Conflicts among Youth in the Educational Surrounding - Research Paper Example

Abstract The aim of my research is to identify the underlying causes of conflicts rising among youth in the educational setup and to provide a working definition for conflict resolution in order to minimize the number and severity of conflicts. A student’s ability to receive education is significantly influenced by the environment in which the knowledge is conveyed. In an environment susceptible to conflicts, a student’s tendency to open himself/herself to the teacher is lessened considerably because the attention is divided between teacher and offenders in the class. Through my research, I shall show that the nature of relationships children have in their family has a huge influence on the way children co-habit with their friends outside their home and what approach they adopt in dealing with conflicts arising in daily matters. In an attempt to understand and identify ways for conflict resolution, I shall work out all major causes of conflict through carrying out review of existing body of literature that addresses this area. In addition to that, the research will highlight useful theories, strategies, and techniques to resolve inter-personal conflicts particularly among the youth, that majorly includes teenagers and adolescents in their academic career. In conclusion, the reader will understand how to approach conflict resolution and exercise appropriate techniques in order to improve relations with companions. Schools play an important role in the psychological nurturing of students in addition to their academic growth. With the implementation of such programs in schools, it is possible to reduce the conflicts among children and students in the schools in particular and cases of violence in the society in general, because today’s children are the leaders of tomorrow’s nation. An attainment of this understanding is necessarily the pathway to teaching youth how to communicate effectively with their peers in a nonviolent environment. Topic: Conflict resolution: Teaching youth how to communicate effectively with peers in a non violent research project. Statement of Problem: The prevalence of violence among the youth, especially in schools, has been frequently reported in many countries. For instance, in Norway, bullying behavior and acts of aggression have been numerous, with 15% of students reporting that they had an active involvement in bully-victim activities, while 7% considered themselves as bullies (Day and Golench, 1997). In Canada, two separate studies indicated a slightly higher rate of 20% of students that reported being affected by bullying (Tait, 1999). Also, another study concerning Canadian teachers estimated the intensity and pervasiveness of violent behavior among schools through a survey in Manitoba among school teachers, which reported that 47% of mentors had experienced abuse and aggression (Addington, Ruddy, Miller, Devoe, and Chandler, 2002). Similar trends have been noticed to exist in UK and US. An in-depth analysis of the intensity and frequency of violence cases among students of elementary schools in some of the most advanced countries of the world in the present age suggests that there is dire need to find ways, means and methods to help reduce the number of conflicts among the juveniles in order to improve the educational environment. Objectives of the Study: The purpose of this study is to develop a manual, which can be used by elementary school teachers in dealing with conflicts in a positive manner in order to inculcate adequate conflict resolution skills in their students. The manual will also present recommendations for teachers in order to help the parents of elementary school children inculcate positive conflict resolution skills in their children at home. Realization of ways to avoid conflicts among students of elementary schools will help improve the educational environment and make it more conducive to the maximum delivery of concepts and knowledge to the students. By understanding and practicing the strategies devised by this research, the teachers will be able to gain a better control over their class and deliver their lecture with minimum inconvenience. Objectives of this study include the following: 1. To define conflict so as to identify what actions and behaviors exhibited by youth can be considered to lie under the umbrella term of conflict. 2. To work out the common causes of conflicts that generally cause tension between students in an educational setup. Only the educational setup existent in the elementary schools falls in the domain of this research. 3. To provide data related to the characteristics and general behavioral traits of elementary school children, that are between 9 and 11 years of age. 4. To provide information related to the various behavioral traits particularly involved in or that are the primary cause of conflicts among students in the Elementary Schools. 5. To identify factors other than behavioral traits that play a big role in flaring the aggressive arguments among students in Elementary Schools. 6. To demonstrate how inappropriate behavior leads to conflict development. 7. To demonstrate alternate strategies that should be adopted in order to avoid conflicts with reference to particular scenarios and examples. 8. To demonstrate strategies that parents can use to teach their children conflict resolution at home. Questions: Key questions that serve to identify conventional causal factors behind the conflicts arising among juveniles in elementary schools will be included in the research. Questions addressed in the proposed manual include but are not limited to, 1. What is conflict and what are its leading causes? 2. What are the most typical behavioral traits that are the root cause of conflict development? 3. What are the most common factors that originate from educational environment that cause conflicts to develop? 4. In what ways can the educational setup be modified so as to minimize the number of conflicts among the students of elementary education? 5. What causes of conflicts among students of elementary education are gender based, i.e. differ between boys and girls? 6. What ways of reconciliation can be worked out so as to address the psychology of both boys and girls equally in case of occurrence of conflict in the class? 7. What changes in curriculum can be made so as to make the students of elementary education develop a more responsible and mature attitude towards their interaction with other students in the class? 8. What strategies can be successfully used by parents to teach conflict resolution at home? 9. What strategies can jointly be used by parents and mentors so as to develop a wholesome and continuous effort for conflict avoidance among juveniles at elementary school level? Significance of the study: Violence among children, particularly those in their elementary education, is increasing worldwide. Much of the violence and abrupt outbursts of anger displayed by children have alarming effects not only on their own academic career, but also on the overall integrity of the educational setup. Conflicts are cardinally caused because children are not educated on ways to regulate their negative feelings and anger towards their opponents in the class. The way a child interacts with others tells how he/she feels about them. Attitudes cause conflicts and can also regulate conflicts. Children of elementary schools generally lack education on techniques to develop positive relations with their contemporaries in the educational setup. This project is therefore, of prime importance, because it will provide a medium for teachers in elementary schools to use for both preventing and dealing with conflicts among their students and also to help the children learn and practice strategies to avoid conflicts both in and outside their class. The research is also very important because it will provide parents with recommendations that they can use to prevent and reduce the number and intensity of conflicts their children usually engage in. The manual can also be useful in developing future programs for helping children to deal with conflicts in positive ways. Assumptions underlying the Study: This study is based on the following fundamental assumptions: 1. The tendency of children to learn conflict resolution techniques is influenced by their maturity level. Children in elementary school age are chosen for this study because of the assumption that they are in the tenderest age of their learning and will openly accept the techniques as taught to them by their mentors in school and parents at home accordingly to the manual devised. 2. Conflict resolution is a skill that can only be mastered when parents and teachers jointly work to inculcate it in a child. Conflict resolution education needs to be continuous and uninterrupted both in school and home. 3. Reduction of conflicts among children in elementary schools will make the educational environment conducive to better learning and delivery of knowledge. 4. All mentors will try their level best to implement the dictations of manual in addition to the regular lectures their plan for the class. Definition of Terms: The following terms are hereby defined to add clarity to the study: Communication: The act or process of exchanging words. The expression of thoughts or exchange of ideas, opinions, or information with the help of speech, text, symbols and body language. Communication medium: Means of exchanging messages, orders, etc., for example television, telephone, radio and telegraph etc. Conflict: The state of tension between two or more individuals, parties, agencies or any other entities because of opposition of views, ideas, thoughts, opinions or interests. Conflict Resolution: Regulation of tension or stress between two or more individuals, parties, agencies or other entities. Reconciliation between two or more entities or individuals that were formerly in stress. Way to regulate inter-personal fights. Mediation: The act of reconciliation. Intervention (invited or otherwise) often by a third party to improve relations between two or more individuals or entities formerly in conflict with one another. Peace: State of tranquility. Lack of conflict, quarrel or disagreement. Respect: Reverence. Expression of consideration and regard. Trust: Confidence in another person, entity or agency because of expression of honesty, justice and righteousness. Belief. Violence: Use of physical and / or verbal force to express rage, aggression, anger. State of disharmony. Elementary age: Any age below teenage. School: Institution meant for imparting knowledge or education. Outline for Research: Topic: Conflict Resolution: Teaching Youth How to Communicate Effectively with their Peers in a Nonviolent Environment. Thesis: Conflict at school among children of elementary age is quite widespread and is attributed to lack of education in conflict resolution. By formulating and implementing a conflict resolution manual, teachers with the help of parents can intervene to help suppress the conflicts among children in elementary schools so that they may be able to gain education in a positive environment throughout their academic career. Literature Review: Defining the Components and Reasons for Conflict: Definition of conflict. Definition of conflict resolution. The role of teachers in conflict resolution. The role of parents in conflict resolution. The Role of Schools for Conflict Resolution and Youth Violence - Numerous schools as well as community groups provide conflict resolution programs, most especially for adolescents, through several means. School systems play a significant role in responding to youth violence, especially since they reach out to large number of young individuals and can instigate schemes for early intervention and prevention. Teachers and practitioners engaged in promoting interventions to prevent youth violence must be able to develop a value system which supports the development of both students and teachers. Conflict Resolution Strategies: Preschool age children nurturing. Comparison of classroom behavior and home behavior. Study of the influence of television and play on the psychology of children with and without the intervention of adults. Methodology: The use of mixed methods approach and a descriptive-correlation design are discussed in this portion. The influence of family background, their attitudes and beliefs, their involvement in violent- behaviors, as well as their attitudes toward conflict resolution and interventions for youth violence prevention shall be ascertained. Purposive sampling will be employed and a sample of young individuals between the ages of 12 to 16 from public and private schools shall be used. Thematic analysis shall be used for analyzing the qualitative data. Identification of factors for the existence of Conflict. A. Family absence and how it affects the child. B. Family involvement and how it affects the child. Theoretical considerations: A. Theory X- Cross-Cultural Conflict Resolution. B. Theory Y- Conflict cannot be reduced to the character of the child. Conflict Resolution Techniques and Strategies A. Cooperative Classroom Communities. B. Exploration of Roles and Responsibilities. Conclusion References: Addington, L.A., Ruddy, S., Miller, A., Devoe, J., and Chandler, K. (2002). Are America’s schools safe? Students speak out: 1999 School Crime Supplement. Washington, US: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics. Day, D., and Golench, C. (1997). Promoting safe schools through policy: results of a survey of Canadian school boards. Journal of Educational Administration, 35(4), 332- 347. Tait, L. (1999). School violence: a critical review of Canadian and American studies. 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