Supervisors info:
Γαλανάκη Ευαγγελία,Καθηγήτρια,Παιδαγωγικό Τμήμα Δημοτικής Εκπαίδευσης,Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Μαλαφάντης Κωνσταντίνος.καθηγητής ΠΤΔΕ-ΕΚΠΑ
Μπαμπάλης Θωμάς, Αν. καθηγητής ΠΤΔΕ-ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
The aim of this study was to design , implement and evaluate an intervention for the reduction of aggression and anger among school-age children. The intervention was implemented on 4th- and 6th-grade children during the whole school year and consisted of 12 sessions. It was based on the following intervention programs and experimental activities: Children's House (Kyriakidou & Fylaktou, 2006), Friends (Psyllou & Zafiropoulou, 2012), Conflict Control Program (Triliva & Chimienti, 2008), 205 Experiential Exercises for Group Encouragement (Archondaki & Philippou, 2003), and Emotional Intelligence Development Program (Plomaritou, 2004).
Further goals of the intervention were the following: (a) To strengthen children's social and emotional skills ; (b) to facilitate children to recognise, express and manage their emotions; (c) to teach children ways of managing their conflicts ;and (d) to encourage children to accept diversity through the acquisition of commynication and collaboration skills. During the implementation of the intervention, music-kinetic education activities, visual arts, role playing dramatization, constructions, discussions, posters and catalogs were used.
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention program, two instruments were administered: (a) The Greek adaption of "The School Liking and Avoidance Questionnaire" ( Ladd & Price, 1987) -before and after intervention- in order to assess children's satisfaction from school; and (b) The Anger Expression Scale for Children (Makri-Botsari, 2010) -during the intervention- in order to assess anger intensity and responses to anger. In addition, individual interviews were conducted with students with the aim to evaluate perceptions of aggression in school, and a report was made in order to assess each intervention step in the 12 sessions.
Quantitative and qualitative analyses showed a clear increase in school liking as well as decrease in school avoidance, a reduction in anger and violence, the adoption of functional behaviors by children and the strengthening of their emotional ties.
Keywords:
Agression, Anger, School Violence, Conflicts, Intervention Program
