الفهرس 
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Abstract
Nursing students are increasingly challenged to manage conflict, improve communication, and reduce aggressive behavior. If conflict is managed effectively and constructively, this can lead to personal and organizational growth and academic achievement. Conflict resolution styles as competing, avoiding, collaborating, compromising, and accommodating are essential to handle conflicts effectively. They represent different combination of assertiveness and cooperativeness, and have two dimensions: concern for self and concern for others.
The study was aimed at assessing the effect of the training program about conflict resolution strategies on nursing students’ assertiveness. It hypothesized improving nurse students’ conflict resolution strategies will improve assertiveness after implementation of training program. It was conducted at the Technical Institute of Nursing; Zagazig University using used a quasi-experimental research design with pre-post-follow-up assessments. The sample included 151 nursing students during the time of the study. A self-administrated questionnaire sheet was used to measure students’ knowledge of conflict with scales for perceived conflict, resolution strategies, and assertiveness. The tool was validated by experts’ opinions and pilot-tested. The study was carried out through assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation phases. The impact of the program was evaluated immediately after its completion, and after a three-month follow-up.
The main study findings were as follows.
The nurse students’ age ranged between 18 and 22 years, 76.8% females, with mostly general secondary education (88.7%); 25.2% were working during the study.
In total, 6.6% of the nurse students had pre-intervention satisfactory knowledge, which rose to 98.7% at the post-intervention phase, and 98.0% at the follow-up phase. (p<0.001).
Totally, 66.9% of the nurse students had high perception of total conflict before intervention phase. Which rose to 80.1% at the post-intervention phase, and 77.5% the follow-up phase. (p=0.04).
Before the intervention phase, the most used conflict management strategy was the compromising (68.2%), while the avoiding strategy was lowest (53.6%).
The post-intervention and follow-up phases showed significant increases in all strategies expect the competing strategy, which decreased (P=0.006), and the avoiding strategy, which did not change (P=0.82).
Overall, 5.6% of students had high assertiveness before the intervention phase, which increased to 51.7% at the post-intervention phase and slightly decreased to 38.4% at the follow-up phase but remained statistically higher compared to pre-intervention levels (p<0.001).
The pre-intervention use of the accommodating and compromising conflict management strategies was higher among those not working (P=0.02, P=0.048), while the competing strategy was higher among those in grade ”2” (P=0.049), and those having internet at home (P=0.02).
The students with high pre-intervention assertiveness had more use of the accommodating conflict management strategy (P=0.02).
Students’ knowledge scores had significant positive correlations with their perceived total conflict, assertiveness, and a negative correlation with the competing strategy.
The knowledge, total perceived conflict, and assertiveness scores had significant positive correlations with the scores of accommodating, collaborating, and compromising strategies.
In multivariate analysis:
o The study intervention and the school grade were positive predictors of knowledge score, while the crowding index and the previous training in assertiveness were negative predictors.
o The study intervention was a significant negative predictor of total perceived conflict score, while the knowledge score was a positive predictor.
o Knowledge score and mother job were significant positive predictors of the assertiveness score, while the school grade was a negative predictor.
o The study intervention, crowding index, and the scores of total perceived conflict and assertiveness were the significant independent positive predictors of the accommodating strategy score.
o The general secondary education, the training in assertiveness, crowding index, internet at home, and the scores of knowledge, total perceived conflict, and assertiveness scores were significant independent positive predictors of the collaborating strategy score.
o The school grade, general secondary education, and the scores of knowledge, total perceived conflict, and assertiveness scores were significant independent positive predictors.
o Having internet at home was significant independent positive predictor of the competing strategy score. While the study intervention, mother education, and assertiveness score were negative predictors.
o Having internet at home, the scores of knowledge and total perceived conflict were significant independent positive predictors of the avoiding strategy score. While being married and the assertiveness score were its negative predictors.
In conclusion, the implementation of an educational intervention is effective in improving these nursing students’ knowledge and perception of conflict, and their assertiveness with positive influences on the constructive conflict management strategies, and hindering impact on the negative ones.
The study recommends inclusion of the developed training program in the curricula of Technical Nursing Institutes in order to improve students’ psychomotor skills. Teachers/trainers need training to be able to administer this program. The administration of the Institutes should monitor the main types of conflict among the nursing students and their underlying factors and improve the teaching environment. Summer courses and co-curriculum activities are suggested, and students should be encouraged to update their knowledge through effective use of internet resources. Further research is proposed to investigate the impact of the use of effective conflict resolution strategies on students’ academic achievement. Procedures manual handbooks containing necessary information related to assertiveness should be available and easily used to all nursing students and nurse educators.