Abstract
The purposes of this study were to make a questionnaire about interpersonal negotiation strategies (INS) based on Selman's theory, and to examine developmental changes and the relationship between INS and the sense of adaptation in schools, especially from the viewpoint of sex-related differences. One hundred and seventy-two 4th graders, 273 6th graders, 117 9th graders and 67 undergraduate students responded to the questionnaire regarding how often they use 9 kinds of INS for solving interpersonal conflicts and how they feel about their school life. The main results were as follows: 1) As to INS levels, girls were more advanced than boys; 2) At low levels, boys' scores of other-transforming strategies and girls' scores of self-transforming strategies were higher; 3) Among boys, a positive correlation between INS levels and a sense of adaptation in school was found, especially among 6th graders. This finding supported Selman's theory; 4) Among girls, an increase of self-transforming and a decrease of other-transforming strategies were observed among 6th and 9th graders; and while in 6th graders correlation between INS levels and the sense of adaptation was similar to that among boys, it was quite different for 9th graders.
