Creating a Culture of Peace through Basic Education
2025 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 180 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
While creating a culture of peace is often associated with peacebuilding processes after violent conflict, this study argues that the responsibility for attaining global peace lies with everyone, not just countries in conflict or post-conflict situations. Broadening the scope of previous research, it explores the role of basic education in maintaining a culture of peace in countries considered essentially peaceful. Specifically, this study analyses how the values and principles of peace education are applied in the Finnish education system to promote a culture of peace, based on interviews with basic education teachers. The interviews reveal that teachers believe they play a significant role in fostering a culture of peace, even if done unintentionally, and emphasise the individual's role in creating a more peaceful school environment through identified themes. The theoretical framework used in this study revealed both its alignment with educational practices and the challenges that hinder such initiatives, such as a lack of empathy and individualism amongst students. The findings open a discussion on the importance of actively maintaining a culture of peace, even in societies not engaged in or emerging from violent social conflict.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. , p. 54
Keywords [en]
Peace education, Culture of peace, Basic education, Teacher's perspective
National Category
Social Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-138179OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-138179DiVA, id: diva2:1954746
Educational program
Peace and Development Programme, 180 credits
Supervisors
Examiners
2025-04-282025-04-262025-04-28Bibliographically approved