A Study Of Improving Peace Education Practice Based On Teachers And Students’ Perceptions Of Secondary Schools In Punjab,Pakistan

Contemporary world,especially Pakistan is facing a colossal problem of unrest and chaos that influenced the economic,political and social system of the country Pakistan.Pakistan is prone to religious,political,cross border,sectarian,nationalistic and racial armed conflicts for decades surely.Most obvious reason for the sectarian,racial,and ethnic violence is obviously the disintegration of society here.In such position,education is the only mean to promoting harmony by ending hatred,discrimination and prejudices on various plains.Therefore,in Pakistan,peace education must be aimed at addressing the root causes of these conflicts i.e.divisions basing on race,class,caste,and sect.To upgrade the situation,Pakistan needs long-term and positive peace.In this context,knowledge,beliefs,and practices of teachers about peace education at school level have become increasingly important.Present study is,therefore,focused on the current status of peace education by critically evaluating the perceptions of teachers and students(male and females)knowledge,belief and practices about peace education at secondary schools of Punjab,Pakistan.The current status of peace education is examining by critically evaluating the perceptions of teachers and students(male and females)knowledge,belief and practices about peace education at secondary schools of Punjab,Pakistan.It also investigates the teacher’s practices for the promotion of peace education and to implement the strategies of peace education on students at secondary school level.This study determines the difference between the perception of male and female teachers about peace education,and to find out the difference between the perception of male and female students about teacher knowledge and practices of peace education at school level.The focus of this study is to illustrate the purpose of examining the level of teachers’knowledge and understanding of the social structure of higher education in the Pakistani context.This is significant because it helps the teachers to understand the concept of peace education and its importance for students and teachers,help the students to raise their moral behavior,provides strategies that will help the teachers and students to make the environment of school peaceful,help the government to analyze the curricula and make improvements in peace education in students and teachers.Main objective of this research was to determine teachers’ level of knowledge,beliefs and practices about peace education at school level and students’ perception about their teachers.This study is delimited to both male and female students of higher classes(9th,10th),both male and female school teachers and to the schools of district Multan.To achieve the main objectives of the study,both qualitative and quantitative methods were used.For the quantitative analysis,Triangulation design is used for this study.The instrument used for data collection is a questionnaire that is collected from both teachers and students.The questionnaire is a descriptive survey,dealing with the quantitative data collection.In quantitative analysis the descriptive analysis of both students and teachers regarding gender,area,teaching and studying subjects that are helpful in promoting peace at school level.Participant in the research is both Teachers and students and District Multan were taken as a population of the study.The questionnaires for teachers are different from the student.The reliability of the questionnaire is established through Cronbach alpha.Inferential analysis for students shows that the levels of belief(belief 1 and belief 2)and practice(practice 1,practice 2,practice 3,and practice 4),are higher in male students,urban areas’students,and a group of students studying art as compared to female,rural areas and science students.Inferential analysis for teachers showed that the levels of knowledge(knowledge 1 and knowledge 2),belief(belief 1 and belief 2)and practice(practice 1,practice 2,practice 3 and practice 4)are higher in male teachers,urban resident teachers,as well as teachers teaching arts,are higher in teachers belongs to urban area as compared teachers belongs to rural area.Furthermore,the levels of knowledge(knowledge 1 and knowledge 2),belief(belief 1 and belief 2),and practice(practice 1,practice 2,practice 3,and practice 4)are significantly different among teachers having different qualifications levels.After the completion of quantitative analysis to check the contribution of principle/teacher,school,curriculum and teaching practices in promoting peace at school level regarding gender,field of study and area the qualitative analysis was required to illustrate the association between them.For qualitative analysis,semi-structured interviews were served as a main data collection technique,generating information on how the schools responded to the peace education,what activities the schools undertake to promote and build peace,what factors influenced the implementation of the Peace.According to the qualitative analysis over all 40 heads/principles contributed in this research in which 22(55%)were male participants and 18(45%)were female participants.All the contributors were interviewed.The Chi square test was conducted to check the level of peace.All the question specifically "What does peace mean to you?"," What does your school do to promote peace education?","In your opinion what should children learn through pace education?","What is included in your school’s peace education curriculum?","What kind of teaching practices are used in your school for implementing peace education?" related to gender,field of study and area among head of schools are associated with each other.The p-values of chi-square test showed that all the questions regarding peace with gender,field of study and area among head of schools are associated with each other.Thus,results obtained from analysis of teachers’ data and students’ data were found to be consistent with each other.Finally,based on the finding,this study puts forward some suggestions for schools,teachers and students to improve and strengthen peace education and continuously improve the effectiveness of peace education practice in Pakistan secondary schools.