Open AccessLooking for Peace in the Australian National Curricula
Author(s) -
Katerina Standish
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
peace and conflict studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.116
H-Index - 6
ISSN - 1082-7307
DOI - 10.46743/1082-7307/2015.1296
Subject(s) - curriculum , harm , summative assessment , content analysis , peace education , content (measure theory) , political science , pedagogy , sociology , public relations , social science , law , formative assessment , mathematical analysis , mathematics
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.