School-wide Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation Programs: Experiences in Three Middle schools.

"School-wide Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation Programs: Experiences in Three Middle schools"

This article was published in Intervention in Social Clinic Journal.  It appeared in November of 2000.  It was an action research of which  researchers  looked at three different middle schools and attempted to find common denominators of conflict resolution programs and peer mediation programs (CR and PM).  It is very helpful if someone wishes to gain insight as a practical application to using Conflict resolution and peer mediation. 

            It was organized by different sub-topics.  They were: Theories, Program Description, Program Implementation, Program Use and conclusion.  The major focus of the article was implementation. However, I found the most useful section of Program Use.  This, I believe, where the results of the implementation and more anecdotal based on student perceptions.  One example of this from one case study:

              “First, we found that a majority of disputes referred to mediation involved sixth-grade girls. Our interviews with mediators describe a process that may be inherently more appealing to girls because boys may tend to perceive mediation as a sign of weakness.  For example, a peer mediator, in response to a question regarding mediations social acceptability, stated that his peers might not use mediation ‘because with friends they put up a front about how hard they are. They are trying to boost up their reputation...They don’t use peer mediation because they’ve got friends who will go out and tell others that you’re a punk because you went to peer mediation instead of fighting.’ Some school staff suggested that sixth graders are more open to their older classmates to enlistment of peer support.”  (Daunic, A., Smith , S. W., Robinson, T. R., Miler, D. M., & Landry, K., 98)

    

Daunic, A., Smith , S. W., Robinson, T. R., Miler, D. M., & Landry, K.

(2000). School-wide conflict resolution and peer mediation programs:     

Experiences in three middle schools. Intervention in Social Clinic, 94-100.