NCJ Number
100845
Journal
Missouri Journal of Dispute Resolution Volume: 1985 Dated: (1985) Pages: 73-87
Date Published
1985
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Within the context of Philadelphia's Landlord-Tenant Mediation Program, this study examines mediator role expectations, variations in role expectations according to mediator professional training, and implications for mediator training.
Abstract
The study encompassed all 49 mediators trained between October 1982 and December 1983; 39 responded to the survey. Mediators were either lawyers or social workers. The questionnaire asked respondents to select the most appropriate response from the possibilities presented. Other questions were open-ended. The information solicited covered mediator role expectations, techniques for and obstacles to impartiality, educational content required to fulfill the mediator role, and aspects of mediator conduct. Both the lawyers and social workers viewed their mediation role as that of a neutral, third-party who facilitates problemsolving without substituting personal judgment for that of the parties. The lawyers, however, emphasized legal knowledge and skills as important in the mediator's task, and social workers focused on conflict resolution theory, interviewing, and problemsolving. It is concluded that mediator training should emphasize three themes; the relationship between mediators' expectations and their conduct, the essential role characteristics, and the relation of theory to practice. 34 footnotes.