CONFLICT-RESOLUTION AND PEER MEDIATION PROGRAMS IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY-SCHOOLS - A REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH

Concern about violence in schools has been increasing, and correspondi ngly, conflict resolution and peer mediation training programs have be en proliferating. These programs have been developed by researchers in the field of conflict resolution, advocates of nonviolence, anti-nucl ear war activists, and members of the legal profession. It is unknown, however, whether the programs are needed and whether or not they are effective. While there are numerous methodological and conceptual prob lems with the research on conflict resolution and peer mediation progr ams, the current evidence indicates that (a) conflicts among students do occur frequently in schools (although the conflicts rarely result i n serious injury); (b) untrained students by and large use conflict st rategies that create destructive outcomes by ignoring the importance o f their ongoing relationships; (c) conflict resolution and peer mediat ion programs do seem to be effective in teaching students integrative negotiation and mediation procedures; (d) after training, students ten d to use these conflict strategies, which generally leads to construct ive outcomes; and (e) students' success in resolving their conflicts c onstructively tends to result in reducing the numbers of student-stude nt conflicts referred to teachers and administrators, which, in turn, tends to reduce suspensions.