Effects of Peace Education Program on the Violence Tendencies and Social Problem Solving Skills of Students

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of Peace Education Program on the violence tendencies and social problem solving skills of ninth grade students. The research was carried out using a pretest-posttest-follow-up test control group quasi-experimental design. The study group consisted of a total of 142 students (girls n=72, 51%; boys n=70, 49%), 46 (girls n=24, 52%; boys n=22, 48%) of which were in the experimental group, 48 (girls n=24, 50%; boys n=24, 50%) were in the control group and 48 (girls n=24, 50%; boys n=24, 50%) were in the placebo group. The research was carried out at the western region of our country during the 2013-2014 academic year in Anatolian high schools where mostly children of middle socioeconomic status families are educated and where interpersonal conflicts are frequently observed. The ages of the participants ranged between 14 and 16  (X= 14.70, ss= .53). Violence Tendency Scale and Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised were used as measurement instruments. The research findings indicated that violence tendencies of students in the experimental group decreased and social problem solving skills increased significantly in comparison with those of the students in the control and placebo groups.