Looking for Peace in the Australian National Curricula

Authors

Katerina Standish, University of OtagoFollow

Abstract

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.

Author Bio(s)

Katerina Standish is currently a Lecturer at the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago. She is interested in cultural violence, nonviolence, gender, education, peace curriculum and critical pedagogy. Her previous publications include content related to cultural violence and gender, cultural nonviolence and peace, conflict and education. Dr Standish is the creator and primary researcher for the Peace Education Curriculum Analysis (PECA) Project.

Keywords

peace education; content analysis; curriculum; PECA project; Australia

Publication Date

2015

DOI

10.46743/1082-7307/2015.1296

Recommended Citation

Standish, Katerina (2015) "Looking for Peace in the Australian National Curricula," Peace and Conflict Studies: Vol. 22: No. 2, Article 5.
DOI: 10.46743/1082-7307/2015.1296
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/pcs/vol22/iss2/5