A computer-based violence prevention intervention for young adolescents: pilot study

Area of Science:

• Adolescent psychology
• Educational technology
• Conflict resolution studies

Background:

• Adolescents require effective strategies for non-violent conflict resolution.
• Traditional methods may not fully engage young learners in developing crucial social-emotional skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and pilot test a technology-based intervention for teaching conflict resolution skills to adolescents.
• To evaluate the efficacy of a multimedia tool in enhancing anger management, perspective-taking, and mediation abilities.

Main Methods:

• Development of SMART Talk, a multimedia tool incorporating games, interactive interviews, cartoons, and animation.
• Pilot testing of the SMART Talk tool with an adolescent population.
• Assessment of user engagement and changes in knowledge and practice of prosocial behaviors.

Main Results:

• SMART Talk demonstrated popularity among both male and female adolescent users.
• The tool successfully increased participants' knowledge of conflict resolution strategies.
• Adolescent use of SMART Talk led to a greater practice of prosocial behaviors.

Conclusions:

• Multimedia technology offers a viable and engaging approach to teaching conflict resolution skills to adolescents.
• SMART Talk is an effective tool for improving anger management, perspective-taking, and mediation skills.
• Interventions like SMART Talk can foster positive social-emotional development and reduce violent conflict tendencies in youth.