formation of the general social competence of a modern individual. An adult must be able to communicate with others, negotiate, build partnerships, and resolve contradictions and disputes that arise in the course of interaction with others.
Any social or professional behavior is inevitably accompanied by conflict situations which are a manifestation of different viewpoints. This is why the ability to negotiate and constructively resolve conflicts is of considerable importance.
The study focuses on a specific type of conflict, namely pedagogical conflicts, and particularly those that arise between primary school students during collaborative interaction. The experience of practicing teachers in fostering students’ ability to resolve conflicts has been analyzed. The results indicate numerous studies on methods, techniques, and technologies for teaching young students the nature of conflicts and developing their conflict resolution skills.
Among various educational tools, interactive interaction and technologies can be beneficial for fostering primary school students and preparing them to resolve conflicts that arise during educational activities. Therefore, the publication outlines a set of essential pedagogical conditions for nurturing in younger students the transversal ability to resolve conflicts during collaborative interactions and analyzes the specifics of their implementation in primary school practice. The authors highlight the importance of cultivating a proactive and positive desire in young students to resolve conflicts through active interaction with others. Targeted efforts are crucial in introducing students to conflict resolution methods through interactive technologies, such as cooperative learning, groupbased learning, and discussion-based approaches. According to the authors, the use of interactive technologies for cooperative learning and situational modeling is essential for developing students’ skills and experience in conflict resolution.
The authors claim that with a teacher’s targeted efforts in selecting optimal conditions and pedagogical technologies (such as interactive ones), it is possible to enhance the overall ability of primary school students to resolve conflicts during collaborative interaction.