Peer Mediation: Conflict Resolution in Schools
Communication is the most fundamental aspect of being human. In
the school system there are many forms of conflict (rumors, gossip, prejudice,
anger, aggression, etc.) that are inevitable. Teaching students how to handle
them in a constructive manner creates a better school climate and learning
environment.
There are many different titles to describe Peer Mediation
Programs. A few examples: value education, violence prevention programs,
anti-bullying programs, citizenship education, peace education, and
social-emotional learning. They all work do accomplish many of the same goals.
Peer mediation is a negotiation-based strategy that teaches
student mediators alternative strategies to help resolve conflict among their
peers. They are trained to apply conflict management strategies to assist their
peers in settling disputes.
There is lots of research to support peer helping as a positive
force. Students are most likely to tell their peers about their concerns. Having
trained students equip to hand basic conflicts can lead to more resolved issues
at the base level, as well as, increase their self-efficacy. The skills they
learn through participation in the program are lifelong and can be generalized
to new situations in the future.
Research shows that peer mediation programs modified youths’
self-reported attitudes about violent behavior, improved school discipline, and
reduced absenteeism. The research does caution the programs to pay close
attention to the disparity that may exist between the types of issues peer
mediators are trained to handle and those they do handle. It also highlights the
impact of programs supervised by non-counseling professionals (and suggests
against this). Continual training for peer mediators, aside from a onetime
training session was also strongly suggested. When implementing a program
counselors should:
• Carefully scrutinize efforts to initiate programs without counselor involvement.
• Caution when transferring programs to professionalswithout counseling expertise.
• Limit helper roles to academic and developmentalissues.
• Ensure helpers receive adequate trainingand supervision.
• Carefully review process for selectingpeer helpers.
A well-designed peer or cross-age teaching component to a school
counseling program has the potential to significantly augment the schools
capability to promote academic achievement and interpersonal growth (Hedin,
1987).
the school system there are many forms of conflict (rumors, gossip, prejudice,
anger, aggression, etc.) that are inevitable. Teaching students how to handle
them in a constructive manner creates a better school climate and learning
environment.
There are many different titles to describe Peer Mediation
Programs. A few examples: value education, violence prevention programs,
anti-bullying programs, citizenship education, peace education, and
social-emotional learning. They all work do accomplish many of the same goals.
Peer mediation is a negotiation-based strategy that teaches
student mediators alternative strategies to help resolve conflict among their
peers. They are trained to apply conflict management strategies to assist their
peers in settling disputes.
There is lots of research to support peer helping as a positive
force. Students are most likely to tell their peers about their concerns. Having
trained students equip to hand basic conflicts can lead to more resolved issues
at the base level, as well as, increase their self-efficacy. The skills they
learn through participation in the program are lifelong and can be generalized
to new situations in the future.
Research shows that peer mediation programs modified youths’
self-reported attitudes about violent behavior, improved school discipline, and
reduced absenteeism. The research does caution the programs to pay close
attention to the disparity that may exist between the types of issues peer
mediators are trained to handle and those they do handle. It also highlights the
impact of programs supervised by non-counseling professionals (and suggests
against this). Continual training for peer mediators, aside from a onetime
training session was also strongly suggested. When implementing a program
counselors should:
• Carefully scrutinize efforts to initiate programs without counselor involvement.
• Caution when transferring programs to professionalswithout counseling expertise.
• Limit helper roles to academic and developmentalissues.
• Ensure helpers receive adequate trainingand supervision.
• Carefully review process for selectingpeer helpers.
A well-designed peer or cross-age teaching component to a school
counseling program has the potential to significantly augment the schools
capability to promote academic achievement and interpersonal growth (Hedin,
1987).