Measuring the Impacts of Interpersonal Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution Skills Training on Academic Success: A Field Experiment

Last registered on February 25, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Measuring the Impacts of Interpersonal Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution Skills Training on Academic Success: A Field Experiment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015404
Initial registration date
February 21, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
February 25, 2025, 10:35 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

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Primary Investigator

Name
Sukran Dinc
Affiliation
York University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Selcuk Ozyurt
PI Affiliation
York University
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PI Name
Fulya Turk
PI Affiliation
Yıldız Technical University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-12-26
End date
2025-12-31
Keywords
Crime, Violence, & Conflict, Education
Additional Keywords
Conflict Resolution Skills
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Students’ academic success is often attributed to cognitive skills, while the impact of interpersonal conflict management and dispute resolution (ICMDR) skills remains underexplored. Many educational interventions focus on improving academic performance through direct cognitive skill development, such as tutoring and curriculum enhancements. We examine an alternative approach by investigating whether ICMDR skills contribute to academic achievement. A well-established literature in labor economics suggests that non-cognitive skills are crucial for long-term outcomes, including educational attainment and economic success (Heckman et al., 2006). While these skills cover a broad range of traits and behaviors, ICMDR skills form a specific subset that helps students navigate school conflicts. Though challenging to measure and develop, research suggests interpersonal skills are best learned during adolescence (Johnson & Johnson, 2004). If so, targeting ICMDR skills could be a valuable tool for improving student success. Motivated by this literature, we test whether improving ICMDR skills enhances academic outcomes through a randomized field experiment in Turkey. Sixth-grade students from public schools complete a conflict resolution scale and a demographic survey before being randomly assigned to an eight-week ICMDR training or a control group. We will measure ICMDR skills using validated conflict resolution scales, and academic success will be assessed through standardized tests developed by the Ministry of National Education of Turkey. The study will evaluate whether training leads to improvements in students’ conflict resolution abilities, academic performance, anger regulation, and empathy.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Dinc, Sukran , Selcuk Ozyurt and Fulya Turk. 2025. "Measuring the Impacts of Interpersonal Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution Skills Training on Academic Success: A Field Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. February 25. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15404-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention involves ICMDR training, a program is designed to help students recognize and manage conflicts constructively, enhancing their communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills. It is originally created by Johnson and Johnson (1995), and Assoc. Prof. Fulya Turk has translated and modified the program to be more culturally and linguistically suitable in Turkish. This training has been previously approved by MEB and is used in different research projects within the public school system. School psychological counselor teachers will implement the education while considering the students' schedules.

A total of 14 public schools in Istanbul have been recruited for the study. These schools were selected because their guidance and psychological counselors voluntarily agreed to participate and received training to implement the program.

Students are randomly assigned to one of two treatment arms:
• Treatment Group: Students receive ICMDR training, delivered by their school psychological counselors through weekly two-hour sessions.
• Control Group: Students continue with their standard classroom activities without additional training.

Intervention Start Date
2025-02-24
Intervention End Date
2025-04-25

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Academic Performance
Conflict Resolution Skill
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Academic Performance: We will collect standardized math and Turkish exam scores administered by the Ministry of National Education (MEB) each academic term. All schools take the same exam, and grading is conducted centrally by the MEB.

Conflict resolution skill: We will use ICMDR skill scale, originally developed by Akbalik (2001). It has 55 items and five sub-dimensions: Understanding, Listening Skills, Focus on Needs, Social Cohesion, and Anger Control. The lowest score that can be obtained from the scale is 55, and the highest score is 220. The Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient of the scale is 0.91.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Empathy Score
Anger Score
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
1. Cognitive, Emotional, and Physical Empathy Scale for Children: This scale, developed by Raine and Chen (2018) to evaluate the empathy levels of children and adolescents, was adapted to Turkish by Güzel, Sevi Tok, and Güney (2019). The scale consists of 30 questions. Items are answered using a triple Likert-type format. As a result of the scale, the total empathy score can be calculated, and it can be evaluated in three sub-scales: cognitive, emotional, and physical empathy. The Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale is 0.84.

2. Continuous Anger and Anger Style Scale: The scale was prepared to assess individual differences in anger predisposition, including the intensity of anger and a personality trait. The scale was developed by Spielberger, Jacobs, Russell, and Crane (1983) and adapted to Turkish by Ozer (1994). The Continuous Anger and Anger Style Scale consists of 34 items and includes the Continuous Anger (10 items) and Anger Expression Style (24 items) subscales. The scale has a Likert-type scoring system ranging from 1 to 4 for each item. The reliability coefficients of the Continuous Anger Scale were found to range between 0.68 and 0.84. The Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale is 0.87.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with students as the unit of randomization within schools. A group of sixth-grade students from 14 public schools participated. Within each school, students were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control group, with each group consisting of a similar number of students. Randomization was stratified by gender and prior math performance. Psychology counselors received training on the ICMDR program. They were then given approximately two months to implement it in their classrooms.

Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
students within school
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
14 public schools, 700 students
Sample size: planned number of observations
14 public schools, 700 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
350 treatment
350 control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
York University Office of Research Ethics
IRB Approval Date
2024-12-19
IRB Approval Number
2024-328
IRB Name
Yıldız Technical University Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2024-10-31
IRB Approval Number
N/A
IRB Name
Ministry of National Education
IRB Approval Date
2024-12-05
IRB Approval Number
MEB.TT.2024.007297
Analysis Plan