T he purpose of the research was to examine the effectiveness of Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation (CRPM) training on high school students' interpersonal conflicts. The CRPM training program was developed by the researchers as a 31-hour program that addressed four basic conflict resolution skills; understanding the nature of interpersonal conflicts, communication skills, anger management skills, and negotiation and peer mediation skills. The study was conducted in a high school located in Izmir, Turkey which served students from low SES families. During the two-year study, a total of 830 students received training, and following the training, 12 peer mediator students were elected from each classroom by their friends. These peer mediators handled their friends' conflicts during three semesters. Data were collected through the peer mediation forms filled by the mediator students following the mediation sessions. A total of 253 mediation sessions were held; 240 (94.9%) resulted in resolution and 13 (5.1%) in no-resolution. Results of the study indicated that CRPM training could prove to be effective in resolving high school students' conflicts.
■ KEYWORDS: conflict resolution and peer mediationPeer-mediation programs have become a widely accepted student-centred intervention to respond to increasing student violence in schools. One of the reasons for this acceptance is the perceived ineffectiveness of adult-imposed models in warranting the desired positive change in students' behaviour. Despite the widespread use of such peer-mediation models, especially in developed countries, limited data exist on the effectiveness of these programs in developing countries. In today's globalised world, more research to test the effectiveness of similar models in different cultures is needed. The present study involved testing the effectiveness of peer-mediation approach, based on western theory and practice, in a different setting in terms of pedagogical orientation, discipline concept, behaviour management, child-rearing practice and sociocultural dynamics. Interpersonal violence in schools continues to jeopardise the safety and quality of education in the schools today. Woody (2001) argues that school violence has received greater attention in society and in the professional literature in the past decade, primarily because of the recent occurrence of increased acts of violence in schools throughout the world. However, these acts of violence are often less extreme forms such as verbal