Conflict resolution education and antisocial behavior in U.S. schools: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis examines more than twenty-five years of evidence to determine whether participation in school-based conflict resolution education (CRE) contributes to reduced antisocial behaviors among youth in kindergarten through twelfth grade in U.S. schools. Evidence from thirty-six studies, representing 4,971 students, shows improvements in antisocial behaviors in CRE participants compared to control groups (Effect Size = .26), with larger effects observed during mid-adolescence (ES = .53) and early adolescence (ES = .22) compared to middle childhood (ES = .06). Improvements in antisocial behavior outcomes attributable to CRE are significant in both practical and statistical terms and are similar for different CRE program approaches. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract).