(2014). The Role of Education in Peacebuilding: An Analysis of Five Change Theories in Sierra Leone. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, v44 n2 p186-207. This paper raises a number of critical questions regarding the contribution of education to peacebuilding. Despite recent calls for greater collaboration between the two fields, there is still a lack of clarity regarding the change theories through which education may contribute to peacebuilding processes. This paper outlines developments over the past decade in the field of education and conflict, before identifying five rationales for the ways in which education contributes to peacebuilding. The second half of the paper examines the translation of these rationales into practice. Sierra Leone is often regarded as a success story of UN peacebuilding and, 10 years post-agreement, offers the opportunity to examine a broad range of programming. Using data gathered during a two-week field study (17-28 January, 2011), the paper reflects on five education programmes that operated in Sierra Leone in the post-conflict period. Semi-structured interviews were held with project personnel and… [Direct]
(2018). Youth Negotiation of Citizenship Identities in Pakistan: Implications for Global Citizenship Education in Conflict-Contexts. British Journal of Educational Studies, v66 n4 p537-558. This study explores young students' negotiation of their citizenship identities at the intersection of their class, gender, religious and ethnic identifications in the conflict-affected setting of Pakistan. While much of the global literature on global citizenship education (GCE) primarily takes into account the perspectives of middle-class or elite students located in richer economies, the current study is centred on a socio-demographically diverse group of young people in a low-income setting. With a specific focus on their negotiation of issues around diversity and justice, students' narratives generated important recommendations for a transformative and historically nuanced postcolonial/decolonial approach to global citizenship engagement that should be considered more broadly. The study illuminates the ways the global/local historical, cultural, political and economic factors influence individual relationship with GCE and offers useful pedagogical and policy implications for GCE… [Direct]
(2014). Education as Humanisation: A Theoretical Review on the Role of Dialogic Pedagogy in Peacebuilding Education. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, v44 n1 p10-31. In this literature review, we explore the potential role of education in supporting peacebuilding and societal transformation after violent conflict. Following a critical analysis of the literature published by academics and practitioners, we identify the notion of humanisation (as in the seminal works of Paulo Freire and others) as a unifying conceptual core. Peacebuilding education as humanisation is realised by critical reflection and dialogue in most curricular initiatives reviewed, an approach aimed at overcoming the contextual educational constraints often rooted in societal division and segregation, strained community relations and past traumas. We argue that education as humanisation and critical dialogue can offer pedagogical strategies and provide a compelling conceptual framework for peacebuilding education. Such a conceptual framework can serve as a basis for research in the area, especially in contexts where educational institutions tend to be structured to dehumanise…. [Direct]
(2014). Establishing Peace and Conflict Studies Programs in Iraqi Universities: Necessary Conditions and Short-Term Implications. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania. Peace and Conflict Studies was unknown as a field of academic inquiry in Iraq when the 21st century began. Just over a decade later, formal institutional entities had been established to explore the subject at three Iraqi universities. Using a participatory action research methodology, this dissertation explores two questions: 1. What are the conditions that promote or impede establishment of a university-based program in peace and conflict studies in Iraq?, and; 2. Once established, what are possible outputs and outcomes of these programs over the first few years of their existence? This study consisted of 67 interviews, three focus groups and hundreds of hours of my first-hand observations. I argue that the presence or absence of three conditions has determined the success of efforts to establish peace and conflict studies programs at Iraqi universities: an inviting political climate; entrepreneurial or charismatic university leadership; and the availability of financial,… [Direct]
(2014). Laying Foundations for Equitable Lifelong Learning for All: Medium-Term Strategy 2014-2021. UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and the Education for All (EFA) goals, which have set the agenda for global development since 2000, will reach their deadline in 2015. The Education for All agenda crafted in Jomtien in 1990 and reiterated in Dakar in 2000 was meant to ensure that governments and their partners address the basic learning needs of children, youth and adults. While there has been considerable progress towards the achievement of universal access to primary education (EFA Goal 2), progress towards realising the other five goals has been more modest. 774 million adults, the majority of them women, still do not master basic skills in reading, writing and numeracy. Current global trends such as population growth, the youth bulge, climate change, the advance of knowledge-based societies and shifting inequalities add urgency to the need for quality learning outcomes, skills development and equitable education for all countries. UNESCO will contribute to the United… [PDF]
(2012). De Coubertin's Olympism and the Laugh of Michel Foucault: Crisis Discourse and the Olympic Games. Quest, v64 n3 p150-163. De Coubertin developed the sport philosophy of Olympism and the Olympic Games as a response to social and political crisis to promote peace, fair play, and the development of Christian masculinity. The purpose of this paper is to examine how crisis discourse functions as an important shaper of contemporary understandings of Olympism and how conflicting discourses have mobilized crisis discourse to produce competing "truths" in which to rationalize and understand the Olympic Games. In drawing from Foucault's work and de Certeau's text, "Heterologies: Discourse on the other," I argue that "crisis" as the rationalization for Olympism and the Olympic Games has proven an unsuccessful venture for de Coubertin; as the Olympic Games have produced conservative outcomes based on a neoliberal agenda focused on elitism, professionalism, nationalism, and commercialism. This historical case raises important questions about the role of Olympism and its power to act as… [Direct]
(2017). Examination of Social Studies Curriculum and Course Books in the Context of Global Citizenship. Universal Journal of Educational Research, v5 n3 p472-487. The document review method, which is a qualitative research method, was used in this study that aims to examine the social studies curriculum and course books in terms of attainments, teaching-learning process and measurement-evaluation process in the context of global citizenship. Furthermore, opinions of social studies teachers on the curriculum and course books in the context of global citizenship were determined by taking their written statements. Social studies course books and curricula at fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grade levels were examined in the study. Also, opinions of nine social studies teachers were analyzed. As a result of the study, it can be said that in general, the dimensions of global citizenship are included within the scope of attainments, content, teaching-learning process, measurement-assessment elements regarding social studies course. It was determined that awareness of diversity and multiculturalism, political and economic processes and… [PDF]
(2015). Kenya Quaker Secondary School Peace Curriculum Pilot Project: Examining the Role of the Principal in the Successes and Challenges of the Implementation. Journal of Research on Christian Education, v24 n2 p125-143. This qualitative study examined the implementation of a peace curriculum for Kenyan Quaker secondary schools. Fourteen schools were selected for this study 1 year after school leaders attended specific training sessions. On site visits were made to 12 of the 14 schools selected for this study, and interviews conducted with the remaining principals. Schools were ranked on their level of implementation at low, medium, or high. Results indicated that 12 of the 14 schools implemented the curriculum at a medium or high level. Additional findings note the leadership of the principal was key in the overall peace curriculum implementation and addresses successes and challenges of implementing a new initiative in these schools…. [Direct]
(2015). Social and Emotional Learning: Implementation and Program Outcomes, 2010-2011 through 2014-2015. Publication Number 14.138. Online Submission This report describes campus effects of AISD's Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program from the year prior to SEL implementation (i.e., 2010-2011 when available) through 2014-2015. Analyses also examine which SEL outcome measures were related to SEL implementation ratings. Separate executive summary report and supplemental report were published. [For the executive summary, see ED626961. For the supplemental report, see ED626962.]… [PDF]
(2015). Social and Emotional Learning–Executive Summary: Implementation and Program Outcomes, 2010-2011 through 2014-2015. Publication 14.138ES. Online Submission This executive summary provides highlights from the full report (published separately) that describes campus effects of AISD's Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program from the year prior to SEL implementation (i.e., 2010-2011 when available) through 2014-2015. Analyses also examine which SEL outcome measures were related to SEL implementation ratings. A separate supplemental research brief report also was published. [For the full report, see ED626960. For the supplemental report, see ED626962.]… [PDF]
(2015). Religious Education for the Deescalation of Communal Conflicts in Boki Land, Nigeria. Religious Education, v110 n1 p29-51. Within the last half century, several communities in Boki Land have engaged in violent conflicts as a result of disputes over portions of land that have claimed many lives, and left many more injured. The Boki people, like most rural African peoples, depend largely on the land for their livelihood and economic development. Thus, any encroachment on their land space provokes outrage and resistance. The frequent occurrence of violent conflicts in Boki Land, and many Nigerian/African communities, is a social, as well as pastoral, problem. This article is, therefore, an interdisciplinary study, exploring how the church, the Boki people, the government, and nongovernment institutions can together respond to situations of conflict. A religious educational approach in developing peacebuilding mechanisms aimed at addressing the root causes of communal conflicts is proposed incorporating the Boki traditional system of justice and dispute settlement…. [Direct]
(2014). The Finnish Five-String Kantele: Sustainably Designed for Musical Joy. Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, v16 n1 p76-88. This article discusses the five-string kantele as an example of the Finnish national heritage, a school instrument and an example of sustainable design. A qualitative case study was made by collecting the data from the Finnish students–prospective teachers–and the sixth form pupils, who had designed and carved their own five-string kanteles. The purpose of this research was to find out which aspects of five-string kantele design are considered the most important for sustainable principles and design among these youngsters. As results, the elements and principles of designing the five-string kantele are discussed and its relevance to five sustainable characteristics (creative, ecological, economic, aesthetic and socio-environmental) is presented. The sustainable values of the kantele and the purpose for which it is made are also considered…. [PDF]
(2013). Subjects to Citizens: Adult Learning and the Challenges of Democracy in the Twenty-First Century. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, n138 p9-18 Sum. Theme 1 of the "Hamburg Declaration on Adult Learning" boldly proclaimed that active citizenship and full participation of all citizens was the necessary foundation for "the creation of a learning society committed to social justice and general well-being" (UNESCO, 1997, p. 4). The "Declaration" advocated that future societies create "greater community participation"; raise "awareness about prejudice and discrimination in society"; encourage "greater recognition, participation and accountability of non-government organizations and local community groups"; and promote "a culture of peace, intercultural dialogue and human rights." This chapter will accent the "Hamburg Declaration's" prominent emphasis on promoting active citizenship through a vitalized civil society and open public spheres through examining two recent examples…. [Direct]
(2013). The Emotional Complexities of "Our" and "Their" Loss: The Vicissitudes of Teaching about/for Empathy in a Conflicting Society. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, v44 n1 p19-37 Mar. This article explores the ways in which a fifth-grade class of Greek Cypriot students and their teacher perceived and negotiated the meanings of empathy for the "other" in the context of ethnic conflict in Cyprus. The findings suggest that the process of engaging with empathy is full of fractures and failures, possibilities and impossibilities. Children's emotional ambivalences to empathize with the "other" are embedded in the politics of conflict, yet there are also moments of transcendence. (Contains 1 note.)… [Direct]
(2013). Eyewitness Testimony, False Confession, and Human Performance Technology: An Examination of Wrongful Convictions. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Toledo. Wrongful criminal convictions have come to the attention of the public and the criminal justice community in recent decades as a result of DNA evidence that has proven innocence after conviction. Research has suggested that as many as 3% to 5% of people currently imprisoned did not, in fact, commit the crimes for which they were convicted. A review of the scholarly literature indicates that two primary causes of errors lead to wrongful convictions: (a) faulty eyewitness identification and (b) false confessions that occur during the criminal investigative phase. There are three purposes of this study. The first purpose of the study was to qualitatively analyze the current Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC) curriculum to determine whether the content being taught in Ohio police academies is in alignment with empirical research on the subjects of wrongful convictions, faulty identification, and false confessions. The second purpose of the study was to quantitatively… [Direct]