Training Elementary School Students to Manage Conflict

Abstract

The effectiveness of a peer mediation program in a midwestern, suburban school in the United States was examined. Six classes (one combination secondlthird grade, one third grade, two fourth grades, and two fifth grades) containing 144 students received 9 hr of training in negotiating integrative agreements to their conflicts and mediating their classmates' conflicts. Eighty-three untrained third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders served as a control group. A peer mediation program was implemented. The role of mediator was rotated equally among all class members. A pretestlposttest, experimentallcontrol group design was used. The results indicate that students successfully learned the negotiation and mediation procedures, were able to apply the procedures in actual conflict situations, and maintained this knowledge throughout the academic year. CONFLICTS AMONG STUDENTS in U.S. schools result in destructive outcomes with alarming frequency. In many schools, outbreaks of violent behavior and the presence of weapons are all too common, with estimates indicating that over 25,000 handguns enter schools daily. A quarter of all high school seniors in 1993 reported being threatened with violence (Stop the Violence, 1994).Providing students with a quality education is becoming more difficult as societal influences disrupt the curriculum. Even in schools where weapons are rare, students often try to resolve conflicts by using destructive strategies, such as verbal threats, withdrawal, telling the teacher, and restating demands (Johnson, Johnson, & Dudley, 1992). Most students seem to be unaware and ignorant of steps that would allow them to manage conflicts constructively (Lam, 1989).We thank Pat Erlandson. principal, and the faculty of Creek Valley Elementary School, Edina, Minnesota, for their help and assistance in conducting this study.

Conflict resolution education: The field, the findings, and the future

“…Although not included in the meta-analysis, two earlier TSPP studies (Johnson and Johnson, 1996c; showed similar results in terms of students' conflict knowledge and tendency toward integrative negotiation in hypothetical and actual conflicts.…”

The Investigation of the Effect of Negotiation and Mediation Training on Interpersonal Problem Solving Approaches and Anger of Adolescents

“…Okullarda kazandırılan problem çözme becerisi sayesinde öğrenciler kendi sorunlarını yapıcı yönettikleri için öğretmenler ve yöneticiler, öğrencilerin sorunlarını çözmede daha az zaman harcamaktadırlar. Yönetici ve öğretmenler kalan enerjilerini eğitim ve öğretimle ilgili diğer işlere ayırabilmektedirler (Johnson, Johnson, Dudley ve Magnuson, 1995;Lane ve McWhirter, 1992;McWilliam, Nielssen ve Moore, 2015). Verilen eğitimle öğrenciler, bu beceriyi gerçek yaşam sorunlarında uygulayabilmektedirler (Johnson ve Johnson, 2004;Johnson, Johnson, Dudley, Mitchell ve Fredrickson, 1997;Smith, Daunic, Miller ve Robinson, 2002;Garrard ve Lipsey, 2007;Zuure, 2014).…”

The effectiveness of peer mediation in a low-SES rural elementary school

“…The lack of outcome studies contributes to the literature's current inability to support fully the effectiveness of peer mediation. Although published studies are limited, recent contributions (e.g., Dudley, Johnson, & Johnson, 1996;Johnson et al, 1995;Soutter & McKenzie, 1998;Thompson, 1996) have offered tentative support for the efficacy of peer mediation in certain settings, largely middle-class suburban schools (reviewed by . Despite the mounting literature, a number of research questions are yet to be fully addressed.…”