The effectiveness of peer mediation as a conflict resolution technique on a group of middle school students, 1998

Peer Mediation programs have proven to be helpful in supporting (1) efforts to appreciate and respect diversity, (2) decrease violence and fighting, (3) reduce name-calling and put-downs, (4) increase self-esteem and self-respect among students, (5) enable teachers to deal more effectively with conflicts, and (6) improve the overall climate of schools (Davis & Porter, 1985). Despite these acts, the utilization rate in middle schools still remains extremely low. An experimental research design was used to investigate the effects of peer mediation on middle school students' conflict resolution skills. A preliminary attempt was made to demonstrate the relationship between the groups. All of the twenty-six participants were administered a Student Questionnaire and the Survey of Conflict Resolution Skills. The Student Questionnaire was designed to gather demographic information as well as information relating to the participants' families. The Survey of Conflict Resolution Skills was designed to gather information about the participants' view of conflict and its resolution. The analysis of the demographic information revealed no significant difference in the two groups: 42.31% of the participants were male and 57.69% were females. One hundred percent of the participants were African American and 96.15% were Baptists. The results from the Survey of Conflict Resolution Skills revealed difference in twelve of the items. The summary scores of the two groups demonstrated that overall there was no statistically significant difference at the .05 level on the pre- and post-test scores of the two groups