Student perceptions regarding contradiction and conflict resolution during the synthesis course

The purpose of this study was to identify and categorize those experiences where the student perceived there to be discrepancies between school bred values and work-world values. The investigator then examined these experiences to determine if the conflicts described by the student had been productively or nonproductively resolved. Also explored was the possibility that other factors, such as demographic characteristics, life satisfaction, satisfaction with the course, and satisfaction with the preceptor, might influence the student's ability to resolve conflicts. The large number of students who reported experiencing no conflicts with their preceptors was contrary to all the literature examined for this study. There were two findings in this study which were unexpected by the investigator and require further research. First, the male students in the study were less successful overall in their ability to resolve situations of conflict. Second, students whose ages were less than the mean age of the sample were more successful in their ability to resolve conflicts than students whose ages were above the mean age of the sample.