The development and evolution of peace education in English Secondary Schools from post World War 1 - 2010

Abstract

This thesis examines how peace education in English secondary schools has evolved and developed and charts the progress of peace education alongside the ever changing English education system since the end of World War 1.

It details the fundamental changes in English educational thinking in the 1970s – 90s that demanded a return to ‘traditional’ teaching methods and the introduction of a market orientated structure. It examines how this appeared to totally negate the work of organisations such as the New Education Fellowship, Council for World Citizenship, The One World Trust, the World Studies Trust and the Schools Council for Curriculum and Examinations that provided both support and materials to teachers who wanted to teach peace education in schools.

The thesis examines the evolution of peace education with the introduction of Citizenship Education as a National Curriculum subject and compares the aims and content of the citizenship curriculum with that of a detailed peace education curriculum advanced by the International Schools Association. It shows that citizenship education in the National Curriculum very closely follows the aims, content and teaching methods of peace education in the 1980s -1990s.

This Thesis provides a detailed and comprehensive history of the evolution of peace education in English secondary schools since the end of World War 1, giving a greater understanding of the relationships between the various strands of educational philosophy, pedagogy and praxis and how they were fundamental to the development of peace education in English schools from the end of World War 1. It will show how peace education can be embedded in a formal, structured education system and how it is possible for the content and tenets of peace education to be taught without any reference to the ‘political’ connation of the phrase.

Date of Award	2014
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Coventry University
Supervisor	Carol Rank (Supervisor)