Purpose: This study aims to present Dramatic Problem Solving Facilitation Model (DPSFM) and Interactive Management (IM) as innovative alternative dispute resolution approaches that incorporate communication technologies in recording and analyzing data. DPSFM utilizes performance-based actions with facilitation methods to help participants design…

This article, the second of a two-part series, features 13 "My Favorite Assignments" that were introduced at the Association for Business Communication's 82nd annual conference held in Dublin, Ireland, in 2017. The pedagogical innovations include assignments that teach students how to conduct primary research, present their findings,…

A marker method (MM) and a rating method (RM) for testing a phasing hypothesis of family problem-solving interactions (PSIs) are compared. Focus was on studying the procedure employed in each method to test a phasing hypothesis of problem solving and how the methods compare against a set of criteria. In the RM, each family problem-solving episode…

The formal court system in Australia has long been criticised for its adversarial nature. As a result, there has been an increase in the use of alternative dispute resolution processes such as mediation. These are promoted as a means of increasing access to justice by disadvantaged groups and as an inexpensive way of solving legal or quasi-legal…

The development and use of the family problem-solving diary are described. The diary is one of several indicators and measures of family problem-solving behavior. It provides a record of each person's perception of day-to-day family problems (what the problem concerns, what happened, who got involved, what those involved did, how the problem…

During the past 15 years, most studies dealing with communication and conflict in organizational settings have used a bargaining context while integrating assumptions from game theory, information processing, developmental approaches, and systems theory into their research designs. These studies also reflect four communication topic areas,…

This article provides a methodological illustration of how to conduct scientifically rigorous secondary interventions within the context of three-tiered models of support. Specifically, the authors demonstrate one approach for using schoolwide data to identify middle school students (N = 65) with both academic and behavioral concerns. Then, they…

To determine if empirically derived dependent variables could differentiate typical conflict and accord discussions, couples engaged in conflict and accord discussions on topics rated prior to and following discussions. Discriminators were volume, criticism, disagreement and sarcasm. Variables which did not differentaite topics were swearing, rate…

Argues that the case study method of assessing human interactions in organizations provides incomplete information and contains inadequate judgment criteria. Examines epistemological assumptions on which case study or interpretive methodology rests (including cultural analysis of organizations) and recommends an alternative problem-solving model…

Widespread teacher negativism toward supervision, stemming from organizational sources (the supervisor, removed from day-to-day teaching concerns, as evaluator) and behavioral sources (distancing, ritualism, nonauthenticity) can only be changed by openness and willingness to examine past neglects and by developing new methods of behavior. (MB)

Arguments and research studies examining whether people prefer arbitration or mediation to resolve a conflict between disputing parties are discussed, critiqued, and compared. In both mediation and arbitration a presumably neutral third party is involved, along with disputants, as an element of the dispute-resolution process. Mediation and…

Noting the lack of a dispute mechanism for determining whether an advertising practice is truly deceptive without generating the costs and negative publicity produced by traditional Federal Trade Commission (FTC) procedures, this paper proposes a model based upon early termination of the issues through jointly commissioned behavioral research. The…

Functioning as a researcher, a second-grade teacher evaluated the effectiveness of puppetry in the reduction of student arguments and teacher intervention in those arguments. The teacher defined and observed the behaviors to be changed, designed and implemented the puppet intervention, and then observed the behaviors again, noting reductions in…

The functional role of a national center for vocational education depends on the people doing the work; consequently, the center sets its own agenda when it makes personal decisions. A center's role should include two elements: in setting its own research agenda, a center should take a broad perspective on vocational education; and a center should…

All secondary school assistant principals in Massachusetts were surveyed to assess the relationships between their backgrounds, training, and values and their concepts of, preparedness for, and processes for dealing with conflict situations. Data were collected through questionnaires and through the completion by the 122 survey respondents of the…