Peace Education Programs Research Articles

Educational change following conflict: Challenges related to the implementation of a peace education programme in Kenya

Following the post-election violence in Kenya an attempt to bring about educational change through a peace education programme was launched by the MoE, UNICEF and UNHCR. The programme, which was aimed at building peace at the grassroots level, targeted the areas most affected by the post-election violence. Teaching plans were designed for all levels in primary school, and teachers and head teachers at schools in the Rift Valley were trained in the materials. Whereas the MoE assumed that the schools, having recently experienced the post-election violence, would have an innate motivation to implement the programme, this paper argues that the reality on the ground was more complicated. The formation and the implementation of the programme will be analysed from the perspective of policy makers and school populations. The paper argues that there are challenges related to additive and reactive peace education policies. Further, the paper argues that perceived relevance, school location, school leadership and perceived policy influenced the implementation processes on school level. In sum, the paper argues that the top-down approach taken when designing and implementing the programme led to less impact than the programme otherwise could have had, due to the lack of adjustment to local school contexts.

Effects of Peace Education Program on the Violence Tendencies and Social Problem Solving Skills of Students

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of Peace Education Program on the violence tendencies and social problem solving skills of ninth grade students. The research was carried out using a pretest-posttest-follow-up test control group quasi-experimental design. The study group consisted of a total of 142 students (girls n=72, 51%; boys n=70, 49%), 46 (girls n=24, 52%; boys n=22, 48%) of which were in the experimental group, 48 (girls n=24, 50%; boys n=24, 50%) were in the control group and 48 (girls n=24, 50%; boys n=24, 50%) were in the placebo group. The research was carried out at the western region of our country during the 2013-2014 academic year in Anatolian high schools where mostly children of middle socioeconomic status families are educated and where interpersonal conflicts are frequently observed. The ages of the participants ranged between 14 and 16 ( X = 14.70, ss= .53). Violence Tendency Scale and Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised were used as measurement instruments. The research findings indicated that violence tendencies of students in the experimental group decreased and social problem solving skills increased significantly in comparison with those of the students in the control and placebo groups.

Peace Education as a Post-conflict Peacebuilding Tool

This article provides a critical analysis of the literature and reports on peace education programmes in countries emerging from violent conflicts. First, it begins with an overview of peace education’s history. Next, it examines how peace education has been conceptualised, and highlights why it remains poorly defined. The article then proceeds by looking at the development of the international community’s use of peace education as a tool to contribute to their peacebuilding efforts in countries emerging from protracted contexts. After that, it reviews the research and evaluation work that has been done on peace education programmes. The article concludes with a survey of peace education programmes in ethnically/religiously linked post-conflict environments that have made mainstreaming their goal, and identifies areas of future research.

Looking for peace in national curriculum: the PECA Project in New Zealand

This is the pilot study for the Peace Education Curricular Analysis Project – a project that seeks to become a longitudinal and global analysis of national curriculum statements for pro-peace values. National education as a system of organized learning can act as a transmission belt – a cultural institution that assigns communal ideals and values and uses pedagogy to echo social standards. As this analysis considers that it is possible to assess non-peace education for peace education qualities, this study analyzed New Zealand’s early childhood, primary, and secondary education curricular statements to ascertain the presence or absence of three elements common in peace education programs: recognition of violence; addressing conflict nonviolently; and creating the conditions of positive peace. The methodologies used in this mixed methods study include directive and summative content analysis. This analysis finds that the curricular statements (2) of New Zealand have made progress to educate students toward peace and non-violence and that in general, the early childhood curricular statement incorporates a greater amount of pro-peace content than the primary and secondary curriculum statement. Opportunities exist to strengthen peace education content in future New Zealand curricular statements.

From clouds of chemical warfare to blue skies of peace: the Tehran Peace Museum, Iran

Despite the limited number of peace museums around the world, there exists an essential role for existing peace museums to promote a culture of peace and peace education. The purpose of this article was to introduce the origins, rationale, scope and work of the Tehran Peace Museum in Iran. The concept of the museum is to facilitate peace education and develop peaceful environments drawn from the personal experiences of war survivors. The museum encompasses exhibitions about the horrors of chemical and nuclear warfare and is balanced with awareness programmes, bridge-building dialogues, connections with other peace museums and a comprehensive peace education programme catering for younger and older members of society. It offers the space and opportunity for a community of learning within the museum and welcomes fresh ideas and initiatives from visitors and volunteers. The Tehran Peace Museum is unique in its body of volunteers, men and women who have been directly affected by chemical weapons. They are involved in the Veterans Voices of Peace Oral History Project and actively voice the need for creating peaceful societies in today’s world.

The 'Parent Circle' Peace Education Program: Does it Make Any Change?

This study evaluated a peace education program facilitated by the 'parents circle family forum.' The program aims to expose Jewish and Palestinian-Arab adolescents to personal stories of bereavement as a result of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One hundred and sixty-four Jewish twelfth-grade adolescents from schools throughout Israel filled out questionnaires before the start of the educational program, and 135 Jewish adolescents filled out the same questionnaire up to a week after it ended. Questionnaires included empathy, anger, and legitimacy toward 'self' and 'others' narratives. Results indicate that, overall, there were not any significant differences before and after the educational program with regard to adolescents' attitudes toward 'self' and 'others' narratives. However, when examining differences between subgroups in Israeli society, significant differences between 'secular' and 'traditional' adolescents emerged. The attitudes of secular adolescents favored narratives of the 'others,' while the attitudes of the traditional adolescents favored the 'self' narratives. After the program, these differences diminished, meaning that the program had a different impact on each subgroup. The traditional adolescents became more favorable to the 'others' narratives, while the secular adolescents became more favorable to their own narratives. Results are discussed on the basis of the theoretical foundation of psychological impacts of intractable conflicts.

Management of Emergency Peace Education Programmes for Boko Haram Internally Displaced Persons in Yola Refugee Camp of Adamawa State Nigeria

Education is a fundamental right of children even under emergency situations. The purpose of this study was to asses, access resources, curriculum activities, coordination of capacity building in managing emergency peace education programmes for Boko Haram internally displaced persons in Yola Refugee Camp of Adamawa State. Data was collected using teachers assessment of emergency peace Education for Internally Displaced Persons questionnaire (TAEPEIDPQ) consisting of twenty (20) items. The findings of the study was that most of the children of Boko Haram displace persons had no access to emergency peace education, resources were not provided for emergency peace education, curriculum activities were not supported and coordination of capacity building were not carried out by Governments, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), international and donor agencies for Boko Haram Internally Displaced Persons in Yola Refugee Camp of Adamawa State. Conclusion and recommendations on how to manage emergency peace education were offered.

The Impact of Peace Education Programme at University on University Students’ Intercultural Sensitivity

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of Peace Education Programme (PEP) that is applied to university students on their intercultural sensitivity. The participants of this study consist of 25 university students who took Peace Education course which was an elective course. This study is pre-experimental. Intercultural Sensitivity Scale developed by Chen and Starosta (2000) was used as data collection tool. Pre-test was applied to the students who chose this course before the programme started. Then, at the last week of the course, post test was applied. It was found out there was a significant difference between participants’ pre-test intercultural sensitivity scores and post-test intercultural sensitivity scores (Z=-1.117; p=0.00<0.05). Also it was found out that there was a significant difference between participants’ pre-test and post-test scores of interaction engagement (Z=-3.162; p= 0.00< 0.05) and their pre-test and post-test scores of interaction attentiveness (Z=-1.735; p= 0.00<0.05) which are the sub-dimensions of intercultural sensitivity. However, it was found out that there was not a significant difference between participants’ pre-test and post-test scores of respect for cultural differences (Z=-0.948; p=0.07>0.05), their pre-test and post-test scores of interaction confidence (Z=-1.189; p=0.137>0.05), and their pre-test and post-test scores of interaction enjoyment (Z=-0.85; p=0.172>0.05) which are the sub-dimensions of intercultural sensitivity.

Looking for Peace in the Australian National Curricula

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.

Nigerian Environment under Siege and the Effect on the Management of Tertiary Institutions for Peace and Security

The purpose of this paper was to examine the effect of insecurity on the management of tertiary education in Nigerian environment. To address this problem, three research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The instrument used for the study was a four point likert type self developed questionnaire, which was validated and tested for rehability by experts and administered on 499 sampled staff and students of Federal tertiary education institutions in Northern Nigeria. Data collected was analysed using one way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The major result obtained were that without a well planned and developed educational institutions devoid of insecurity academic peace and work can hardly be possible. Based on the result, it was recommended that educational institutions should seek peace through the introduction of peace education programme in which the content emphasis deconstruction of structures of violence and introduction of structures for peace and security. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n27p269

The Effect of Peace Education Program on The Seven -Grade Student’s Conflict Resolution and Communication Skills

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Peace Education Program (PEP) on the conflict resolution and communication skills of seventh grade students. Pretest–posttest control group quasi-experimental design has been used in this research and 70 students were randomly chosen and were placed in experimental and control groups. PEP, involving 12 session was implemented in one academic semester for experimental group. Before and after training, Scale of Determine the Conflict Resolution Behaviors and Scale of Communication Skills have been applied for two groups. Also, three month after the teaching of PEP, follow-up measurement was administered. Data analysis was achieved through Covariance statistical test and showed that PEP training had been effective on the conflict resolution and communication skills of students.

Quality as critique: promoting critical reflection among youth in structured encounter programs

In this manuscript, I interrogate the concept of ‘quality’ encounter programs for youth in conflict zones. I focus on two Israeli organizations implementing encounters for Jewish and Palestinian citizens, and draw upon narratives of former participants as articulated during life history narratives to illustrate divergent emphases in each organization’s goals and implementation strategies. Through my comparison of the organizations and their work, I highlight the importance in encounter programs of providing opportunities not only for legitimizing the collective narrative of the ‘other’ side, but also for critical reflection upon in-group narratives and policies, and suggest that ‘quality’ peace education programs are those that provide these opportunities.

Endorsing empowerment? A critical comparative study of peace education in Jamaica and Peru

Is empowering peace education primarily about providing individuals with skills to respond to violence they experience and capabilities to enhance their own lives? Or is inspiring social transformation to alter forms of injustice that contribute to violence an equally valid and important dimension of an empowering peace education program? This article draws upon the authors’ experiences researching peace education programs implemented by local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in two different contexts: Jamaica and Peru. The basis for comparison is grounded in the discourse key actors in these NGOs utilized in reference to their respective educational initiatives, explicitly emphasizing empowerment for marginalized groups. Using critical qualitative techniques and troubling the idea of ‘empowerment,’ the authors analyze the discourse of empowerment to look beyond explicit truth claims and unveil tacit assumptions regarding the purpose and desired outcomes for the beneficiaries of their respective programs. The authors interrogate what definitions of empowerment – social and/or individual – the program stakeholders envision as well as how they believe such empowerment comes about. The study’s findings contribute to the need to critically unpack the commonly uncritical use of the term ‘empowerment’ as necessarily directed toward addressing social inequalities and altering unjust power relations.

Establishing a framework of influential factors on empowering primary school students in peer mediation.

Background:Empowerment of children and adolescents in terms of social skills is critical for promoting their social health.Objectives:This study attempts to explore a framework of influential factors on empowering primary school students by means of peer mediation from the stakeholders' point of view, as a qualitative content analysis design.Patients and Methods:This study was a qualitative content analysis (conventional method). Seven focused group discussions and six in-depth interviews were conducted with schoolchildren, parents and education authorities. Following each interview, recordings were entered to an open code software and analyzed. Data collection was continued up to data saturation.Results:Within the provided framework, the participants' views and comments were classified into two major categories “educational empowerment” and “social empowerment”, and into two themes; “program” and “advocacy”. The “program” theme included factors such as design and implementation, development, maintenance and improvement, and individual and social impact. The “advocacy” theme included factors such as social, emotional and physical support.Conclusions:The explained framework components regarding peer mediation are useful to design peace education programs and to empower school-age children in peer mediation.

Monitoring the effects of an education for peace program: An Israeli perspective

Abstract The aim of the current study was to monitor the changes that individual participants experienced as a result of taking part in a peace education program. The findings of prior analyses led to the understanding that participating in a peace program does not always ensure positive changes and may even cause a regression in attitudes. The present study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the researchers learned about the processes that participants underwent during a peace education program and accordingly, a reinforcement program to restore/rehabilitate any negative attitudes was formed. In the second stage, the effectiveness over time of this reinforcement program was evaluated. The study’s findings show that engaging in reflection about the workshop content, especially when it is oriented towards positive thinking, is effective in reinforcing attitudes among participants who underwent a positive change in attitudes, and at the same time helps to rehabilitate attitudes among those participants who underwent a negative change. It is recommended that future peace education programs include at least three parts: preliminary preparation, the program itself, and follow-up/reinforcement activity after completion of the program.

Reflections of a Peace Educator: The Power and Challenges of Peace Education With Pre-Service Teachers

This retrospective essay examines one long-standing peace and global education initiative for pre-service teacher candidates. The article probes the meanings of peace education and of global education embedded in the program, as well as the program’s apparent consequences: What understandings of peace education did the pre-service candidates in this program demonstrate, through their own words and the teaching plans they produced? What skills did the pre-service candidates seem to acquire in curriculum design? My reflections are based on my own experience as a faculty member and coordinator of the program, as well as retrospective understandings derived from ongoing examination of questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews, and especially, almost 200 curriculum products (lesson and unit plans) created by pre-service candidates in a special “global cohort” and in the general pre-service population at the same university. The article provides a literature review of the main definitions of peace education, as well as the characteristics of peace pedagogy, and discusses two main challenges faced by the core faculty in this peace education program. In particular, teacher candidates’ understandings of peace education often seemed limited, especially in relation to their competence in developing curricula for other strands of global education. Second, teacher candidates often had difficulty acquiring the relevant knowledge base and teaching materials necessary for facilitating the complex pedagogies associated with peace education. I conclude with some observations about how our program’s pre-service teacher candidates seemed to understand and respond to the challenges of peace education.

Community-engaged courses in a conflict zone: a case study of the Israeli academic corpus

This article is based on an action-oriented study of 13 community-engaged courses at 11 institutions of higher education in Israel. These courses were not part of peace education programs but rather accredited academic courses in various disciplines, all of which included practice and theory. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how these courses provided transformative learning experiences, allowing Jewish and Arab students to reexamine social issues in a micro-climate of openness and intellectual rigor, thereby developing their commitment to engaging with the ‘other’ and the ‘otherized.’ By providing opportunities for reflection, the courses allowed students to build new networks of relationships within a deeply divided society. Nevertheless, the research reveals that though the students in these courses were highly aware of inequalities in society, they tended to self-define as non-political both in their theoretical learning and their action for change. The Israeli–Palestinian conflict and questions of war and peace were almost absent from the academic classroom. The reluctance to engage in political discussion or activism – even in Partnership classrooms where students are given the opportunity to encounter the ‘other’ first hand – speaks volumes about the fear that prevails on campuses in Israel and other conflict zones.

Role Of Teacher For Peace Education

This paper outlines a framework for developing peace education agenda in high schools and college and university level. Historical peace education programs are reviewed and included into a comprehensive program of substantive, peace education content and pedagogy. The historical programs reviewed include the Integral Model of Peace Education, Learning to stop War, and Master of Arts Program in Peace Education at our school, college &amp; University level for Peace education. Peace is simply having a feeling of security, calm and restfulness. We often tend to think of peace as being an international issue, far from our daily life, but we do not realize that global peace can only be achieved if each country is established at peace. The peace and happiness of each country can only be achieved if every citizen is at peace. This follows therefore that a country can be peaceful and progress if people live tolerantly. We all want peace of mind. The need of the hour is to develop the young generation with peace consciousness and the importance of conflict resolution. Neither our society nor our educational system has any scope for highlighting the importance of peace and conflict resolution. In every walk of life our attention is focused on violence, confrontation, competition, self-interest and the need to win. The history of wars is no longer than peace. It took the impact of two world wars and the Hiroshima bomb disaster for human kind to begin to perceive the concept of peace as the primary goal. Our School, college and university teacher can spread massage about the peace in the society through our studying generation. The whole reliant of peace of our nation on the student, simply they can learn and establish in society peace. Here teacher’s role is very important to teach student what peace education is and how to maintain in society peace so that, every citizen can be avoid any kind of conflict from neighbor to neighbor country.

Shallow Roots Require Constant Watering: The Challenge of Sustained Impact in Educational Programs

Socially-oriented educational programs often face societal barriers. Peace education in a region of prolonged conflict faces a negative socio-political environment that works against its effects. The media, leadership, educational system and other societal institutions continue to express a culture of conflict. Recent studies show that the effects of peace education programs are short-lived and methods to sustain the effects over time are needed. The present paper describes the societal-psychological climate of prolonged conflict, the goals of peace education in such regions, the challenges of achieving these goals, and possible ways to overcome these challenges. The main argument is that peace education programs should be designed to effectively manage the “reality dissonance” between the sought-for effects and socio-political environment. Mechanisms for sustaining educational change are described along with considerations for program design. Finally the paper offers several conclusions and directions for future research.

Transforming Power and Transformative Learning in Peace Educator Development

Pea ce education and the development of pea ce educators should be a vita l component of any education system. This is particularly so in a developing country such as South Africa where high levels of violent crime and protest action occur alongside growing inequality. It is therefore surprising that in a context such as this so little attention is given to pea ce education in terms of programme offerings and scholarship. Thi s paper explores and theorises aspects of the multi-faceted curriculum processes and the teaching and learning experiences in an undergraduate peace education programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Drawing on a small- scale qualitative study involving interviews with novice peace educators, the paper explores three a spects of curriculum innovation within the UKZN programme which attempts to address the cardinal challenges of peace educator development. It then considers three learning opportunities created for novice educators through such a curriculum. Using the lens of Mezirow's transformative learning theory the paper finally, theorises some of the learning and teaching experiences of this programme.