Overcoming the Obstacles of Peace Education Through Wellbeing Practices

Abstract

A growing body of literature reports structural, cultural, social, and political barriers making it challenging and stressful to integrate peace education in teacher education and in-service teacher education programs. To support peace educators in achieving what they stand for, this study proposes integrating wellbeing practices and approaches into the curricula. Drawing from the fields of peace education, educational leadership and policy studies and higher education, this study examines wellbeing as a potentially promising scholarly field to support peace education scholarship. For happiness and life satisfaction, wellbeing links a person's physical, mental, emotional and social health factors not just to internal factors such as optimism, resilience and self-esteem but also external factors such as income, satisfaction at work and social networks. In order to explore the ways wellbeing can contribute to peace education, we first expand on peace education as a controversial and challenging practice especially for practitioners in the field. Next, we discuss wellbeing practices as they relate to educational settings. Finally, we discuss that peace educators can be supported by wellbeing practices to overcome the degrading and demotivating effects of their practices.

Keywords

• Peace education
• higher education
• wellbeing
• teacher training
• pedagogy

İyi Olma Hali (Wellbeing) Uygulamalarıyla Barış Eğitimi Önündeki Engellerin Üstesinden Gelmek

Abstract

Giderek artan alan literatürü, barış eğitimini öğretmen eğitimi ve hizmet içi öğretmen eğitimi programlarına entegre etmeyi zor olarak tanımlamış ve bunu zorlaştıran hatta engelleyen faktörlerin yapısal, kültürel, sosyal ve politik olduğunu belirtmiştir. Barış eğitimcilerini desteklemeyi hedefleyen bu çalışma, iyi olma hali (wellbeing) uygulamalarını ve yaklaşımlarını müfredata entegre etmeyi önermektedir. Eğitim liderliği ve politika çalışmaları, yüksek öğrenim ve barış eğitimi alanlarından beslenen bu çalışma, yeni sayılacak bir bilimsel alan olan iyi olma hali çalışmalarının barış eğitimi uygulamalarını destekleme potansiyelini incelemiştir. İyi olma hali, bir kişinin mutluluğu ve yaşam doyumu için gerekli fiziksel, zihinsel, duygusal ve sosyal sağlık durumlarını yalnızca iyimserlik, dayanıklılık ve özsaygı gibi içsel faktörlere değil, aynı zamanda gelir düzeyi, iş memnuniyeti ve sosyal etkileşim gibi dış faktörlere de bağlar. İyi olma hali uygulamalarının barış eğitimine nasıl katkıda bulunabileceğini anlamak için, öncelikle barış eğitimini tatbik eden eğitimciler için tartışmalı ve zorlu bir alan olarak algılanan barış eğitimi incelenmiştir. Daha sonra, iyi olma hali uygulamalarının eğitim ortamlarındaki kullanımları tartışılmıştır. Son olarak, barış eğitimini tatbik eden eğitimcilerin iyi olma hali uygulamalarıyla desteklenerek, barış eğitiminin yıpratıcı ve moral bozucu etkilerinin üstesinden gelinebileceği tartışılmıştır.

Keywords

• Barış eğitimi
• yüksek öğrenim
• öğretmen eğitimi
• pedagoji
• iyi olma hali

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