Adolescent peer mediators : perceptions of conflict and coping at school and home

The purpose of this study was to examine a peer mediation program at a middle school in Knox County in East Tennessee, looking in particular at students' experiences participating in the peer mediation program, as well as their perceptions of the impact of the program, of conflict, of messages from the home setting regarding conflict, and their reports of the coping skills these students use at school and home. How students' reports of these concepts changed from Time 1 (no exposure to mediation) to Time 2 (after one year of mediating in school), measured both qualitatively and quantitatively, was analyzed in order to describe the experiences of the participants as a group case study. Findings include changes from Time 1 to Time 2 in these students' reports of how they defined conflict as well as their strategies for conflict management. There were also changes in students' reports of messages from their parents about how to manage conflict. No difference in overall coping was indicated at Time 2; however, there was a difference over time in communication between these adolescents and their parents.