Student Guidance as a Restorative Practice

From the Viewpoint of Restorative Conversation

Abstract

Restorative practices are useful in student guidance because they require student–centered problem solving. Although there are many similar practices in schools, few past studies have analyzed them from a viewpoint of restorative practices. Thus, this study aimed to examine a conflict between two students in an elementary school from the perspective of restorative conversation arranged around the ideas of restorative practices and narrative therapy. The results showed that various inquires by the teacher, which focused on the relationship between the students, respected their different stories, and highlighted their agency, led to a successful practice. In addition, the teacher’s professional competencies to identify the extent to which the students could solve their conflicts by themselves and a team approach of the school where students were not seen as problems contributed to the success. Examining local practices in schools, as in this study, can aid in making implicit useful skills explicit and available to others.