Examining the characteristics of peace education in the primary school curriculum from the point of view of experts and teachers

Master's Thesis in Curriculum Planning

Abstract

The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the characteristics of peace education in the primary school curriculum from the perspective of teachers and experts. The descriptive research method is of the contextualization type. The statistical population of the research included all primary school teachers in the 2nd district of Tehran. Based on this, using Cochran's formula, 250 primary school teachers and 16 primary school curriculum experts were selected as a statistical sample. In order to collect data, a researcher-made questionnaire was used, the validity of which was confirmed by experts, and its reliability using Cronbach's alpha was 84/. It was calculated. In order to analyze the data, descriptive statistics methods (prevalence, percentage, mean, median, mode and standard deviation) as well as inferential statistics methods (t-test for independent groups and one-way analysis of variance) were used, which the research results showed; Although the views of teachers and experts differ significantly from each other based on demographic characteristics in relation to some components; But in general, the amount of use of all components of peace education in a curriculum has been evaluated below average from the point of view of teachers. The experts also rated the components of "awareness of peace and the methods of achieving it", "respect for all forms of life" and "feeling of sympathy at the national and international level" as below average, and the components of "participation, cooperation and joint efforts", "responsibility for personal and social actions" and "peaceful resolution of disputes" as medium and medium to high. Also, there is a significant difference between the views of teachers and experts only regarding the components of "cooperation and joint efforts" and "respecting all forms of life".

Key words: peace, peace education, peace-oriented curriculum, primary education, experts, teachers

Introduction

The current era is an era of complexity and transformation. Multi-dimensional and multi-layered developments in the global society system have affected educational environments; Therefore, the educational systems, especially the schools, have taken into consideration the revision of the curriculum as a fundamental principle (Zhan[1], 2013).  Based on this, curriculum planners have paid attention to the peace education movement in a curriculum (Paji[2], 2011).  In fact, peace is a major prerequisite for the continuity of human life of generations and nationalities, that is, the survival of mankind as a whole is now dependent on maintaining peace, or better to say, creating peace, and it is necessary that education shows both the conditions and conditions for the occurrence of war and violence, and the ways to moderate this situation and even overcome it and create understanding between nations and human groups (Bayer and Stanley[3], 2003).

     Peace education as The mechanism is used in order to create a commitment and encourage peace, raise self-confidence as an individual agent of peace, make students aware of the consequences of war and social injustice, education to create peaceful and just social structures, and universal encouragement to love and friendship with the world in order to create a peaceful future (Kester [4], 2012). Social changes or peace education include the improvement of individual capacity when faced with intra-group collective discourse and its emergence in cultural relations and group and intergroup structures (Salamon [5], 2007). Today, war is a fact of life, it happens at any time due to the clash of interests, ideas, political orientations, economic system, etc., violence is often used as a way to resolve conflicts. However, ending the war through violence has the potential to create insecurity and destructive effects. Therefore, the necessity of peace education from childhood becomes necessary as the basis for the formation of the future world (Danesh [6], 2009). It is believed that formal education is an appropriate mechanism and a coherent system that has organized leadership and management; It can be a basis for peace education. This training has a specific goal, content, process and evaluation (Brabek[7], 2006).  Therefore, with the ever-increasing changes in the political, social and educational situation of many societies, a challenging issue called peace education has been raised. Therefore, it is necessary to design and implement a comprehensive and codified program in the field of peace education and its components.This issue is not only related to the experts in the field of educational and human sciences, but it has made politicians and planners think. Therefore, despite the quantitative and qualitative development of education in the primary period, the issue of peace has not been given enough attention. The reason for this is, on the one hand, the lack of a curriculum under the title of peace education or similar titles, and on the other hand, there is no independent study about the concepts and themes that can be taught to Iranian children and teenagers in the field of peace. Therefore, considering that peace education has not been able to find its real place in the curriculum; The current research examines the features and components of peace education in an elementary curriculum.

Statement of the problem

Today, the process of globalization is crossing political boundaries, cultural, family, and individual boundaries with increasing speed, and in fact, it has affected all aspects of people's lives. The two world wars and their left-over effects, the growth of atomic weapons systems, the emergence of post-industrial-imperialist societies and the conflict between them, the September 11 incident and the environmental destruction at the international level have shown that ordinary people and even the residents of remote areas are not immune to the sinister effects of these changes and events, and a series of these events have made the world face new problems and dilemmas (Fathi Wajargah and Islami, 2017). Obviously, in such a situation, there are problems such as injustice, discrimination, insecurity, absurdity, neutrality, etc. It will threaten human life more than ever. In fact, living with fear and far from security, both in the internal environment of the countries and in the overseas area, has created a kind of instability that has made the peace of human life difficult.

In order to end violence, oppression, discrimination and injustice in various aspects of the lives of individuals and societies, we must seek to realize the meaning, nature and values ??of peace. The realization of these values ??depends on the creation of peace education fields at the school level. Promoting this discourse in schools and among students leads to mutual respect, eagerness to help others, ability to negotiate and communicate using emotions, reason and logic. All these can be learned in the formal framework of school and classroom (Danesh, 2008). As a preventive measure, the United Nations has named the 2000-2010 decade as the international decade of the culture of peace and non-violence, and in this context, the UNESCO organization has introduced the importance of promoting the culture of peace as follows: "Education of the culture of peace will lead to the cultivation and promotion of beliefs and actions that the people of each country should follow in accordance with their special cultural, social and economic structures." The main factor of strengthening this culture in society is turning violent competition into cooperation based on common values ??and goals. (UNICEF[8], 2011). Peace is the result and continuation of a multi-lateral citizenship and democratic system and pluralism inspired by human rights, which is driven towards continuous and long-term development and expansion. Democracy is the best international and national supporter of peace, because it directs conflicts within the framework of an organizational structure in order to enjoy social dynamics and common progress (Edibanya, 2009). According to this situation, a peace education program as an old need, but with a more complex nature and content, should be used as a guide in the process of educating learners in order to develop knowledge, attitudes and value-oriented behaviors that manage conflicts. leads away from violence; be used (Harris and Sinnott[9], 2007). Of course, education alone is not the solution and can only play a fundamental role in the evolution of the understanding of the global society, but by designing an appropriate educational content, it is possible to achieve a balanced life compatible with human rights and to respond appropriately to the challenges created by globalization and new technologies and related phenomena. It is undeniable. Peace education in schools is a method to develop individual and interpersonal skills of learners, which encourages them to use initiative and creativity in reasonable ways to compromise with their environment.