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Essay Subject: Training for, goals, effects & effectiveness of this approach to managing student conflict in elementary, junior high & high schools.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Training for, goals, effects & effectiveness of this approach to managing student conflict in elementary, junior high & high schools. Paper Introduction: EFFECTS AND EFFICACY OF PEER MEDIATION Heller (1996) has noted that well-disciplined schools make appropriate school discipline a part of every curriculum, program, and practice. In particular, Heller recommends peer mediation as a means of reducing school conflict and violence. Peer Mediation can be defined as a mode of student conflict management in which two trained peer mediators work as a team to encourage problem solving between disputants (Benson & Benson, 1993). According to Lane and McWhirter (1992) peer mediation evolved from the realization of the need to encourage win-win situations in guiding students toward the development of an ethos of sensitivity to and awareness of how others are affected by their actions. The authors stated that when used in conjunction Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. (p. In this regard, these programs were found to lower thenumber of warnings, suspensions, and demerits for personal conflicts and,in one study, also for disciplinary referrals. Conflict resolution programs andsocial justice. Based on the findings of the reviewed studies, it can be concludedthat peer mediation is an effective means of reducing school conflict andviolence at all levels of the educational system. The number of conflicts high school students engaged in were alsoreduced and there was a subsequent elevation in their conflict managementskills. AAD96-38 84) Heller, G.S. However, it is pointed out that many such programs almost entirelyignore the social injustices underlying the problem. U.S. al (1994) reported that: Careful observation of hallways, the lunchroom, the playground, and the gymnasium revealed that four months after training, subjects seriously and carefully used these procedures to resolve highly emotional and prolonged conflicts with fellow students. The program trained 53junior high school students, selected through interviews, to mediate schoolcommunity conflict as peers of the disputants. Bettmann, E.H. However, it should bepointed out that the success of any given program will depend upon a numberof variables (e.g., characteristics of the mediator, the initial socialskills of the targeted group, and so forth) and that in order for successto be maximal, a continual program of monitoring and evaluating outcomesshould probably be implemented. In fact, the program became known as an alternative to violence,and large numbers of students began making self-referrals. Summary and Conclusions This study examined the effects of peer mediation in elementary,middle, and secondary school settings. Subjects in the study consisted of 71 male and 73 female secondthrough fifth grade students, all of whom received nine hours of mediationtraining. In some earlier work, Johnson, Johnson, Dudley and Acikgoz (1994)evaluated a peer-mediation training program in four multi-age classrooms inan American, suburban, middle-class elementary school. In all, 783 conflicts were reported (2 9 at school, 574 at home). In the middle school setting, peer mediation programs weresuccessfully used by students to better handle conflicts and thisimprovement in conflict skills generalized to their behavior in thecommunity. As with elementary and middle school students, high schoolstudents also tended to generalize the effects of peer mediation tosettings outside of the school, thereby reducing conflict, tension, andviolence not only in school but outside in the general community. The targetgroup participated in peer mediation training and worked with teachers andstaff to use the training with classroom conflicts. The authors reported that prior to the training program, frequentconflicts involving physical aggression, playground activities, access toor possession of objects, turn taking, put-downs and teasing, and academicwork were reported. Engert, I.U. The premediation strategies students most commonly used werephysically and verbally forcing the other person to give in. Crary, D.R. However,mediation was able to offer students a different alternatives, the mostcommon of which was for students to agree to avoid each other in thefuture. & McWhirter, J.J. 11) It is further recommended that educators, counselors, and socialworkers assisting students with conflict/violence problems begin to realizethat peer mediation programs are not only for the students. Mediation Quarterly, 12(4), 379-39 . This foregoing point has been discussed by Bettmann and Moore (1994)who note that for many young people it is their marginalization within theeducational community that leads to disharmony and violence. (1992). Finally, peer mediation programs also operated successfully at thehigh school level. Education SpecialistPracticum: Nova University. Kirleis, K. In particular, Heller recommends peer mediation as a means ofreducing school conflict and violence.Peer Mediation can be defined as a mode of student conflict management inwhich two trained peer mediators work as a team to encourage problemsolving between disputants (Benson & Benson, 1993). The focus was on discovering what factors the success ofmediation by the students in this school. (1995). The authors stated that whenused in conjunction with traditional means of discipline, peer mediationoperates to provide the forum for resolution of disputes on school grounds.Moreover, student involvement in the mediation process is said to ensurepractice with critical thinking, problem solving, and self-discipline. ED 394 865). If suchsteps are not taken, the authors warn that the implementation programskills to situations of institutionalized social injustice may actually actas a catalyst for violence. Elementary SchoolGuidance and Counseling, 27(1), 15-23. Turf-side conflict mediation forstudents. According to the authors, the resultsof their data analyses revealed that, compared to traditional discipline,peer mediation resulted in fewer subsequent warnings, suspensions, anddemerits, though only for personal conflict, and not for disciplinaryreferrals. According to Crary (1992), analysis of questionnaire data from 125students and 23 faculty members revealed high levels of utilization of thepeer mediation strategies, individual case successes, and satisfaction withoutcomes. Community benefits from mediation: A test of the"Peace virus." Mediation Quarterly, 9(3), 241-252. The mediation training lasted one and one-half days. In this regard,Bettmann and Moore (1994) state that: ...social injustices in the schools need to be corrected prior to implementation of the conflict resolution programs, since they alone cannot correct the injustices. Burrell, N.A. Training focused onnegotiation and mediation procedures and skills. Vincent, Houlihan and Zwart (1996) conducted a meta-analysis of peermediation studies across school settings (elementary, middle, and highschool settings). According tothe authors, it focused on providing students with training incommunication, assertiveness, and mediation skills. (1996). Peer mediationamong high school students: A Test of effectiveness. Data analyses were said to reveal several factors that operated toinhibit the effects of mediation. Changing the school to reduce student violence:What works? Analyses of data was said to show thattraining had a significant impact on the strategies students used and theresulting resolutions both in the school setting and at home.Peer Mediation In Junior High Schools Crary (1992) evaluated a two-year program long peer mediation programattempted to effect conflict resolution in a large, culturally diverse,urban middle school in Santa Monica, California. Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R., Dudley, B. (1996). These factors were said to include:students' attitudes, feelings, and behaviors regarding mediation; studentmethods of handling conflict; attitudes, feelings, and behaviors ofstudents in school; school dynamics; factors related to the mediation ofprogram and societal issues.Peer Mediation In High School An investigation of the relative effectiveness of peer mediation andtraditional discipline in the resolution of the personal conflicts of 52high school students was conducted by Tolson, McDonald and Moriarty (1992)in a suburban high school setting. The purpose of this study is to examine research on the effects ofpeer mediation. Using qualitative methodology, 2 students, 12 faculty members, andeight parents from this school community were interviewed by theresearcher. (Doctoral Dissertation, University of Massachusetts) DissertationAbstracts International, 57(7-A), p. (1996). Of specific interest to the authors was not only whetherpeer mediation was successful in reducing conflict in school settings butwhether it generalized to children and adolescents' out-of-school behavior. Inone study, Johnson, Johnson, Cotten, Harris and Louison (1995) examined theeffectiveness of an inner-city peer mediation program in a midwesternelementary school in which third- and fourth-grade students were trained asconflict managers in order to mediate schoolmates' conflicts. (1992). & vogl, S.M. Journal ofSocial Psychology, 134(6), 8 3-817. (1995). & Zwart, K. 8 3) In an interesting extension of their ongoing work on peer mediationin elementary schools, Johnson, Johnson, Dudley and Ward (1995) evaluated apeer mediation program to determine its impact in both school and homesettings. However, following training sample subjects were ableto transfer the procedures and skills and apply them in real conflictsamong classmates. Peer mediation: Conflictresolution in schools. Kirleis (1995) explored the impact of peer mediation on emotionallyand behaviorally disordered high school students. Further, elementary school peer mediation projects reduced andor eliminated discipline problems at the school. Mediation Quarterly, 7(3), 237-25 . In addition, the programsworked not only to help students handle conflicts at school but also athome. Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R., Cotten, B., Harris, D. (Microfilm Order No. Perspectives from different parts of the system wereelicited by asking similar questions of parents, students, and faculty. (1994). Discipline problems were eliminated as subjects became more autonomous in managing their conflicts constructively. 2876. Although females brought more conflicts to mediation,physical aggression was used more frequently in male-male and male-femaleconflicts than in female-female conflicts. Journal of School Psychology, 31(3), 427-43 . Using peers to increasebehaviors of isolated children in school settings: An analysis ofgeneralization effects. Theberge, S.K. To provide context, the review will examine studies of peermediation at the elementary, junior high, and high school level. Asignificant difference between the types of conflict occurring in theschool and in the home was found. (Microfilm Order No. Also, middle schools found that their peer mediation programsworked to reduce disruptive classroom behavior. From a social work perspective, there is one final point that must bemade. The impactof peer mediation training on the management of school and home conflicts.American Educational Research Journal, 32(4), 829-844. Students felt that the program was helping them to work ontheir conflict-management skills, teachers believed the programsignificantly reduced incidents of fighting and disruptive behavior, andadministrators felt that students were now taking responsibility for theirbehavior. It was also noted that anecdotal data suggested that the peermediation program has been positively received by administrators, studentsand faculty. Moreover, Craryreported that evidence was found that effects of mediation spreadthroughout the student community. NASSP Bulletin, 8 (579), 1-1 . Burrell and Vogl (199 ) conducted an extremely comprehensive study ofpeer mediation programs at elementary through high school levels.According to the authors, findings showed that regardless of grade level,mediators were able to act as effective third party neutrals and sosuccessfully resolve school disputes involving fighting, disruptivebehavior, and even vandalism. It was also noted that theprogram should be tailored to the target group, which, in the case of aparticular field site, was said to mean providing an additional skill baseto undergird mediators' efforts. (Bettmann & Moore, 1994, p. This concerns the fact that many conflicts in school arise not frompersonal characteristics of the students but rather from social injustices. Behavioral Interventions, 11(2), 1 1-117.----------------------- 13 However, it wasalso pointed out that the degree of program success, over the course of twoyears, was moderated by a number of school-related factors which led to therecommendation that any such program needs continual active support andconstant monitoring to improve its quality. If the program was successful, it was expected that about 25 percentof the students would increase their conflict management skills, that about2 percent would decrease their number of discipline referrals; and therewould be a decrease in conflictual behavior by approximately 25 percent.However, the results of the study actually exceeded the objectives' outcomeprojections. & Moore, P. Indeed, Johnson et. & Louison, S.(1995). A second group of 83 untrained third through fifth graders served ascontrols. Using conflict managers to mediate conflicts in an inner-cityelementary school. (1993). Study of a mediation program in a junior highschool. Datawere derived from a variety of observations, interviews, questionnaires,documents (focusing on implementation issues) and the perception of theprogram held by the people who used it, operated it or provided essentialsupport for it. Sample subjects attendeda high school located on the west coast of central Florida. Rather, theschool staff must provide an equity community and not put the burden ofsocial justice on the students in the conflict resolution classes. It was also found that males responded to mediation better thanfemales and 75 percent of the sample found every aspect of the mediationprocess satisfying. AAD96-39 4 ) Tolson, E.R., McDonald, S. The sampleconsisted of 92 students in the first through sixth grades, all of whomreceived 3 minutes of training per day for six weeks. Surveys were filled out by 58 students, 57 parents, and 23faculty members. Engert (1996) followed the implementation and maintenance of a peermediation program at a middle school over the course of 24 months. However, it wasnoted that the degree to which findings generalize beyond the schoolsetting can depend upon a variety of factors including: generalcharacteristics of the peer mediator, initial social repertoire of thetargeted child, and responsiveness of students in the school environment. The effects of peer mediation training onconflicts among behaviorally and emotionally disordered high schoolstudents. Findings of the study were said to suggest that peer mediation is avaluable component in the field of violence prevention and that it has thepotential to fulfill the needs of students and teachers. 2957. Peer Mediation In Elementary Schools By far the bulk of the current literature on peer mediation has beenconducted using samples of elementary school children, possibly because ofthe belief that prevention efforts should be made as early as possible. Further, administrators,teachers, and students all tended to be very satisfied with these programs. According to Lane and McWhirter (1992) peer mediation evolved fromthe realization of the need to encourage win-win situations in guidingstudents toward the development of an ethos of sensitivity to and awarenessof how others are affected by their actions. Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R., Dudley, B. A peer mediation model: Conflictresolution for elementary and middle school children. Vincent, J., Houlihan, D. The implications of a peer mediation in a middleschool context. Over 95 percent of the mediators found the process atleast moderately successful. Lane, P.S. (199 ). The role of the mediator was rotated equally among all classmembers, and data were gathered over a nine week period before, during, andafter the peer mediation training. (1992). & Benson, J.M. & Moriarty, A.R. EFFECTS AND EFFICACY OF PEER MEDIATION Heller (1996) has noted that well-disciplined schools makeappropriate school discipline a part of every curriculum, program, andpractice. & Acikgoz, K. (1996). In line with Engert's (1996) finding that certain factors cancontribute to variance in the success of peer mediation programs, Theberge(1996) conducted a descriptive study of a peer mediation program in ajunior high school of approximately one thousand students from 21 differentnationalities. Education and Urban Society, 27(1), 11-21. (ERIC Document Reproduction No. (Doctoral Dissertation, University of Oregon) DissertationAbstracts International, 57(7-A), p. References Benson, A.J. Findingsof the reviewed research will be used to formulate conclusions regardingthe general efficacy of the strategy as a means of reducing school conflictand violence at diverse levels (elementary, middle, secondary) of theeducational system. According to the authors, over 69 percent of the studies examinedindicated that the use of peer mediation increased social behaviors andconflict resolution skills both in and outside of schools. (1994). The authorsgo on to note that many educators hope and peer mediation programs willprovide these students with the skills to reduce the violence levels andthereby improve the general climate of the school. Social Work inEducation, 14(2), 86-93. A content analysis of mediation outcomes was said to indicate thatthe majority of conflicts were relationship problems involving physical andverbal attacks. & Ward, M. Effectsof conflict resolution training on elementary school students. The reviewed research showed that,in elementary school settings, peer mediation programs provided studentswith new alternatives for handling their conflicts and these alternativescontinued to be used long after the termination of the peer mediationprogram. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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