(2006). Implications of Bullying in Schools for Aggression between Nations. Journal of Peace Education, v3 n2 p175-185 Sep. Understanding the nature of bullying in schools can assist in understanding aggression between nations. Although there are substantial differences between bullying behaviour practised by school children and bullying attributed to nations, there are some commonalities. This article examines seven basic elements that help in identifying and describing bullying that occurs between students in schools. These elements are seen to be relevant to understanding the nature and underlying motivations of \some\ conflicts between nations. The second part of this article examines steps that have been taken in a growing number of countries in implementing systematic anti-bullying policies in schools. The basic features of these programs are described and their effectiveness in reducing peer victimisation briefly reviewed, drawing primarily upon a comprehensive analysis given in Smith, Pepler and Rigby (2004) (\Bullying in schools: how successful can interventions be?\ Cambridge University Press)…. [Direct]
(2006). Education and Major Cultural Incidents in Society: September 11 and Dutch Education. Journal of Peace Education, v3 n2 p235-249 Sep. Education is a dynamic cultural process to which individuals contribute their cultural identity and in which they enter into dialogue with each other. Each participant gives a personal meaning to the subject matter and to the interpersonal behavior norms. The question in this article is: what does education perceive of major cultural incidents in society like 9/11, how does education respond to them, and how does education anticipate such matters? The research shed light on how the pedagogical principle of active diversity can be translated into educational practice under these new conditions and how the differences between cultures interact. Boundaries for working with diversity are identified. The research also shed light on how public schools respond to situations of this kind, and what recommendations can be made. The article is based on interviews with teachers and vice-principals in Dutch secondary education. (Contains 1 note.)… [Direct]
(2020). Caste Relations in Student Diversity: Thinking through Dr Ambedkar's Perspective towards a Civic Learning Approach in Higher Education. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, v19 n1 p30-43. The chairman of the drafting committee of the modern Indian Constitution, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, emphasized that education cultivates democracy in society, strengthens the roots of democracy, and brings about social transformation. The social transformation includes a way of life that will promote liberty, equality, and fraternity, which are Dr Ambedkar's "key elements of an ideal society". This paper discusses the implications for higher education campuses for achieving an ideal society in light of the emerging evidence on peer group formation around identities and issues of discrimination associated with caste in the context of increasing student diversity. The paper also emphasizes the important role of a civic-learning approach to higher education; meaning an active engagement with values of liberty, equality, and fraternity. There is a shared belief that higher education has a great potential to be a social laboratory for civic learning and to inculcate democratic… [PDF]
(2018). Methodological Reflections on the Use of Systematic Reviews in Early Childhood Research. Journal of Early Childhood Research, v16 n1 p18-31 Mar. This article sets out to look critically at the use of systematic reviews in the cross-disciplinary field of early childhood and international development. Systematic reviews–a specialist methodology involving the secondary analysis of existing knowledge on a particular topic–is prevalently used to address complex questions in social and health-related policy and is an established tradition in the life and health sciences. In education and the social sciences, there is burgeoning interest in systematic methodological approaches, although its usage remains comparatively lagging compared to the medical field. Drawing on an interdisciplinary systematic review of empirical research on early childhood development and peacebuilding in the Asia Pacific region, this article reflects on the use of the methodology and its potential to inform new conceptual and methodological developments. The article argues that our knowledge of children and the early years can be significantly advanced by… [Direct]
(2016). Higher Education as the Catalyst of Recovery in Conflict-Affected Societies. Globalisation, Societies and Education, v14 n3 p403-421. This article examines the role of higher education in the recovery of conflict-affected societies and argues that while the sector is typically a very low reconstruction priority, it has the potential, if addressed strategically, to act as a catalyst for effective and sustainable post-war recovery. The article begins by contextualising higher education within broader debates around post-war recovery and education. It then analyses the relationship between higher education and four core intervention agendas in conflict-affected societies: stabilisation and securitisation, reconstruction, statebuilding and peacebuilding…. [Direct]
(2019). "Wantok"-Centred Framework for Developing Citizenship. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, v18 n2 p55-67. This paper presents a framework for developing citizenship education in the Solomon Islands. By drawing on a qualitative study conducted with 24 students, 20 teachers, and four principals in four rural and urban schools in the Solomon Islands, this study reveals that "wantok"-centred relationships are a unifying symbol that holds the family unit, clan, tribe, church members, and people with the state. In order to strengthen "wantok" relationships that create a peaceful coexistence in the Solomon Islands, this article proposes a "wantok" framework to underpin the development of citizenship education in the Solomon Islands. It introduces three domains: democratic, spiritual, and cultural, which are all centred on the notion of relationality. It demonstrates how relationality is central to the "wantok" framework by connecting people through the pijin language, and cultural, spiritual, and democratic values. This article concludes by demonstrating… [PDF]
(2018). Teachers as Agents of Peace? Exploring Teacher Agency in Social Cohesion in Pakistan. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, v48 n4 p535-552. This paper studies an under-researched area–teachers' role in peacebuilding in conflict-affected contexts–through exploring teacher agency for social cohesion in Pakistan. Insights are sought into teachers' perspectives on the major drivers of conflict in society and the role of education and teachers in social cohesion and mitigating inequities in education. A 4Rs framework of redistribution, recognition, representation and reconciliation was employed to analyse data gathered from: interviews with and classroom observations of teacher educators; focus-group discussions with and a questionnaire completed by pre- and in-service teachers; and analysis of teacher education and school curriculum texts. While teachers expressed a nuanced understanding of the conflict drivers in society and appreciated the significance of education in peacebuilding, they subscribed to assimilationist approaches to social cohesion, which were aligned with curriculum texts and promoted official… [Direct]
(2018). The Value of Emic Research in Sport for Development and Peace Programs. Sport, Education and Society, v23 n4 p354-366. This paper demonstrates the value of researching the emic perceptions expressed by participants of sport for development and peace (SDP) programs about their program. An Israeli SDP program was chosen which addresses Arab children's educational needs through sport. Ten semi-structured interviews were held with participants: two Jewish male managers, two Arab male principals and six Arab female volunteers, and a three-stage qualitative data analysis was implemented. The analysis revealed that the participants had constructed a complex array of different meanings and were switching them in the changing social contexts. In the discussion we provide the following explanatory framework: the emic data revealed an 'impression management' dynamic, which on the one hand exhibits the agency of the participants to control their short-term reality, but on the other hand conceals a miscommunication problem and discrepancies that weaken the impact of the program as a whole. Better dialogue between… [Direct]
(2018). Model United Nations and Experiential Learning: An Assessment of Changes in Knowledge and Attitudes. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, v9 n4 p198-213. Despite the popularity of Model United Nations, no effort has been made to directly assess student learning since 1984. Accordingly, we developed and administered a pre- and post-conference survey to participants in the 2007 American Model United Nations (AMUN). We assessed whether participating in the simulation affected students' general knowledge of the UN; their attitudes towards the UN and the most important member states; and their understanding of diplomatic strategies. We find that first-time participants increased their general knowledge, developed a more realist orientation towards international relations, and placed more emphasis on the importance of individual agency in world affairs…. [PDF]
(2017). Developing an Instrument to Evaluate the OLI Olympic Education Program in Turkey: Case Study of Implementation. Online Submission, New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences n5 p23-33. The goal of the 'Olympic Movement' is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practices with Olympism and its values. To contribute to the Olympic Movement; Culture and Olympic Education Commission of Turkish NOC, has prepared an interactive Olympic education project called "OLI" since 2009, which reached 3 million students. It is very important to develop a means to analyze if the Olympic education program OLI fullfills its aims. Therefore the research question of this study is "What are the principal aims of the OLI program and how can we develop an evaluation procedure to assess the extent to which these aims are achieved?" A sample group was a class of students (n=33) who participated in the OLI education. The methodology of the study included developing the survey from the context of education given to evaluate the program. Before and after case study was conducted to the students. The questions developed were… [PDF]
(2018). Participatory Action Research for Advancing Youth-Led Peacebuilding in Kenya. United States Institute of Peace At 1.8 billion, today's generation of youth–those ages ten to twenty-four–is the largest the world has ever known. One-third of them live in fragile or conflict-affected countries. Susceptible to the sway of external parties, narratives, and ideologies, they are influenced by their circumstances–enhancing the likelihood of their participating in violent extremism. At the same time, however, evidence suggests that young women and men can and do play active and valuable roles as agents of positive and constructive change. UN Security Council Resolution 2250, issued in December 2015, urges the international community to give youth a greater voice in decision making at local, national, regional, and international levels. In supportive response, USIP established a portfolio that engages youth leaders as critical partners in building peace in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. This report documents the utility and effectiveness of a pilot participatory action research… [Direct]
(2014). Islam, Democracy and Education for Non-Violence. Ethics and Education, v9 n1 p69-78. In this article, I shall attempt to rebuff the view that there is a necessary connection between a monotheistic religion, like Islam, and violence. Rather, I shall argue that the link between Islam and violence is a contingent one, that is, it is neither necessary nor impossible, depending on the reasons offered by a particular Islamic faith community or by individuals who exist on a continuum ranging from jihadist fundamentalists to Muslim reformists (revivalists/moderates). Following such an analysis, I examine an Islamic education for non-violence, in particular what Muslim reformists ought to do to ensure the achievement of such an education…. [Direct]
(2017). Education and the Paradigm of Tolerance. European Journal of Educational Sciences, v4 n1 p42-52 Mar. Living alongside one another in a spirit of acceptance evokes the concept of tolerance that, from Erasmus da Rotterdam to Voltaire to Primo Mazzolari, calls upon us to understand that the only possible choice for mankind, from time immemorial, has been to educate towards coexistence within milieus that increasingly differ by culture, customs, ways of thinking and behaviours. Beliefs and concepts sometimes refer to values that may also be quite remote from and unlike ours and, as a result, our capacity to find points of contact with other persons becomes the condition, not only for survival, but for growth itself as a human person. To know how to interpret and yet keep one's own points of reference is a constant challenge to our intelligence guided by the will to do good. The concept of free will is based precisely on the strength of the human will, driven to dedicate itself to whatever safeguards, or to turn away from the search for salvation. Freedom cannot exist if we replace it… [PDF]
(2015). Why Students in Catholic Secondary Schools Should Study Pope John XXIII's Encyclical, "Pacem in Terris" (1963). International Studies in Catholic Education, v7 n1 p61-73. Pope John XXIII's final encyclical on the subject of peace, "Pacem in Terris," written after the Cuban missile crisis which he helped to resolve, is an extended treatment of the basic principles of political morality and particularly significant for its adoption–the first time by the Catholic Church–of the discourse of human rights. The fundamental moral objective of state power is stated as "the recognition, respect, safeguarding, and promotion of the rights of the human person," and only on this basis can peace be established. The encyclical is an important educational resource for forming peaceable and peacemaking persons…. [Direct]
(2018). The Role of School Curriculum in Sustainable Peace-Building: The Case of Sri Lanka. Research in Comparative and International Education, v13 n4 p570-592 Dec. The civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ended in 2009, with total defeat of the LTTE and many thousands of civilian casualties. The country is now engaged in peace-building. Key elements of the secondary school curriculum–truth-seeking, social cohesion and active citizenship–may contribute to this. Six state secondary schools serving different ethnic and religious groups were selected for qualitative research into how far this is the case. Data was collected on the application of knowledge, skills and values in lessons, extra-curricular programmes and whole school culture. The analysis suggests that truth-seeking is weak, with no teaching about the historical roots of the conflict or contemporary issues. There are efforts to build leadership skills and impart democratic values, but the critical thinking and discussion skills necessary for social cohesion and active citizenship are largely absent. The findings are discussed in… [Direct]