In 1996, the authors were invited to join an international research project, DRACON (=DRAma+CONflict), into the use of drama for assisting conflict management in schools, with a particular initial brief to investigate the cultural components. The Brisbane DRACON project has been based at Griffith University in Brisbane, and has incorporated sites…

This paper draws on findings from a major research project conducted between 1998 and 2000 on meanings of reconciliation in the school education sector. Using data collected from surveys and drawing from the community context in which schools exist, it explores and analyses meanings of reconciliation within school communities when the discourse of…

Peer mediation programs in schools are an effective way for children to learn the cooperative skills of conflict solving. This paper outlines the implementation of an action research based mediation program within a primary school setting. It examines both the characteristics of successful implementation and the dilemmas of change agentry. A model…

Three models of academic governance are compared, and the importance of conflict in academic institutions is examined with reference to Australian colleges of advanced education. Sources and effects of conflict, methods of coping with them, and attitudes toward conflict are discussed. (Author/MSE)

This small book presents six articles from the journal "Peace, Environment and Education," published by the Peace Education Commission. The articles have been chosen to give a broad range of illustrations of principles and procedures in peace-related education efforts in the 1990s. The contents are as follows: (1) "Education beyond…

Noting that the increasing concern about violence in schools and society in general is evident in recent initiatives undertaken by the government in Victoria, Australia, this study explored students' conflicts in a Victorian primary school, focusing on the role of the teacher in student conflict. Participating in the exploratory study were 6…

Surveyed 585 adolescents to examine relationship between family structural and process variables and adolescent participation in family decisions and vigilant decision making. Family socioeconomic status, high family cohesion, good parent-adolescent communication, and sound parental conflict resolution skills were related to adolescents' vigilant…

This study investigated the peer victimisation and conflict resolution experiences of adolescent girls attending a single-sex school. A modified version of the Direct and Indirect Aggression Scales (DIAS, Bjorkqvist, Osterman, and Kaukiainen, 1992) and conflict resolution scales, drawn particularly from the work of Feldman and Gowen (1998), were…

Innovations in the teaching and learning strategies used in an organizational-behavior course developed for the business school of Curtin University of Technology (Australia) are detailed. Faculty (n=18) and students (n=800) involved in the course-development process were organized into semi-autonomous study groups and learned to cope with group…

Noting that most children living in Australia have access to a television, video games, and computers and are influenced by the content of their viewing and interactive games, this report examines the impact of media violence on young children. Topics discussed include the recognition of violence on television and video/computer games, reasons for…

Second in a series of seven volumes containing the proceedings of the 1983 Australian Family Research Conference, this publication deals with family law. Papers and authors included are: "Attitudes of Divorced Men and Women to the Family" (Margaret Harrison), "Dispute Resolution in Australian Family Law" (Henry Finlay),…

Research into indicators of learning occurring in e-mail discussion groups investigated how to maximize factors that enhance learning and networking using e-mail and how to minimize factors that inhibit learning using this medium. Data from a range of e-mail discussion groups formed the basis of the research, with focus on e-mail discussion that…

This package contains a selection of exercises designed to facilitate learning of problem-solving/communication skills within the area of office supervision. It does not provide the learning material or lesson plans. Section 1 is an overview that explains the scope of the material, learning methods, use of the teaching package, teaching resources,…

In the form of a diary, an educational consultant describes the highlights of three months of organizational development at an Australian high school. The intervention involved staff, administrators, teachers, students, and parents in the goal of improving the quality of life and learning at the school. Change strategies are described and the…

These 12 monthly newsletter issues provide information and support for providers of school-age child care. The featured articles for each month are: (1) "Children's World Opens Private Elementary Schools" (September); (2) "How Does SAC [school-age care] Rate in Your State? (October)" (3) "Australian SAC Tackles Space…