JIN XUAN

Reflection

In the third session, we observed the children displayed issues with conflict management. When the children had fights, they did not manage their conflicts well.

The children may not be equipped with conflict management skills. Studies have shown that children who are not well-equipped at solving relational conflicts face less healthy friendships and poorer social support (Aviles, Anderson & Davila, 2006). The lack thereof increases the risk of social isolation and depression (Ge, Yap, Ong & Bee, 2017).

Through this, I recommend a programme that emphasises on conflict management. The name of the programme can be “Fight Nicely” -- where children can recognise the importance of practicing conflict management skills towards inevitable conflicts. This programme matches the Relationship Management domain in Social and Emotional Learning school programme (Ministry of Education, 2018). This programme can further equip children with better conflict management skills. Subsequently, children would also be able to maintain healthy relationship, thus forming better social support.

The recommended programme adopts a educational appeal, where providing correct information would suggest a change in behavior (Corcoran, 2007). By providing children with information and benefits about conflict management, they can recognise its importance and generalise it to real-life situations. A possible venue for behaviour modification would be in school. The programme can be included in the Character and Citizenship Education syllabus for primary school students (Ministry of Education, 2012).