DOCUMENT RESUME ED 359 272 UD 028 807 AUTHOR Deutsch, Morton; And Others TITLE The Effects of Training in Cooperative Learning and Conflict Resolution in an Alternative High School. INSTITUTION Columbia Univ., New York, NY. Teachers Coll. International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. SPONS AGENCY Grant (W.T.) Foundation, New York, N.Y.; National Center for Research in Vocational Education, Berkeley, CA.; New York City Board of Education, Bronx, N.Y. PUB DATE Mar 92 NOTE 415p.; For the summary report,see UD 028 806. For the qualitative report, see UD 028 808. For related reports see UD 029 809-812 and UD 028 820. AVAILABLE FROM International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution, Box 53, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 ($40). PUB TYPE Reports Evaluative/Feasibility (142) EDRS PRICE MFO1 /PC17 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Conflict Resolution; *Cooperative Learning; *Curriculum Evaluation; Group Dynamics; HighSchools; *High School Students; InterpersonalCompetence; Minority Group Children; Nontraditional Education; Potential Dropouts; Program Effectiveness; *Sensitivity Training; *Urban Schools; UrbanYouth IDENTIFIERS *New York City Board of Education ABSTRACT This paper consists of 13 chapters that describea study of the effects of training in conflictresolution and cooperative learning in an alternative highschool in New York City. Three of the school's fourcampuses participated, with Campus A receiving conflict resolution training, CampusC receiving cooperative and Campus B receiving training inboth. For 2 years, staff training occurred at all threecampuses in the form of after-school workshops. The student training incooperative learning involved five principles:(1) positive interdependence; (2) fact-to-face interactions;(3) individual accountability; (4) interpersonal and small group skills; and (5)processing (analysis of group functioning with the goal of improvement). The conflict resolution training taught active listening,"I" messages, refraining the issues in conflict, criticizing ideasand not people, differentiating between underlying needsversus positions, distinguishing between negotiable andnon-negotiable conflict situations, developing "win-win" solutions,and destructive and constructive negotiation styles. Datawere collected with questionnaires to 350 students before andafter training, performance ratings of students, teacher behaviorevaluations, and supplemental interviews. The results indicate positiveeffects on the students. As students improved in managing conflicts they experiencedincreased social support, improved relations, higherself-esteem, increases in personal zontrol, and higher academicperformance. Included are 107 tables, 14 figures, and references and appendixesat the end of each chapter. (JB) THE EFFECTS OF TRAINING IN COOPERATIVE LEARNING ctaz AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN AN ALTERNATIVE HIGH SCHOOL Q Morton Deutsch Nidhi Khattri Vernay Mitchell Lela Tepavac Quanwu Zhang Eben A. Weitzman Robin Lynch INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR COOPERATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY O VS. DEPARTMENT 0:6ce of Educanonal OF EDUCATION RIlaila,Ch EDUCATIONAL avd ImpOvemenl MARCH 1992 RESOURCES I :ENTER (ERIC,INFORMATION rho locum. "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS rece,veo fr,t has beAnreproduced MATERIAJ, HAS BEEN n5 orvenah,'In the berSOn as GRANTED BY ,i .1 Or wee/illation 0 M.P. ,eproduckonchanges have ueu oullolybeen mac*to mmOw 7 , , 3 Polnis of 9 we* of ObirnOne oo not rycomanlystatechn itim ':: OERI oohon docu- fg`i :14 1;it lnMen, or policy noprol.nt °Motel 6/410 TO THE "st.0 EDUCATIONA1LRESOURCES 2 INFOPMATION CENTER(ERIC). Contents Chapter I Introduction Morton Deutsch Chapter II The Training Rationale and Original Training Plans Morton Deutsch Chapter IIIMethodology Vernay Mitchell & Morton Deutsch Chapter NAlternative High School Vernay Mitchell Chapter VThe Implementation of Training Vernay Mitchell Chapter VIField Notes for Case Studies Vernay Mitchell Chapter VIISocial Psychological Consequences of Cooperation and Conflict Resolution Quanwu Zhang Chapter VIIIAn Assessment of the Social Validity of Cooperative Learning and Conflict Resolution in Alternative High School Nidhi Khattri Chapter DCThe Effects of Conflict Resolution and Cooperative Learning Interventions Upon Adolescent Vocational Readiness Lela Tepavac Chapter XEffects of Cooperative Learning and Conflict Resolution On Student-Perceived Social Climate at Alternative High School Eben A. Weitzman Chapter XICooperative Learning, Self-concept, and Achievement. Robin Lynch Chapter XIIThe Effects of the Trainings: A Summary of the Quantitative Results Morton Deutsch Chapter XIIIConclusions and Implications Vernay Mitchell AcknoWledgements Our study would not have been possible without the generous financial support we received from the William T. Grant Foundation and the National Center for Research on Vocational Education. We are also indetred to the New York City Board of Education for the payments teachers received for attendance at training workshops outside regular school hours. We are particularly grateful to the Principal, Assistant Principal, Coordinators, teachers, paraprofessionals, and students who cooperated with our study. We siretched their patience with our time-consuming research. We hope that they will find this report, as well as the training, of value. Our training staff, directed by Ellen Raider, was central to the study: Janet Clausi, Denise Davis-Pack, and Lynn Fine. They perfoared heroically under difficult conditions and, often, offered much more than required by the call of duty. We are very appreciative of their hard, dedicated, highly professional work as trainers and staff developers. Ellen Raider, our Training Director, was central to our study throughout and played the key role in shaping tr,.ing. Many people, beyond those listed as authors of this report, contributed to our research. Susan Boardman, Ann Doucette-Gates, Madeline Gladis, Steve Hammond, and other members of our research practicum contributed importantly to the development of research instruments. Ann Doucette-Gates supervised the sometimes difficult process of collecting the questionnaire data. Susan Boardman, Ann Doucette-Gates, Cathy Goldberg, Helen M. Reid, and Shin-Kap Han did much of the early stages of data processing and data analysis. Sheryl Foster and Kris Tagawa,as well as others, helped with the clerical work. Professor Jane Monroe 'f Teachers College was a generous and unfailingsource of assistance to our statistical analyses. Curtis Dolezal served as a research assistant throughout the project and contributedto all phases of our study. His dissertation, "The Relationship Between Conflict Resolution Training/Cooperative Learning and Self-Esteem," is an important product ofour study. 't4 The authors are, in order of first appearance in the report: Murton Deutsch was principal investigator and director of study. Vernay Mitchell was in charge of field observations and, after the first year, contributed uniquely to the project through her ethnographic skills and considerable experience working in schools. Quanwu Zhang was a research assistant throughout the project, His statistical expertise has been of enormous advantage to our research; it has enabled a more appropriate and sophisticated test of the theoretical model underlying our project than would otherwise have been possible. His dissertation, summarized in his chapter, provides the central statistical analyses of our study. Nidhi Khattri was a research assistant throughout most of the study. Her chapter on the social validity of our research goes consi lerably beyond most studies of consumer satisfaction. Lela Tepavac was a research assistant throughout the project. In addition to her chapter, she has prepared several papers as well as her dissertation based on the study which were valuable contributions. Her extensive knowledge of the social science literature related to work and her analyses of the employers' rating scale and of the teachers' behavior rating scale considerably enriched our study. Eben Weitzman was a research assistant throughout the project. In addition to his chapter, he has contributed uniquely to our research through his special expertise with computers and data management Robin Lynch was also a research assistant throughout most of the project Her interest in the determinants of academic achievement have been stimulated by her chapter and she will be making further contributions in this area. Finally, but not least, we wish to acknowledge the enormous help of Jon Snyder, our first administrative secretary, and of Steve Turley, our administrative secretary throughout most of the project Both saved the project from being drowned in the masses of paper work connected with billing and preparing reports. Whatever orderliness and felicity this current report has is due in large measure to Steve Turley. ll r- q.) Abstract In this report we describe a field study in which we introduced training in cooperative learning and/or constructive conflict resolution in three campuses of an alternative high school in New York City. In Campus A, training was in constructive conflict resolution; in Campus C, training was in cooperative learning; in Campus B, both types of training took place. To document the training and to assess its effects, we conducted periodic questionnaire surveys of students and teachers, made systematic observations, and interviewed students and staff. Based upon prior theoretical