Looking for Peace in the Australian National Curricula

Abstract

Education can be a source of cultural attitudes—a transmission belt—a cultural institution that can dispense communal values and cultural ideals in both teaching and curriculum. This empirical mixed-methods study utilizes the methodologies of directive (qualitative) and summative (quantitative) content analysis to analyse the national curricular statements of Australia (Early Learning, Foundation to 10 and, Senior 11-12) to determine if three elements common in peace education programs appear: recognition of violence (direct, structural or cultural); addressing conflict nonviolently; and, creating the conditions of positive peace. It finds that despite a copious amount of violent content, overall, the curricula does not recognize such deeds as deliberate acts of harm, that the curricula encompasses limited content regarding transforming conflict nonviolently and that aspects that contribute to positive peace are infrequent and largely lack the intention of creating equanamous space.