Examining School Based Mediation: A Literature Review

Source: (2003) M.S. research paper, Guidance and Counseling, The Graduate College, University of Wisconsin-Stout. Downloaded 25 February 2005.

This paper reviews the existing literature on school based mediation programs to answer the questions: What is school based mediation and what are the effects of school based mediation? It concludes with a critical analysis of the literature, and recommendations for practice and future research.
Schools have been struggling to find solutions to deal with the issue of school violence and student conflicts. Although the literature reveals varying results as to the effects of school based mediation, it has been implemented by a number of schools over the past decade to meet the needs of conflict management for students.
The school based mediation model is based on the community mediation model, which does not always take into account the need to have total school support for the program, support systems for student (peer) mediators, or funding for the program. One main obstacle in developing school based mediation programs is using the community mediation model without taking into account the specific needs of the school community… Author’s abstract.