Noting that the increasing concern about violence in schools and society in general is evident in recent initiatives undertaken by the government in Victoria, Australia, this study explored students' conflicts in a Victorian primary school, focusing on the role of the teacher in student conflict. Participating in the exploratory study were 6 teachers (1 male and 5 females) teaching various levels ranging from Prep to Year 6. Also participating were 6 students (3 females and 3 males) in Year 4 who were 9- to 10-year-olds. Data were collected by means of student and teacher interviews, participant observation, classroom observations, and document analysis. Findings indicated that teachers perceived conflict similarly as involving physically combative actions and behaviors leading to adverse outcomes. Students viewed conflict as an actively aggressive event that leads to discord. Conflict was found to be a regular part of students' social interactions, with a high proportion of disputes involving access and possession issues. Most conflicts occurred on the playground. On the playground, students most often used contending conflict resolution methods involving force, threat, or verbal and physical tactics. The most common teacher strategies involved contending strategies--traditional and authoritarian tactics such as prejudging, lecturing, separating disputants, and imposing solutions. Teachers believed that teacher intervention was the successful and preferred conflict resolution strategy. Problem solving was the least common teacher approach, with only one teacher using this approach. Within the classroom, conflict management preventative techniques were used before conflicts arose or escalated. The findings suggest a link between teacher and student perception of conflict and the selected conflict management strategies. Findings pose implications for teachers' roles in helping students resolve conflicts. (Contains 34 references.)(KB)