The research project was designed to incorporate the strengths of several  methods of inquiry to gain knowledge for program improvement and decision  making. We used a treatment (1 middle school in years 2 & 3)/delayed treatment  (2 additional schools in years 3 & 4) design with appropiate statistical analyses.
We combined our quantitative techniques with qualitative inquiry to maximize our  ability to gather information that can be used by building, district, and state  education agency administrators as well as parents and community  representatives. This information can be used to improve the efforts of professionals, parents, and community representatives who want to prevent or reduce conflict among children and youth.

Our project was designed to prevent or reduce conflict among children and youth and prevent serious emotional disturbance (SED) among students with emotional and behavioral problems. The project extended previous research,  was generated from a theoretical framework, included control groups for statistical comparison, and used valid and reliable measures. It also employed qualitative methodology to examine the efficacy of the Conflict Resolution/Peer 
Mediation (CR/PM) program and its effects.

A validated theoretical framework for studying the effects of CR/PM provides a foundation for conducting future research. In our opinion, previous CR/PM research has been haphazard and problematic. Our program provides a model for future research in the area by providing: a theoretical base as a model, a validated curriculum and training protocols for teachers and student mediators, implementation protocols, data collection methodology, and efficacy and generalization data.

Outcomes at the end of the four year project included (a) an established, researched CR/PM program, (b) an institutionalized program with trained professionals for district and state-wide implementation, (c) generalization data providing evidence of the program's effect on the attitudinal aspects and behavior of students across school environments, and (d) widely disseminated project 
materials and data.