Mediation Techniques in Secondary Education should take into Account Gender Differences for Enhanced Effectiveness: Evidence from Secondary Schools in Catalonia

Abstract

International institutions and national and regional governments are promoting a culture that includes the use of mediation in secondary schools. The literature review and the previous empirical research suggest that the introduction of mediation as an alternative method for conflict resolution helps improve school climate, thus improving the students’ perception of school life and helping achieve better academic results. Furthermore, it contributes to the development of certain skills, such as a spirit of team work, empathy and better communication that would be very useful in their adult lives. However, in order to design efficient mediation systems, we must first understand how students feel about and react to mediation training. This research has been conducted in five different secondary schools in the city of Barcelona and its outskirts. A total of 367 students responded to a survey on school climate and their feelings about mediation. The focus of the analysis was to find statistically significant differences according to gender regarding how efficient and useful students consider mediation to be as an alternative means of conflict resolution. Girls give higher average values when asked whether mediation has been explained and used, and they find it more useful than their male peers.

Keywords

• conflict management
• peer mediation
• school climate
• gender differences
• bullying
• secondary schools