This qualitative study examined the interactional communication strategies used by law enforcement officers during a hostage-taking incident at a high school. The research involved analysis of the negotiation conversation between police crisis (hostage) negotiators and a hostage taker who entered his former high school to take revenge on a…

Examines "girl talk" (a typically female speech event involving long and detailed personal discussions about people, norms, and beliefs). Demonstrates that girl-talk interaction constitutes a temporary community within which norms are cooperatively defined through a painstaking process of negotiation and consensus. (RS)

Although anecdotal evidence supports the usefulness of peer helper programs and related training, there is little published quantitative data on the effectiveness of peer helper training. The purpose of the present study was (1) to examine whether or not training for a peer helper program provided student mediators with the essential skills needed…

The week of May 1-7, 2000 has been designated by the Governor of Ohio to be Conflict Management Week With heightened awareness to issues of school safety, it is important for high schools to take an active role in promoting constructive responses to conflict. Conflict is a natural and inevitable part of living, but managing conflict is difficult…

Examines the effectiveness of a conflict-resolution program in raising the academic achievement of a suburban Canadian high school English class. Argues that the conflict-resolution training raised academic performance at the same time that it taught conflict-resolution techniques. Suggests incorporating conflict-resolution training into core high…

To help students learn peaceful conflict resolution, the Comprehensive Conflict Resolution Program was initiated. This report analyzes that effort. The program established peer mediation centers in high schools and developed a pilot course or core unit on collaborative negotiation. The program's development and inception are presented in this…

Project VIP (Violence Is Preventable) is a comprehensive research-based program designed to help children and young adults make smart choices about violence. It emphasizes the use of student-centered approaches to help develop strategies for conflict resolution and for avoiding violence. The student book is a workbook with a number of activities;…

Incidences of aggressive and violent actions in schools have been increasing. The goals of this practicum were to reduce aggressive and violent behavior in a large, comprehensive, public high school and to make students and staff aware of peaceful alternatives to conflicts. Solution strategies included teaching conflict resolution skills in the…

This study examines the beliefs of Norwegian 16 year-olds about conflict resolution strategies. During 1990-91 over 40 high school students were interviewed in over 50 upper secondary schools throughout Norway. The interviews were conducted in English with groups of two or three students. The students interviewed had stronger English language…

A model and instrument based on leadership as social control theory (LASC) to assess leadership qualities of high school principals was developed in this study. The LASC model, based on symbolic interactionist and functionalist paradigms, attempts to explain the process by which leaders reduce conflicts between individual and organizational…

Young people need help in learning alternative dispute resolution skills at school. Teaching high school students how to understand conflict and then develop effective ways to deal with it is the purpose of this program. Designed for five 3-hour sessions using two trainers, it is organized around seven major themes: The Mediation Process, Cultural…

A study examined the communication and conflict strategizing of high school youth to determine the differences between biological sex groups and grade level groups. Data were collected from 217 senior high school students (79 males and 138 females; 162 10th-graders and 55 11th- and 12th-graders), all of whom were enrolled in a required course in…

Reports on an exploratory outcome study of the Program for Young Negotiators training model with adolescents in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An increase in overall negotiation attitudes and behavior was found on the Five Factor Negotiation Scale. Students who presented a pretest thought-action gap marked by high interpersonal understanding showed the…

An action research project integrated violence intervention and prevention into a child development curriculum through a parenting unit fostering confirmatory methods of struggle management between high school and preschool students. Subjects were 45 second- and third-year child development students, 75 first-year child development students, and…

Research confirms the fact that violence is a growing problem in American society. The frequency of reports of youth involved in violent acts reflects an inability to handle conflicts in safe, constructive ways among this age group. Although the business of schools is to educate, many students are more concerned with their own safety than…