Discussion of the use of consensus-building techniques to resolve public policy disputes focuses on the use of a simulation of the conflict that needs to be resolved. An example is given of the National Energy Policy Simulation that was designed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)-Harvard Public Disputes Program. (38 references)…

Presents a model based on work by Schultz von Thun that helps to explain how to avoid misunderstandings in interpersonal communication. The model is then applied to interpersonal interactions in educational games, simulations, and workshops, and the insights it provides into how unnecessary and unintentional conflict may be avoided are discussed.…

Discussion of citation networks as a reflection of the intellectual developments in a scientific field focuses on an analysis of citations in the "Journal of Conflict Resolution." Main path analysis is described; the development of the field of conflict resolution is discussed; and interdisciplinarity is explored. (17 references) (LRW)

Compares a school superintendent's unsuccessful management of conflict with community groups and the successful methods of a city manager. Notes differences in the two administrators' attitudes toward conflict management, public involvement, and professional status. (RW)

The role of personality make-up of those involved in problem solving, conflict resolution, classroom management, and school discipline is discussed. Three studies are presented which demonstrated personal characteristics which may appear to invite, or provide opportunity for, antisocial behavior. In the first study, psychological profiles were…

Tested Sherif and Sherif's hypotheses on intergroup competition and cooperation in a natural setting involving a scout camp for well-acquainted subjects rather than for previously unacquainted subjects. In-group solidarity showed no increase during camps, as would have been predicted by the Sherifs; indeed a decrease was found. (LLL)

Role playing has been used extensively as a training technique. Research indicates that it may also be a powerful tool for predicting the future behavior of parties in conflict situations. Experiments showed role playing to be accurate 70 percent of the time in predicting the outcomes of conflicts. (CS)

The nature of communication in the counterculture was investigated. The counterculture is distinguished from subculture and contraculture by its attempts to modify, change, and alter the dominant culture. A food co-op, which presented itself as being based on counterculture philosophy was studied as a representative organization within the…

The major purpose of this study is to further understanding of conflict management in educational governance. The study compares and contrasts the conflict management behaviors of 52 superintendents and 52 city managers and the conditions that are associated with such behaviors. The sample was drawn from the San Francisco (California) and Chicago…

This report describes the sources and substance of conflicts as revealed by city managers and superintendents. The data presented are from interviews conducted for a study that compares and contrasts the conflict management behaviors of 52 superintendents and 52 city managers and the conditions that are associated with them. The purpose of the…

Preliminary findings of a survey of Georgia school principals indicate a serious lack of confidence in teachers, prophesizing conflict, disharmony, and strife as teachers seek increasing autonomy. We need to alter this adversarial relationship between teachers and administrators and to redefine their decision-making roles. (Author/SJL)

This paper discusses a project that attempts to update what is known about Catholic schools, articulates the shape and direction that the Catholic high schools have taken, and clarifies certain myths and lores of Catholic education--specifically, that Catholic identity has a direct impact on student achievement, and that Catholic identity is…

Describes a study which examined value orientations among Puerto Rican and Anglo junior high school students. Based on the differences shown by the two groups in their relationship to authority and their environment, proposes a framework for developing instructional and curricular models to reduce culture conflict in American schools. (Author/GC)

According to the author of this report, it is increasingly evident that teachers, through their unions and the bargaining process, are becoming more involved in the everyday decisionmaking process and policy development of school districts. A better understanding of the factors that influence union members' perceptions of union leadership…

The Spiral of Silence theory (Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, l973) suggests that highly consonant media content has a strong impact upon individuals' perception of the opinion climate as well as upon their opinion expression. Noting that the theory lacks empirical investigation, a study took advantage of a controlled media system in Cheongju, South…