The effectiveness of the collaborative interpersonal conflicts resolution skills training program on social goal setting, conflict resolution style and adjustment among girls of middle school

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the collaborative interpersonal conflicts resolution skills training program on social goal setting, conflict resolution style and adjustment among girls of middle school.

In this Quesi-experimental research with pretest-posttest nonequivalent-group design and follow up stage, 50 female students 17-year-old at Roudbar of Quilan governmental middle schools, in the experimental group and control group, before and after the training, responded to the Social Achievement Goals (Ryan and Shim, 2008), the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Instrument (Thomas-Kilmann, 1974) and Adjustment inventory for School Students (Sinha & Singh, 1993). The experimental group received 7 collaborative interpersonal conflicts resolution skills training sessions (1 hour a session).

The results of multivariate covariance analysis, in the short term and long term, indicated that interpersonal skills training program was effective in increasing social development goal, adaptive conflict resolution styles and different dimentions of adjustment. The results also showed that it was effective in decreasing non-adaptive social goal settings (including social demonstration-approach goal and social demonstration-avoid goal) and non-adaptive conflict resolution styles (including forcing, avoiding and accommodation).

Generally, the results show that following steps are recommended for collaborative conflict management such as find appropriate time and place to discuss the conflict, understand the other’s views with a non-judgmental attitude and be sensitive to each other’s needs and perceptions, develop goals which are basically compatible and work towards a win-win outcome.