NCJ Number
117226
Journal
Lay Panel Magazine Volume: 21 Dated: (April 1989) Pages: 7
Date Published
1989
Length
1 page
Annotation
Research on disruptive behavior and truancy shows that school organization and policies can be important in generating or inhibiting delinquency.
Abstract
There appears to be increasing research evidence that some schools are more effective than others in protecting students against the risk of delinquency. If the extent to which students are disruptive in school or avoid going to school are good indications of poor socialization, then some schools may inadvertently push some children toward delinquent careers. The way a school is organized and managed plays a major part in determining levels of disruptive behavior and truancy. Learning to cope with conflict may be even more important than home background factors in controlling disruptive behavior and truancy. Conflict management programs have been tried in some U.S. schools with encouraging results. The most significant feature of these programs is that conflict is not necessarily viewed as a negative phenomenon. Many of the programs use third-party mediation as the primary conflict management technique. Mediators are specially trained and can be pupils, teachers, parents, or others. The need for implementing such conflict management programs in Northern Ireland is noted.