Conflict Mediation in the Improvement Plan: contribution in a School Context

Abstract

The Improvement Plan is a strategic document for schools in Portugal. It became pertinent to inquire about the position attributed to conflict mediation within the scope of the improvement strategy, defined in this type of structuring document. This article presents a qualitative study, of four Improvement Plans, of a school in the Center of Portugal region, using the content analysis technique. With the support of the webQDA® software, emerging categories were obtained: mediation, domains / axes, actions, mediation office, areas / problems, objectives and indicators of starting and ending points. It was concluded that the consecration of mediation in the Improvement Plans can allow the school to assume this intervention methodology as a strategy for the realization of cultural change and socio-educational improvement, through the the inscription and promotion of values, devices, actions and practices in school culture.