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Abstract

What values do national curricular statements communicate related to peace, conflict, violence and nonviolence? Schools are places that teach morals and mind-sets—transmission belts—cultural establishments that can contribute to how a student learns (pedagogy) and what a student learns (curriculum). Informed by Curriculum Theory and Peace Education Theory this mixed-method study utilizes directive and summative content analysis to inspect the General Statement, Teachers Guide and Shari’a national curricular statements at the elementary and preparatory level (mandatory education) for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). It examines each document for three elements found routinely in peace education (PE): recognition of violence; addressing conflict nonviolently; and, creating the conditions of positive peace. Elementary and preparatory education is compulsory in the KSA and this study found the mandatory education of the KSA has variable content that relates to the three PE elements and that the KSA mandatory curricula only minimally teaches peace.

Author Bio(s)

Katerina Standish holds a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Manitoba, Canada and an MA in Human Security and Peacebuilding from Royal Roads University. She is a lecturer at the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago where she teaches courses in peace education, peace and conflict studies and social, cultural and political violence. Dr Standish is interested in peace education, critical pedagogy, cultural violence, gender, education and ethnic conflict. Her previous publications include content related to critical pedagogy, conflict and education, cultural violence, gender, conflict narratives, peacebuilding and sacred space. She is the creator and primary researcher for the Peace Education Curricular Analysis (PECA) Project (pecaproject.org).

Rula Talahma is a Palestinian engineer and PhD Candidate at the University of Otago.

Keywords

peace education, content analysis, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, curriculum, PECA Project, Curriculum Theory, Peace Education Theory

Publication Date

10-1-2016

DOI

10.46743/1082-7307/2016.1354

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