No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Understanding War, Visualizing Peace: Children Draw What They Know
Abstract
The current study focuses on data collected from children in the United States shortly after the Yugoslavia-NATO conflict. Fifty-six children in two Midwestern states were asked to draw a picture of peace and a picture of war. Two major themes, peace as interpersonal interactions and peace as negative peace, emerged from the qualitative analysis of the children's peace drawings and their accompanying verbal statements. Five themes were identified in the analysis of the war drawings and descriptions: war as activity, war as group conflict, death as a consequence of war, negative emotions related to war, and war as fantasy. Calculating t-tests for paired samples revealed that children included significantly more objects and more figures in their war drawings than in their peace drawings. However, there were no significant differences between the peace and war drawings regarding the number of colors or the percentage of space used. Developmental features of children's drawings are discussed and implications for researchers are presented.
... Children's conceptualisation of war and peace has been a major focus in research (see, e.g., Hall, 1993;Ilifiandra & Saripudin, 2023;Rosell, 1968). Several researchers used drawing as a data collection method, frequently asking children to depict war and peace on separate sheets, accompanied by descriptions of their drawings (Ålvik, 1968;Fargas-Malet & Dillenburger, 2014;Walker et al., 2003). Studies McLernon & Cairns, 2001;Walker et al., 2003) show that children aged three to eight demonstrate a basic understanding of war and peace irrespective of their exposure to conflict, often illustrating tangible elements such as weapons and violence, including fighting and killing. ...
... Several researchers used drawing as a data collection method, frequently asking children to depict war and peace on separate sheets, accompanied by descriptions of their drawings (Ålvik, 1968;Fargas-Malet & Dillenburger, 2014;Walker et al., 2003). Studies McLernon & Cairns, 2001;Walker et al., 2003) show that children aged three to eight demonstrate a basic understanding of war and peace irrespective of their exposure to conflict, often illustrating tangible elements such as weapons and violence, including fighting and killing. Older children (six to ten years old) incorporate more detailed and abstract concepts, including symbolism and the consequences of war, such as injuries and fatalities. ...
... Children's conceptualisation of peace varies, with some viewing it as the "absence of war" (McLernon & Cairns, 2001, p.50), represented by war memorials or military soldiers retreating from battle, and equating peace with "not fighting" (Gülec, 2021, p. 403) or as a state of "normality" (McLernon & Cairns, 2001, p. 50)-a finding supported by other researchers (Covell et al., 1994;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1993Walker et al., 2003). This "negative peace" perspective (Gülec, 2021, p. 391) regards peace as "a state of stillness" (Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1993, p. 70) and the elimination of direct violence (Gülec, 2021). ...
Special issue of the journal "Social Inclusion" on “Perceptions, Reflections, and Conceptualizations of War and Peace in Children’s Drawings”, edited by Lisa Blasch, Phil C. Langer, and Nadja Thoma. The issue includes qualitative research contribution by Myriam Denov,Glynis Clacherty, Lisa Blasch and Nadja Thoma, Aisha‐Nusrat Ahmad and Phil C. Langer, Josephine Deguara, Zihan Zhou, Judith Klemenc, and Laila Hamouda, Manuela Ochoa‐Ronderos, Sewar A. Elejla, Keven Lee, Rachel Kronick. The topic’s complexity is reflected in a diverse array of innovative approaches and perspectives, including those that push beyond conventional academic frameworks and methods.
... Some children depicted war as destructive, causing sadness, death and destruction, and emotional distress (e.g., War and Peace by Andrew; A Broken Heart From War by Eva; A Sad Family in the Tent by Seth). This is consistent with findings from other studies (Hakvoort & Hägglund, 2001;Ilifiandra & Saripudin, 2023;McLernon & Cairns, 2001;Walker et al., 2003), showing that even children not directly exposed to war, like the children in this study, report negative reactions to violent conflicts. While representing war through concrete actions like fighting, killing, and destroying might be considered a narrow and simplified definition of war, which may reduce it to its most visible and immediate effects, children went beyond to communicate their meanings of war to recognise economic (e.g., people losing their homes and displacement) and psychological dimensions (e.g., emotional distress, loss, fear, and sadness) that also characterise conflict. ...
... Children's drawings of peace often highlighted the end of the war and a return to safety, happiness, and normalcy, consistent with other studies (Ilifiandra & Saripudin, 2023;Myers-Bowman et al., 2005;Özer et al., 2018). In this study, children associated peace with smiling children jumping in natural settings, reflecting positive emotions and a utopian state of happiness and harmony (see, e.g., Ilifiandra & Saripudin, 2023;McLernon & Cairns, 2001;Myers-Bowman et al., 2005;Özgür, 2015;Walker et al., 2003). ...
... Flags also represented a triumph over evil and a tangible expression of their desires for peace and security (Gülec, 2021;Özgür, 2015). Andre's depiction of peace as two friends holding hands reflects findings from other studies, where children depicted images of peace as friendship (Hakvoort & Hägglund, 2001;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1998;Özer et al., 2018;Walker et al., 2003). ...
War and conflict have always been an integral part of humankind, posing significant threats to humanity. This article investigates young children’s conceptualisation of war and peace through their drawings. Taking a qualitative, interpretive research paradigm, eight five‐year‐old children who had never experienced war first‐hand were invited to draw pictures depicting their understandings of war and peace accompanied by their narratives. The drawing and talk processes were video‐recorded. Drawing on the theory of social semiotics, this study considers drawing as a multimodal visual artefact and metaphorical representation to analyse the content as illustrated by children. Employing a phenomenological approach, the analysis centres on the meanings, feelings, and constructs of war and peace that the participant children communicated through 25 drawings. The findings indicate that children used visual elements like lines, colours, symbols, and narratives to convey multilayered meaning‐making, where five overarching themes were identified as the children’s conceptualisations of war: concrete depictions and symbols of war and warfare such as weapons and soldiers; descriptions of identifiable actions of war to include fighting, shooting, and killing; the negative consequences of war including dead people and animals, sadness and homelessness; conceptualising peace as the end of war and as a happy, safe place with beautiful nature; and reflections on war and peace including the dichotomy between the two. The findings show that while children who do not have first‐hand experience of war, struggle to fully comprehend its complexity, they still exhibit a basic understanding of the trauma of war. The findings also emphasise the importance of giving voice to children to communicate their understandings and emotions through drawing.
... Additionally, children and young people are exposed to information about wars and conflicts on a regular basis, overhearing conversations around them, seeing graphic images on the news (Hakvoort, 1996), browsing social media, and studying with refugee children. They are thus exposed to war-related stress and resultant fear and anxiety from the brutality they see on the news and social media since, as evidence shows, such stress and fear are not limited to youth who live(d) in conflict zones (Covell et al., 1994;Walker et al., 2003). ...
... Their results indicated that children from all areas tended to depict peace as the negation of war, while peace as tranquillity and quietness (e.g., trees, flowers, lakes as well as religious symbols) emerged as a second theme. Another study is by Walker et al. (2003), in which children (3-12 years old) in the United States of America were asked to draw pictures of peace and war following the Yugoslavia-NATO conflict. The children in this study conceptualized peace in terms of interpersonal interactions (e.g., being with friends, helping others, playing together) and as negative peace (i.e., inactivity, absence of war). ...
... As previous research shows, there is a 'less-developed understanding of peace than war across ages' (Covell et al., 1994, p. 720; see also Hakvoort, 1996;Walker et al., 2003), despite the importance of peace-and of positive peace in particular-that is built on the principles of equity, justice, and sustainability and creates an environment for human potential to develop and flourish (Institute for Economics & Peace, 2018). In this study, we utilized arts-based workshops to explore how youth in Glasgow understand and define peace to determine how comprehensively schools prepare students to lead peaceful lives and contribute to building peace locally and globally. ...
In this article, we report on a study that explored how young people in Scotland understand and define peace. A total of 59 young people aged 12–18, from three schools (independent, state Roman Catholic, and state non-denominational) participated in this study. The young people were asked to participate in a peace data walk and, after that, to draw or paint pictures of what peace means for them in their local community and beyond. We utilize a combination of Personal Meaning Mapping, visual content analytic procedures, and visual art coding scheme to analyse the pictures. We drew on Critical Peace Education as an overarching framework to approach data collection and on the Peace Education Curricular Analysis framework to examine the presence of positive peace elements in youth drawings/paintings. Previous research in different contexts suggests that youth find it difficult to conceptualize peace, whereas it appears to be easy to explain war and negative peace (i.e., absence of war). Previous research conducted in Scotland showed that the curriculum focused on the element of wellbeing, with many other positive peace elements being either absent or not well represented. By contrast, youth in our study showed a strong understanding of positive peace, with a particular emphasis on the following facets: peace zone, eco mind, wellbeing, peace bond, and social justice. In our conclusion, we discuss these findings in relation to Scottish education policies and ways of capitalizing on this method of engagement and overall findings to support youth learning about peace.
... We all understand that peace is the best environment for children to grow up in, but many people deal with war experiences and consequences. There are relatively few scientific articles on these topics related to the war experiences of preschool age children [1,2,10,13,14]. ...
... Research data shows that even children not directly impacted by political violence often are aware of current conflicts and report feelings of fear, anxiety, anger, sadness and confusion. Although not directly in harm's way, Fig. 4. Children's drawings children exposed to war through the media or other sources must try to make sense of the information they receive [14]. ...
... It enabled children to be active participants and contribute to helping people in war while sending them personal regards. The literature indicates that taking into account the creative imagination of children, the elements of play and drawing can be successfully combined when studying children's inner well-being and emotional experiences [8,9,14]. ...
Lithuanian society actively supports Ukraine and is very close to the threat of extended war. How to communicate with preschool children about cruel war events is a problematic question for many parents and educators. Purpose - to study the attitude of parents to communicate with children about the war, to determine the ways of thinking and perception of military events by children through drawings. Materials and methods. The study was conducted in 5 kindergartens in Vilnius with the participation of 113 parents of 36 children. Results. Results revealed that 54.9% parents noted that they are talking about the war with their preschool-age child. 31.8% parents gave permission to speak and draw with their children about the war. The average age of children was 5.3±0.7 years. 72.2% of parents who permitted to talk about the war in Ukraine with their children indicated that they speak to their children about the war, and only 46.7% of parents who not gave permission indicated that they speak to their children about the war (p=0.006). Data showed that even children not directly impacted by war violence often are aware of current war events. Children’s drawings demonstrated a concrete understanding of war events and emphasized war’s negative emotions and destructive consequences. The predominant theme of the drawings were weapons, war events, falling bombs, destroyed houses, dying people, soldiers, and frightened faces. Conclusions. The study revealed that only half of the parents talked to their children about the war in Ukraine. Analysis of the form and content of the drawings show that the experienced war events left a robust impression on the children. It is essential to know the feelings and experiences of preschool children, to react appropriately according to their age and respond to their needs. It is necessary to talk to children about the war, trying to understand their worldviews, imaginations, and fears, because war experiences at an early age are a severe factor for the child’s further development. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.
... The development of research on the concept of peace in early childhood is still in the conceptual domain, such as peaceful values that must be developed in early childhood (Alfonso 2014, Ferber 2018, Kotob & Antippa, 2020, Saripudin et al., 2022, Schmidt & Friedman, 1993, Stomfay-Stitz & Hinitz, 1995, Vakfi, 2012 and early childhoods' perceptions of the concept of peace and war (Creţu 1988, Engel 1984, Hakvoort, 1996, Jabbar & Betawi, 2019, Maagerø & Sunde, 2016, Oppenheimer & Kuipers, 2003, Rodd, 1985, Tephly, 1985, Walker et al., 2003. Discourse on children's perceptions of global issues such as peace and war has become a rapidly growing area of research in the last few decades, and the international community has urged to carry out studies regarding children's understanding of peace, conflict, and war (Oppenheimer et al., 1999). ...
... For the Southeast Asian region, research on peace and war and efforts to build peace was conducted in the Philippines (Oppenheimer & Kuipers, 2003) and Malaysia (Haji-Yusuf, 1996). Research carried out in several countries shows similarities in the patterns of children's understanding of peace and war, despite cultural differences (Walker et al., 2003). ...
... Since the mid-20th century, many studies have focused on how adolescents and children conceptualize global issues like peace and war and ways to promote peace (Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1998). This research is a response to Walker et al.'s (2003) recommendations regarding the need for a comparative study of understanding the concept of peace and war in non-western cultures. Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia. ...
In recent decades, numerous studies have been conducted on children’s understanding of peace and war. Geographic, economic, political, cultural, and social differences influence the concepts of war and peace. This study aims at examining this effect. In addition to comparing studies conducted in Western countries, the study aims to examine early childhood students’ understanding of war and peace concepts. The study involved ten early childhood children who were at the kindergarten level with an average age of 5.7 years. The study employed a phenomenological approach. Drawing and semi-structured interviews were utilized for data collection. The study results indicate that children conceptualize war as unhappiness, conflict, and weapons. War concepts are symbolized by sad people, weapons, and fighting characters. In addition, children conceptualize peace as happiness, the beauty of nature, and a place that makes them feel safe, cheerful, free to express themselves, happy, and in which no one is angry. Smiling people, houses, trees, rainbows, and mountains represent peace. Overall, early childhood simultaneously comprehends the concepts of war and peace. This result differs from those of several prior studies.
... However, the literature shows more existence of some common themes in children's understanding of peace, regardless of these differences, in studies conducted both by written and verbal methods and through drawings. Negative peace, as a common theme in children's perceptions of peace, is largely perceived as the absence of war, conflict, and quarrels (Covell, Rose-Krasnor, & Fletcher, 1994;Hakvoort, 1996;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1998;Oppenheimer & Kuipers, 2003;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1993;de Souza, Sperb, McCarthy, & Biaggio, 2006;Jabbar & Betawi, 2019;Baring, 2013;Walker, Myers-Bowman, & Myers-Walls, 2003). It has been observed that the most common theme of positive peace in children's perceptions of peace is related to "interpersonal interactions such as treating people well, sharing and being friends" (Covell et al., 1994;de Souza et al., 2006;Frias, 2008;Hakvoort, 1996;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1998;Oppenheimer & Kuipers, 2003;Walker et al., 2003). ...
... Negative peace, as a common theme in children's perceptions of peace, is largely perceived as the absence of war, conflict, and quarrels (Covell, Rose-Krasnor, & Fletcher, 1994;Hakvoort, 1996;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1998;Oppenheimer & Kuipers, 2003;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1993;de Souza, Sperb, McCarthy, & Biaggio, 2006;Jabbar & Betawi, 2019;Baring, 2013;Walker, Myers-Bowman, & Myers-Walls, 2003). It has been observed that the most common theme of positive peace in children's perceptions of peace is related to "interpersonal interactions such as treating people well, sharing and being friends" (Covell et al., 1994;de Souza et al., 2006;Frias, 2008;Hakvoort, 1996;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1998;Oppenheimer & Kuipers, 2003;Walker et al., 2003). Oppenheimer and Kuipers (2003) conducted a study with 10-year-old Filipino children using the methodology developed by Hakvoort (1996) and used in different socio-cultural and contextual settings (Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1998). ...
... As mentioned above, war and peace drawings of children from different cultural backgrounds were mostly analyzed by quantitative methods or content analysis. (Baring, 2013;Bedir & Demir, 2012;Cengelci Kose & Gurdogan Bayir, 2016;Frias, 2008;Jabbar & Betawi, 2019;McLernon & Cairns, 2001;Walker et al., 2003). None of these studies did analyze the pictures according to Pierce's semiotics scheme. ...
In this study, children's perceptions of peace were examined through drawings and unstructured interviews. Participants consisted of 22 students aged 11-12 studying at Kepler Gymnasium, a public school in Karlsruhe / Pforzheim. The study was designed with an art-based and unstructured interview from research qualitative research methods. The data were analyzed by the semiotic analysis of drawings and content analysis of unstructured interviews. In the study, the meaning of peace was at most perceived as positive peace, both in pictures and interviews. Although the students mostly used peace icons, indexes, and symbols in their peace drawings, they also used almost half of the icons, indexes, and symbols of war. The meaning of peace in the interviews was mostly defined by the theme of "interpersonal interactions," which is the most common theme related to positive peace in the literature. The children almost half described peace as the absence of war in both drawings and interviews. Negative peace was at most defined with the theme of negative interpersonal peace in the negotiations on the meaning of peace. Secondly, negative peace was expressed as the absence of war, similar to the common perception in the literature. Besides, in the present study, based on the results, implications were made regarding peace education.
... However, the literature shows more existence of some common themes in children's understanding of peace, regardless of these differences, in studies conducted both by written and verbal methods and through drawings. Negative peace, as a common theme in children's perceptions of peace, is largely perceived as the absence of war, conflict, and quarrels (Covell, Rose-Krasnor, & Fletcher, 1994;Hakvoort, 1996;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1998;Oppenheimer & Kuipers, 2003;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1993;de Souza, Sperb, McCarthy, & Biaggio, 2006;Jabbar & Betawi, 2019;Baring, 2013;Walker, Myers-Bowman, & Myers-Walls, 2003). It has been observed that the most common theme of positive peace in children's perceptions of peace is related to "interpersonal interactions such as treating people well, sharing and being friends" (Covell et al., 1994;de Souza et al., 2006;Frias, 2008;Hakvoort, 1996;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1998;Oppenheimer & Kuipers, 2003;Walker et al., 2003). ...
... Negative peace, as a common theme in children's perceptions of peace, is largely perceived as the absence of war, conflict, and quarrels (Covell, Rose-Krasnor, & Fletcher, 1994;Hakvoort, 1996;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1998;Oppenheimer & Kuipers, 2003;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1993;de Souza, Sperb, McCarthy, & Biaggio, 2006;Jabbar & Betawi, 2019;Baring, 2013;Walker, Myers-Bowman, & Myers-Walls, 2003). It has been observed that the most common theme of positive peace in children's perceptions of peace is related to "interpersonal interactions such as treating people well, sharing and being friends" (Covell et al., 1994;de Souza et al., 2006;Frias, 2008;Hakvoort, 1996;Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1998;Oppenheimer & Kuipers, 2003;Walker et al., 2003). Oppenheimer and Kuipers (2003) conducted a study with 10-year-old Filipino children using the methodology developed by Hakvoort (1996) and used in different socio-cultural and contextual settings (Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1998). ...
... As mentioned above, war and peace drawings of children from different cultural backgrounds were mostly analyzed by quantitative methods or content analysis. (Baring, 2013;Bedir & Demir, 2012;Cengelci Kose & Gurdogan Bayir, 2016;Frias, 2008;Jabbar & Betawi, 2019;McLernon & Cairns, 2001;Walker et al., 2003). None of these studies did analyze the pictures according to Pierce's semiotics scheme. ...
The aim of this study is to reveal children's perceptions of peace through drawings and semi-structured interviews. The second aim of the research is to make inferences about peace education based on the results. Participants consist of 22 students aged 11-12 studying at a public school in Karlsruhe / Pforzheim. The study was designed with phenomenological research method. The data were analyzed by semiotic analysis of the drawings and content analysis of semi-structured interviews. As a result of drawings and interview analysis in the study, the meaning of peace was revealed to be at most "positive peace." Although students mostly used peace icons, indexes and symbols in their peace drawings, they also used about half of the icons, indexes and symbols of war. In the interviews, the meaning of peace was most defined as "interpersonal peace", which is the most common theme related to positive peace in the literature, secondly "general social peace" and least "peace in nature." About half of the children defined peace as "the absence of war" both in drawings and negotiations. In the discussions on the meaning of peace, negative peace was defined mostly as "negative interpersonal peace", secondly, similar to the common perception in the literature, "absence of the war", and least "negative individual peace." ÖZ Bu çalışmanın amacı, çocukların barış algılarını çizimler ve yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yoluyla ortaya çıkarmaktır. Araştırmanın alt amacı sonuçlardan yola çıkarak barış eğitimi konusunda çıkarımlar yapmaktır. Katılımcılar, Karlsruhe / Pforzheim'da bir devlet okulunda okuyan 11-12 yaş arası 22 öğrenciden oluşmaktadır. Çalışma fenomenolojik araştırma yöntemi ile tasarlanmıştır. Veriler, çizimlerin göstergebilimsel analizi ve yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmelerin tümevarımsal içerik analizi ile analiz edilmiştir. Çalışmada yapılan çizimler ve röportaj analizi sonucunda barışın anlamı en fazla "pozitif barış" olarak ortaya çıktı. Öğrenciler barış çizimlerinde çoğunlukla barış ikonları, indeksler ve semboller kullansalar da, savaş ikonlarının, indekslerinin ve sembollerinin yaklaşık yarısını da kullandılar. Görüşmelerde barışın anlamı en çok literatürdeki pozitif barışla ilgili en yaygın tema olan "kişilerarası barış", ikincisi "genel sosyal barış" ve en az "doğada barış" olarak tanımlandı. Çocukların yaklaşık yarısı barışı hem çizimlerde hem de müzakerelerde "savaşın olmaması" olarak tanımladı. Barışın anlamı üzerine yapılan görüşmelerde olumsuz barış, çoğunlukla "olumsuz kişiler arası barış", ikinci olarak literatürdeki ortak algıya benzer şekilde "savaşın yokluğu" ve en azından "olumsuz bireysel barış" olarak tanımlandı. Anahtar kelimeler: Barış kavramı, çocuk resimleri, barış eğitimi
... Children's drawings are often used to reflect their knowledge, experiences, concerns, and sometimes what they wished would have happened. Their drawings could be the way in which they try to understand their world and make meaning of it (Farokhi & Hashemi, 2011;Sali et al., 2014;Shaban & Al-Awidi, 2013;Walker et al., 2003). ...
... Drawings depict significant emotional concerns in relation to events they reflect; thus, it is important to study and analyze children's drawings for purposes of understanding the underlying emotions (Milbrath et al., 2015). Drawing is perceived as a second language and an outlet for children through which they can freely express themselves, and thus has been used to gain insight into the child's inner thoughts (Sali et al., 2014;Shaban & Al-Awidi, 2013;Walker et al., 2003;Wimmer, 2012). ...
... The drawings were obtained after four months of school closure due to the pandemic. The drawings entail children's experiences in preschool before the pandemic; it is assumed that what they recall from these experiences in preschool will give indications of what they are missing most from their preschools (Farokhi & Hashemi, 2011;Sali et al., 2014;Shaban & Al-Awidi, 2013;Walker et al., 2003). It is worth mentioning that the drawings were not subjected to psychoanalysis, as that was not the purpose of the study. ...
This research analyzes the content of preschool children’s drawings as they reflect on aspects of their preschool environment that they missed most during COVID-19 pandemic-related school closures in Saudi Arabia. Children participated in collaboration with their mothers, who directed and collected their drawings. The participants were limited to a group of 41 children between 3–7 years old. The results revealed that most of their drawings were of people, followed by the school environment; the playground was the most prominent area drawn representing the physical environment. Other categories, from the most to the least drawn, include nature, daily scheduled activities, writing activities, food items, and methods of transportation. Through drawings, children showed their most important needs in the preschool environment, which provides some insight into what educators should plan for when children to return to school.
... In fact, the recognition of the children's conception about war is the first step in helping them to cope with their emotions about war. Especially in education, awareness of the students on the conceptual dimension of peace could help professionals find ways to help them to identify positive, non-violent acts against war (Walker, Myers-Bowman & Myers-Walls, 2003). In reality, we all have abstract concepts about war and peace in our minds; however, the conceptualization might differ significantly in the mind of an individual who experienced the actual trauma of war (Özer et al., 2018). ...
... Literature review revealed that art-based studies on war and peace were mostly coducted with younger children in the literature (Âlvik, 1968;Barton & McCully, 2005;Brunick, 1999;Buldu, 2009;Çengelci-Köse & Gürdoğan-Bayır, 2016;Gardner, 1980;Grauer, 1994;Jabbar & Betawi, 2019;Lambert, 1994;Özer et. al, 2018;Stiles, Gibbons & De Silva, 1996;Sundström, 1981;Walker, Myers-Bowman & Myers-Walls, 2003;Tanay, 1994;Tuneu et. al, 2015;Yedidia, T. & Lipschitz-Elchawi, 2012). ...
... In the study, destroyed homes, injured and dead, blood, cemetery, weapons, fires, bombs, children, tanks, helicopters and Syrian map were used to reflect the war theme in drawings. Despite developmental differences, these elements were also reflected in the drawings of young children in certain studies (Hakvoort & Hagglund, 2001;McLernon & Cairns, 2001;Walker, Myers-Bowman & Myers-Walls, 2003). In the present study, it was determined that both female and male students had knowledge about combat vehicles. ...
The present study aimed to determine the definition of war and peace by the migrant Syrian students at tertiary level; their image of war via their artistic drawings, as well as to reveal their expectations from peace. For this purpose, the study was conducted in the 2018-2019 academic year with an art-based research approach, employing art as a method, a form of analysis and as an object. The participants comprised 25 Syrian students between the age range of 17-20 years old who emigrated from Syrian war zones to Turkey. The analysis of the data focused on the definitions of war and peace, Syrian students' drawings, and their verbal expressions about the drawings that help develop an analytical framework. The findings of the study demonstrated that most of the drawings reflected real images of war and peace; the participants rendered both visual and verbal symbolizations as the main expression of their suffering during the war and longing for peace. The drawings provided clues that could help them cope with the possible traumatic incidents they could experience at the present or in the future, and preserve their identity destructed by factors out of their control.
... Whilst there are examples of art therapy in political conflict and war (Kalmanowitz & Ho, 2016;Kalmanowitz & Lloyd, 2005;Nader, 2007;Walker, Myers-Bowman, & Myers-Walls, 2003;Wise & Nash, 2013), little documentation has been dedicated to observing specific cases in Latin America (Ciornai & Ruiz, 2016). Art therapy in Colombia is a nascent profession. ...
... One of the most challenging aspects of reincorporation of the FARC is achieving reconciliation between ex-combatants and civilians who disagreed with the peace agreement, as violence and political differences have separated these parties during the past 50 years (Colombian National Government and the FARC-EP, 2016). A number of reports have found encouraging results that art therapy can support individuals who have or are living in a context of political violence (Kalmanowitz & Ho, 2016;Kalmanowitz & Lloyd, 2005;Nader, 2007;Walker et al., 2003;Wise & Nash, 2013). Through art therapy, people of all ages can find creative answers for resolving intergenerational conflict, and overcoming traumatic experiences (Fitzpatrick, 2002;Kalmanowitz & Ho, 2016;Kapitan, 1997;Kaplan, 2003). ...
... Through art therapy, people of all ages can find creative answers for resolving intergenerational conflict, and overcoming traumatic experiences (Fitzpatrick, 2002;Kalmanowitz & Ho, 2016;Kapitan, 1997;Kaplan, 2003). With children, for example, art therapy can help assimilate both reality-and mediagenerated violence, as well as to foster feelings of safety and peace (Walker et al., 2003). Adolescents exposed to traumatic experiences can benefit from using art therapy to explore identity formation and the impact of their environment, families, and peers in their therapeutic process (Nader, 2007). ...
Psychosocial support programmes are an intrinsic part of a sustainable and successful social reincorporation of ex-combatants in post-conflict situations. Following the end of Colombia’s 50-year civil war, people who were formerly part of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are currently living in designated spaces for reincorporation into society. This project aimed to identify how the field of art therapy can help advance existing initiatives of psychosocial support and reincorporation. An art therapist collaborated with local treatment providers on a short-term project with former FARC families and individuals. Based on the participants’ narratives and artwork, as well as the art therapist’s observations and field notes, this project identified four functions for art therapy: (1) facilitating communication amongst community members, (2) preserving memories of personal and historical relevance, (3) promoting acceptance, and (4) promoting artistic expression for self-reflection. The findings outline a viable course of action for future art therapists by exemplifying psychosocial supports to individuals, families, communities, and society in reincorporation processes. Open dialogue with community members and on-site service providers is crucial to ensuring art therapy is both adaptive and responsive to changing needs.
... These findings suggested that pictures can be a suitable method for conveying powerful messages. Abstract concepts, such as peace and war, are comprehensible even to young children (Ahmad, 2018;Jabbar & Betawi, 2019;Walker et al., 2003;Yilmaz, 2018;Zakai, 2019). ...
... The results of this study appeared to be similar with several studies, such as (Jabbar & Betawi, 2019;Walker et al., 2003), in terms of peace elements, which were categorized and associated with multiple elements of human emotions and symbols. Jabbar and Betawi (2019) asserted that children are able to differentiate at an early age the abstract concepts of war and peace. ...
... To understand children's understanding of war as well as peace, Walker et al. (2003) studied children's drawings and used them "to better understand developmental differences in the meanings children give to these concepts and how those meanings are related to sociocultural factors" (p. 192). ...
... Participants, children between the ages of 3 to 12 years old, were invited to draw pictures of peace and of war. In their findings, Walker, Myers-Bowman and Myers-Walls (2003) showed how war does impact children. They argued that "children are aware of war even when they are not directly involved in a conflict" (p. ...
The unprecedented onset and extensive spread of COVID‐19 has affected the lives of citizens around the globe. Children, in particular, have been thrust into modified and new learning environments. Although the global lockdown has confined so many, it also has connected people from different but shared experiences. One program that supported such connections is the International Youth Library’s (IYL) effort to invite children to visually respond to this challenging time in their themed call titled: “I-solation. Kids, paint yourself.” Young children from around the world, representing 42 countries, responded to this call with over 800 submissions. The purpose of this article is to share our exploration of how children used art elements and principles of design in their self-portraiture drawings to express their ideas and feelings during the COVID-19 pandemic. This exploration offers relevant curricular implications for teachers seeking to expand their literacy practices by inviting children to visually respond to how they are dealing with global and natural disasters, including difficult situations in their daily lives, that affect one’s sense of self, the home, and community.
... Recognizing what children understand about the concept of war is the first stepping stone in helping them cope with war and any feelings associated with that; professionals need to be aware of how children conceptualize war, in order, to help them identify positive, non-violent actions towards war (Walker, Myers-Bowman, & Myers-Walls, 2003). Children as young as 6 -year -old possess a limited understanding of war; however, by the age of 8, their understanding of war is somewhat complete. ...
... Hakvoort and Hagglund (2001) suggest that children's understanding of peace, starts at an early age and continues as they get older and by adding more abstract elements. For example, most children, no matter their age, define peace as negative peace, meaning the absence of fighting, the absence of war, stillness, and interpersonal interactions (Covell et al., 1994;Hakvoort,1996). In Walker et al. (2003) study, 56 children (31 females and 25 males) from American, Yugoslavian and Greek families after the Yugoslavian-NATO conflict ended participated in the study to compare peace and war drawings. Findings based on the analysis of the drawings, revealed that children associated peace to negative space, while 5 themes were identified for war, respectively: war as activity, was as group conflict, death as, a consequence of, war and negative emotions related to war. ...
The current study focuses on data collected from Iraqi refugee children in Jordan who fled the Islamic State Group (IS) after capturing the city of Qaraqosh overnight in 2014. 16 children, 9 males and 7 females between the ages of (4–12) participated in the study. Two major themes were identified from the qualitative analysis of children’s peace drawings and their verbal statements: ‘peace as religion, contentment and serenity’ and peace as a negative space, while two other common themes were identified in the children’s war drawings: ‘war as activity and conflict; and death, as, a result, of war’. Findings indicate that developmental differences between children were evident via their drawings and their knowledge of peace and war, confirming that children’s understanding of war precedes their understanding of peace.
... Focusing on the specific representation of "enemy" and "combat" within the drawings, they use a historical perspective, seeing children's paintings as "one of the best places to observe childhood experience in World War I" (Pignot & Pickering, 2019, p. 172). Similarly, in "Understanding War, Visualising Peace: Children Draw What They Know" (Walker et al., 2003), 56 child participants were advised to draw their understanding of peace and war respectively. Unlike other studies that are based on the analysis of the already-finished paintings, this study is more specifically performed and presents the contrasts between children's presentations of peace and war by quantitatively calculating the "colours," "figures," "objects," and "space" (Walker et al., 2003, p. 197) used within the two groups of drawings. ...
p>As part of the project of Ukrainian children support, Mom, I See War presents, on its official website and social media, more than 4,000 drawings by children from war-affected areas (mainly Ukraine). Based on the artworks in this platform, the study goes deeper from the mere symbolic interpretations, and discusses the various stages of emotional expression within. Through a close-reading of different aspects within the drawings, the study is performed within the theoretical framework of emotion study, political and cultural theory. While each painting contains a complex combination of various personal emotion, the paper makes a general outlining of all the paintings as a whole, and analyses the various stages of emotional expression among the whole group. In a reaction towards war conditions, four stages of emotion are presented, including fear, pain, anger and hope. </p
... Under imposed peace, those in power use their existing economic or military power to establish peace by forcing the weak group to comply with the rules; Reconciliatory peace is defined as ending violence and hostility and reaching a consensus in harmony in line with common goals. War, according to the definition of Von Clausewitz (2008), is nothing more than a very extended duel. It would be more useful if we visualize two people dueling instead of thinking of a union consisting of many individual duelists. ...
The main purpose of this research is to comparatively examine the views of social studies teacher candidates in Turkey and the USA towards war and peace, and to reveal the similarities and differences. In parallel with the increasing violence and wars in the world, literacy of peace has become a concept that attracts more and more attention. Each country includes war and peace issues in its curriculum in different ways. Literacy of peace has become one of the basic elements of citizenship education in democratic societies. Social studies is one of the most powerful components of citizenship education. In the social studies course, while trying to raise patriotic individuals by teaching about the wars of the past, they are also trying to raise democratic citizens who have gained peace awareness. The research is a descriptive study in which quantitative and qualitative research methods are used together. As a quantitative data collection tool, The Attitude Inventory Regarding Peace and War developed by Bizumic et al., was used. Moral dilemma stories were used as a qualitative data collection tool. Qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques were applied together to transform the obtained data sets into findings. Working group of the research is 60 teacher candidates in total, 30+30 each studying at state universities in Türkiye and the USA. Descriptive analysis method was used to analyze the data. A comparative analysis of participants’ perspectives on war and peace can give us an idea about how war and peace can be included in the teaching process. According to the results of the research, it was seen that the attitudes towards peace of the participants from both countries were high and when compared, the attitudes of the participants from the USA towards peace were higher than the participants from Turkey. The findings of the qualitative analysis also support this conclusion.
... The vivid imagination and symbolic thinking that characterize preschool children may be expected to influence their reactions to information about stressful events in ways that reflect their developmental traits, and investigations of their psychosomatic health have thus become highly relevant (Harris, 2021;Kushner et al., 2016). Relatively few scientific articles discuss how to build suitable ways of communicating with preschool children to determine their thoughts and experiences of war; suggested approaches are generally structured around drawing, storytelling, and play (Candy, 2000;Myers-Bowman et al., 2003;Slone & Mann, 2016;Walker et al., 2003). Research shows that it is necessary to talk to children about war, and try to understand their worldviews, imaginings, and fears, because war experiences at an early age have a large impact on a child's further development (Oztabak, 2020;MacMillan et al., 2015;Shaban & Al-Awidi, 2013). ...
Lithuanian society supports Ukraine in its war with Russia. The two countries, Lithuania and Russia (the aggressor in the conflict) share a common border in the southwest of Lithuania, and Lithuanians are aware of the threat of an extended war. However, there is little information about how to discuss the events of the ongoing war with children. The aim of our study, which was conducted during the first months of the war, was to investigate the ways that parents talked about the war with their kindergarten-age children, together with their views on the impact of the war on their children’s emotions, behavior, and psychosomatic health. Parents in 5 kindergartens filled out an anonymous 15-item questionnaire, developed by the authors, through which we collected general data about each respondent and their child, their ways of communicating with the child about war events, and the impact of the war events on the parent and on the child’s emotions, moods, and behavior. Of the 116 parents who filled in the questionnaire, 93 (80.2%) responded that they had not talked about war with their children prior to Russia’s invasion, 44.0% of parents responded that they do not talk about the war in Ukraine with their child, and 57.8% parents indicated that their child had asked them about the war. In regard to the war’s effects on children, significant changes were reported in their behavior, play, and drawing. It is crucial to study the effects the recent war has had on children and find appropriate ways in which parents and educational institutions can contribute to their support. Preschoolers need to be informed and involved in the community life in age-appropriate ways. Drawing and play could be used to create relevant opportunities to talk in age-appropriate ways with preschool children about the ongoing war, to try to understand their perceptions, fears, and imaginings.
... War refugees' children, who, like their families, are characterized by the symptom of 'spiritual emptiness', which is manifested by the loss of the meaning of life and its reduction to a hedonistic and short-term dimension, need spiritual healing through personal development (Solecki and Borda 2018). For this purpose, there are meditation centres or other spiritual healing on offer, including spiritual development training sessions and workshops, spirituality fiction films, classical music, art therapy, etc. (Walker et al. 2003). However, perhaps most importantly, these children need everyday social communication to understand their spiritual experiences based on interreligious dialogue or (non)religious spirituality (Rembierz 2018). ...
Following the Russian Federation’s attack on Ukraine, many women and children were forced to flee their homeland out of fear for lives. Poland, as a country bordering Ukraine, has accepted the most refugees, compared to other EU states. Soon after, Ukrainian school-age children began their education in Polish schools, but the process of their enrolment and adaptation to a new environment, as well as the provision of psychological assistance, became a significant challenge. The aim of the study was to inquire about the actions taken by principals of primary schools in Poland in connection with accepting refugee students from Ukraine to their institutions, as well as determining the possibilities of providing these students with spiritual support. The following survey research conducted in the four voivodeships that accepted the largest number of refugees, in urban and rural environments, allowed the identification of the practical solutions used by school principals in organising the assistance provided to refugee students from Ukraine in learning and integration with peers. As the research has indicated, the most important challenges in working with Ukrainian children affected by war are psycho-emotional experiences, depression and adaptation problems. Therefore, the priority in working with them was to use the strategy of spiritual support and solidarity, focusing on the prioritised human values—humanism, tolerance, faith, love, empathy, kindness, and mutual help. The conclusions drawn from the experience gained by Polish schools, in particular, in terms of the spiritual support for children of war, can be used by educational systems in other countries.
... Mehrere Studien in der Friedenspsychologie haben untersucht, wie Kinder Krieg und Frieden in unterschiedlichen Kontexten visualisieren (Walker et al. 2003;Fargas-Malet und Dillenburger 2014). Interessanterweise deuten viele der Ergebnisse, trotz der unterschiedlichen Kulturen und der variierenden Nähe zu aktuellen Konflikten, auf eine gemeinsame Form der Visualisierung von Frieden hin (Walker et al. 2003, S. 191). ...
Der Beitrag formuliert eine interpretative Methode der Visuelle Metaphernanalyse (VMA). Er argumentiert, dass Metaphern die Lücke zwischen Text und visuellen Repräsentation füllen, in dem sie als linguistisches Mittel verstanden werden können welches von Natur aus Text kognitiv visualisiert. Metaphern sind Bilder. Bezugnehmend auf Erkenntnisse der kognitiven Linguistik stellt dieses Kapitel die ‚Visuelle Metaphernanalyse‘ als eine Methode zur Untersuchung eines Prozesses doppelter Visualisierung in Filmen vor. Auf der ersten Ebene beinhaltet dies die Veranschaulichung von Phänomenen im Film selbst – die Bilder, die wir auf dem Bildschirm sehen. Dies kann verglichen werden mit dem, was in der Literatur als metaphorischer Ausdruck bezeichnet wird. Auf der zweiten Ebene umfasst dies die Visualisierung des zugrundeliegenden metaphorischen Themas selbst. Diese konzeptionellen Metaphern sind nicht notwendigerweise eindeutig, aber wichtig, um das in der Erzählung des Films offengelegte Narrativ zu verstehen. Um die vorgeschlagene Methode zu illustrieren untersucht das Kapitel Metaphern für Frieden in dem Spielfilm Mango Dreams, der eine Geschichte des Überwindens schmerzlicher Erinnerungen an Trennung und Leid infolge der Teilung Indiens und Pakistans erzählt. Hierbei werden drei fundamentale Friedensmetaphern identifiziert, welche das Phänomen konzeptuell als HEIMAT, REISE und BRÜCKE bezeichnen. Die Analyse zeigt, dass im Gegensatz zu dem größten Teil der Forschung über Visualisierungen von Frieden, welche sich überwiegend auf die Darstellung von negativem Frieden fokussiert, eine ganzheitlichere Konzeptualisierung von Frieden im Film durch das Einbeziehen von visuellen Metaphern möglich ist.
... ban una situación de violencia que no era resuelta. Por otro lado, los niños y niñas aportaron gráficas que presentaban tanto el conflicto como la solución al mismo. En este tipo de imágenes, la solución podía ser pacífica o violenta. En el caso de los dibujos temáticos, los niños aportaron treinta y cinco imágenes que representan lo que no es paz (Walker, et. al, 2003). En este grupo de dibujos aparecen hombres armados, asustados, y otros con expresión neutra. En todos los casos los puntos de referencia central son las armas (Ver imagen #4). Al preguntarles el motivo de estas representaciones, los niños se refirieron a la escena del capítulo de El Poder en la que la niña le pregunta a su papá por qué ...
RESUMEN La investigación 1 examinó la comprensión visual de la paz de los niños y las niñas del Sur Oriente y Sur Occidente de Barranquilla. Desarrollamos la investigación con un grupo de sesenta y nueve niños y niñas de Barranquilla algunos cuyas familias experimentaron el conflicto armado y otros que no lo vivieron de cerca. Ambos grupos entienden la paz como una interacción social pacífica que se construye desde sus familias y escuelas, mientras que se distinguen en la forma que cada grupo entiende el conflicto. Los primeros representan el conflicto a partir de la violencia armada experimentada por sus familias en zonas rurales, mientras que los segundos se remiten a la violencia urbana que viven en sus barrios. Palabras clave: Infancia, paz, conflicto, métodos visuales Childhood, peace and conflict: Reconciliation processes form the boys and girl's perspective ABSTRACT The research examined the visual understanding of the peace of children in the South East and South West of Barranquilla. We developed the investigation with a group of sixty-nine children from Barranquilla, some whose families experienced the armed conflict and others who did not experience it directly. Both groups understand peace as peaceful social interactions that are built from their families and schools while distinguishing themselves in the way each group understands the conflict. The former represents the conflict based on the armed violence experienced by their families in rural areas, while the latter refers to the urban violence in their neighborhoods.
... ban una situación de violencia que no era resuelta. Por otro lado, los niños y niñas aportaron gráficas que presentaban tanto el conflicto como la solución al mismo. En este tipo de imágenes, la solución podía ser pacífica o violenta. En el caso de los dibujos temáticos, los niños aportaron treinta y cinco imágenes que representan lo que no es paz (Walker, et. al, 2003). En este grupo de dibujos aparecen hombres armados, asustados, y otros con expresión neutra. En todos los casos los puntos de referencia central son las armas (Ver imagen #4). Al preguntarles el motivo de estas representaciones, los niños se refirieron a la escena del capítulo de El Poder en la que la niña le pregunta a su papá por qué ...
La investigación examinó la comprensión visual de la paz de los niños y las niñas del Sur Oriente y Sur Occidente de Barranquilla. Desarrollamos la investigación con un grupo de 69 niños y niñas de Barranquilla algunos cuyas familias experimentaron el conflicto armado y otros que no lo vivieron de cerca. Ambos grupos entienden la paz como una interacción social pacífica que se construye desde sus familias y escuelas, mientras que se distinguen en la forma que cada grupo entiende el conflicto. Los primeros representan el conflicto a partir de la violencia armada experimentada por sus familias en zonas rurales, mientras que los segundos se remiten a la violencia urbana que viven en sus barrios.
... When the researches conducted are analyzed, it is seen that the researches where the notions of peace and violence are considered together are limited. It is observed that there are studies such as perceiving violence in child drawings (Yurtal & Artut, 2008;Farver & Garcia, 2015;Kandıra & diğerleri, 2012), emotional reflections of war (Jolley & Vulic-Prtoric, 2001), the notion of peace in drawings and comics (Köse & Bayır, 2014;Bulut & Sarı, 2015;Naci, 2015), drawing peace and war (Aktaş, 2015;Walker, Myers-Bowman, & Myers-Walls, 2003). The opposite of peace is always considered war. ...
It is important to adopt the concept of peace as a culture when human rights, democracy, coexistence and diversity are respected at the social level. Particularly at an early age, introducing this concept to individuals can prevent violent cultures from finding social or individual support. In this sense, individuals are expected to disseminate peace through education and to exclude violence. In this research, it was tried to show how primary school students perceive the concepts of peace and violence in their daily lives. It has been tried to determine how pupils describe these concepts in their pictorial image, literary and verbal expressions. The research was designed as qualitative research from qualitative research approaches. 68 primary school students participated in the research. Students have identified four main themes on the peace issue: “universal / inter-communal peace, inter-group / social peace, inter-personal peace and individual peace.” Twenty-five sub-themes related to these 4 main themes have been created. As for violence, four main themes have emerged: “socio-cultural violence, direct violence, group violence and ecological violence”. Sixteen sub-themes have been expressed, depending on these four main themes. It has been found out that in the general sense, they perceive the concept of peace mostly in a personal-individual sense and they directly perceive the concept of violence as socio-cultural violence.
... Several studies in Peace Psychology have examined the visualisation of war and peace by children in different locations around the globe (Walker et al. 2003;Fargas-Malet and Dillenburger 2014). Interestingly, despite the different cultures and the varying closeness to actual conflicts, many of the findings indicate a common form of visualising war and peace (Walker et al. 2003: 191). ...
The debate about the use of specific methods of analysing visual material has gained great momentum in International Relations (IR). This paper suggests an interpretive method that has received little attention: visual metaphor analysis. While metaphor analysis has a been frequently used discourse analytical method in IR, little attention has been given to study visual metaphors. Taking on insights from cognitive linguistics, this paper introduces visual metaphor analysis to examine a process of double visualisation in film. On the first level, this includes the visualisation of phenomena in
the film itself, the pictures we see on screen. This can be likened to what in the literature is commonly referred to as metaphorical expressions. On the second level, this also includes the visualisation of the underlying metaphorical theme itself. Such conceptual metaphors are not necessarily explicit but necessary to understand the narrative of the story unfolded in the film.
To develop a method of visual metaphor analysis, this chapter examines metaphors of peace in the independent feature film Mango Dreams, which narrates a story of overcoming painful memories of separation and suffering in the wake of the partition between India and Pakistan. The chapter is structured as follows: the first part discusses research on the visualisation of peace and conflict. The second part articulates a method of visual metaphor analysis combining insights from cognitive linguistics and film studies. Part three applies the method to the film Mango Dreams drawing out three fundamental metaphors of peace which constitute the phenomenon conceptually as HOME, JOURNEY and BRIDGE. The analysis shows that a more holistic conceptualisation of peace in film is possible through the engagement of visual metaphors.
... Even though drawing activities are not direct rehearsals of instinctive activities, it is stated that they enable the symbolic expression of primitive instincts (Yavuzer, 2007). Some of the researchers stated that children draw the concepts they are in interaction similar to each other, and in this respect, it can be stated that they are affected by the environmental factors (Walker et al., 2003). However, the repetition theory is criticized as too much emphasizing the instincts and neglecting the environmental and cultural influences. ...
... In a study investigating how Chinese university students perceive the Japanese culture, it was found that 81.3% of the participants saw Japan as a military threat and 72% had a negative approach toward Japanese history and culture. In a study conducted by Walker et al. (2003), primary school students in Yugoslavia and Greece were asked to draw a picture of war and peace and students generally tried to draw characters they had seen in war-themed movies and games. In a study conducted by İmamoğlu and Bayraktar (2014), it was revealed that a considerable part of the students participated in the study (40%) did not really believe in the possibility of peace. ...
Peace education requires that students have a correct and academic perception regarding other countries. These perceptions of students, who acquire certain perceptions starting from primary school to university, need to be based on real facts and should not contain extravagance.This study aims to determine whether 3rd year Prospective Social Studies Teachers have a perception of friendly and hostile country and what factors affect the formation of these perceptions. In this context, 33 students studying at Bülent Ecevit University, Zonguldak were interviewed using the semi-structured interview technique. Students were asked to write down their answers for questions in the interview form prepared for the study. The resulting data were analyzed with content analysis and descriptive analysis. Common statements were merged according to determined criteria and presented under themes.In the light of findings obtained from the study, it was seen that students had developed an awareness regarding friendliness and hostility. It was found that political events between States and national and religious issues were effective on the formation of this awareness. Also, factors such as media and internet were found to be effective on the formation of the awareness in question. On the other hand, it was found that students were influenced by current events when creating their knowledge-base.
... (The drawings are not used in the analyses for this study. Results are published elsewhere [Walker, Myers-Bowman, & Myers-Walls, 2003].) Interviewers then asked the children open-ended questions about war and peace in general: "Do you know what war/peace is? ...
This article presents children’s descriptions of peace and war from two very different sociocultural environments: Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and the midwestern United States. Interviews were conducted shortly after the 1999–2000 NATO-Yugoslavian active conflict; therefore, one meaningful contrast between these two contexts is the exposure these children had to political violence. The children from Belgrade directly experienced the bombing of their city, whereas the U.S. children observed the political violence from a distance (if they knew of it at all). Children from both countries expressed overwhelmingly similar ideas of peace and war; however, there also were striking differences between their answers, some of which may be a result of their level of exposure to war. Implications for peace research and education are provided.
... Additionally, young people's knowledge about events related to specific wars (e.g. the Second World War) increased with age (Hakvoort and Oppenheimer, 1993). In contrast, some researchers have reported few age-related changes (Myers-Bowman et al., 2005; Walker et al., 2003). In addition to age, gender has been identified as an influential factor in children's understanding of war. ...
This research incorporated an ecological approach to examine American and Northern Irish children's understanding of the 2003 war in Iraq and the sources of information from which they acquired that understanding. Responses to interviews indicated that the children from the two countries had some common conceptions of and sources of information about the war. However, American and Northern Irish children also differed on several items, suggesting that the macrosystem (e.g. sociopolitical context) plays an important role in children's conceptions of the war. Additionally, the exosystem (media) also played an integral role, as did the microsystem (parents), although to a lesser extent. (Contains 1 table.)
Background
Participatory research with children has been long-standing and has provided a space for researchers to understand the everyday lives of children, but also, and more importantly, has emphasised the significance of doing research with, rather than on or about, children and keeping them in the centre of our thinking and research. While this is true in many places around the world, doing research with children experiencing violence, uncertainty and political conflict – although crucial – becomes more complex in such challenging contexts. The voices of children in these settings are often silenced, and children are rarely given opportunities to communicate their needs and have a say in decisions and interventions that affect their lives, well-being and childhoods.
Objective
This reflective paper aims to explore ethical and methodological challenges in conducting research with children in contexts of violence, uncertainty and political conflict. In exploring these challenges, the paper offers reflections on both the benefits and challenges of using participatory research with children by exploring meanings of voice, listening and silence in these contexts.
Methods
The paper draws on a qualitative research study conducted with minority-Christian and Muslim Arab children in Jerusalem to understand the meanings they attach to being well in a context of violence and conflict.
Findings
By providing some reflections on doing research in contexts affected by violence, conflict and uncertainty, this paper emphasises the importance of listening to children and the ways in which creative but flexible, contextual and adaptable research methods can enable researchers to listen to, and engage with, children in complex contexts and provide spaces which support children not only to experience voice, but to find that voice.
The indirect exposure to war could have an impact on children's construction of meaning about peace and war. The study investigates Italian children's representations of peace and war by observing the contents and expressive connotations of their drawings, and the possible influences of the conflict in Ukraine.Drawings of peace and war of 38 children (M = 9.43, SD = 1.47) were collected in Italy in the Spring of 2022 after the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Parents answered a socio-demographical questionnaire, including information about family indirect experience of war. According to previous literature, peace images resulted as positive actions or absence of war, and war images are typical objects and activities of war. In contrast to the negative connotation of war drawings, peace drawings were more colored and convey a positive expressivity. The majority of children began by representing peace and included few people in both drawings. The frequencies of references to the war in Ukraine are not high, even if the majority of children talked about war with their parents after the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Educational implications of understanding the representations of peace and war in children with indirect exposure to conflicts are discussed.
This chapter introduces the concepts of peace and kindness from a developmental perspective and outlines a social-emotional developmental framework for the relationship between kindness and inner, relational, and intergroup peace. It first reviews Western and Eastern philosophical and psychological perspectives of peace. Second, it introduces the concept of kindness and provides an overview of core components of kindness (i.e., empathy with the self, empathy with others, and prosocial behavior; Malti, Eur J Dev Psychol, 18(5): 629–657, 2021). Using data from the VIA Inventory of Strengths (i.e., VIA Survey) and supplementary validated scales, we tested the theoretical framework that kindness is an important mechanism promoting peace in youth. Preliminary results revealed unique pathways between self- and other-oriented components of kindness (e.g., empathy with the self, empathy with others, and prosocial behavior) and the inner, relational, and intergroup levels of peace. We discuss findings in reference to peace-building interventions to support social-emotional development and kindness across childhood and adolescence.
This scoping review emphasizes the importance of understanding children's cognitive and socio-emotional capacities in navigating discussions about war and peace. Tailoring communication strategies to these developmental nuances enables meaningful dialogues between adults and children, fostering empathy and conflict resolution skills. Additionally, pedagogical interventions highlighted in the review aim to nurture peacebuilding skills among children, empowering them to contribute positively to their communities. In conclusion, by considering children's developmental needs and implementing effective communication and educational strategies, adults can play a crucial role in cultivating peaceful mindsets and behaviors in future generations.
In this article, we investigate (partly guided) conceptualisations of "peace" (and "war") in children's school drawings and their accompanying textual framings. We draw on a transdisciplinary framework grounded in ethnography and metapragmatics, combining tools from socio-pragmatic (critical) approaches to multimodal discourse. Our data consists of authentically generated, photographed image-text worksheets that were publicly displayed on the fence of a primary school in a small town in Northern Italy in April 2022. Combining qualitative and quantitative analytical procedures, the (textual and multimodal) conceptualisations range from peace as a very concrete mode of secure-relaxed experience of basic relationships, of home and togetherness, and of self, to peace as care and unity on a more (global-)political scale. Contrary to ideologies on children's drawings as naïve-unmediated "windows" to inner states, our analysis shows how the trans-/locally re-/produced repertoire(s) of multimodal frozen mediated actions (including emblematic patterns such as emojis, peace-flags, comics-speech bubbles, etc.) are deployed ranging from realistic scenes to abstract and complex visual designs. Thereby, children show themselves as literate and often humorous-creative practitioners of visual communication.
The article explores rural education in the context of the Ukrainian war from 2014 to 2024, drawing insights from scientific research and media publications. It delves into how military aggression has impacted the distinctive features, challenges, and risks encountered by individuals involved in the educational process in rural schools. Moreover, it highlights the significance of creating a secure educational environment in these institutions as a crucial step in ensuring the safety and well-being of the younger generation during wartime. This includes providing adequate shelter for all educational process participants. The impact of demographic, socioeconomic , and educational factors on the learning development of rural students has been identified. The article presents several aspects of the work of a rural school's principal and teaching staff with internally displaced students (war refugees); activities aimed at adapting the educational setting to continue education in crises and providing psychological assistance to children who have experienced war trauma. The study highlights the importance of guaranteeing access to rural education, providing sufficient funding, infrastructure, and technical equipment for distance (blended) learning in crises, etc. The results of the empirical study involving 50 rural principals and 202 educators from the western regions of Ukraine have identified the most common challenges in professional activity and the challenges of Ukrainian school-aged war refugee children. The tasks and prospects of rural education during wartime have been determined. It has been shown that education during war requires coordination and cooperation between state establishments, international communities, local organizations, social workers, educational managers, and independent experts to ensure maximum educational opportunities and protection of children in learning environments.
Qualitative research has increasingly been utilising visual methods such as drawing to collect richer insights from participants of all ages and backgrounds. This article demonstrates the methodological potential of a structured arts based workshop that included a data walk, a drawing session, and a reflective peace wall. We reflect on the suitability and value of this approach to support young people’s learning about peace, to collect insights on what peace means to them, and how they envision their contribution to a peaceful world. This project was done with 12–18-year-old students in three schools in Glasgow, Scotland. We found that a structured approach allowed students to understand and express what positive peace means and to see themselves as agents of change. Three key methodological insights are offered: ways the approach addresses a crisis of praxis in peace education research, how research methods can gain congruence with democratic concepts in of peace education, and normative validity established through the voice of young people. This article contributes to the literature on arts based and creative methodologies and offers a novel model of peace education research inclusive of multiple ways of knowing and more democratic methods.
Konflikty zbrojne na całym świecie to temat, który nieustannie przyciąga uwagę społeczeństwa i mediów. Tematem rzadziej omawianym jest perspektywa dzieci, które są potencjalnymi odbiorcami komunikatów o konfliktach. Jakie mogą być skutki psychologiczne, jak konflikty oddziałują na najmłodszych? Artykuł ma charakter przeglądowy. Jego celem jest zwrócenie uwagi na psychologiczną perspektywę obrazu konfliktów/wojen w oczach dzieci w wieku przedszkolnym oraz szkolnym niedoświadczających bezpośrednio skutków konfliktów, jak również poszukiwanie implikacji praktycznych, czyli omówienie, jak można im pomóc w radzeniu sobie z tym trudnym tematem.
ABSRTACTThis study aims to investigate the life experiences of refugee children and examine the symbolic representations of these experiences in their drawings. In this study, the phenomenological research design, which is a qualitative research approach, was adopted. The study was carried out with 28 refugee children. The obtained qualitative data were analyzed through thematic coding. It has been found in this study that three themes "The Challenges of Immigration," "Living in A Country Without War," "Outlook for The Future." Refugee children experience challenges in many aspects, including but not limited to education, economic status and social life. It has been determined that despite the challenges they face, refugee children have embraced their host country, that they feel safe, and that most do not want to go back to their home countries as they fear for their lives. In this study, it has been concluded that refugee children experience various asylum-related issues. In line with the obtained data, it is recommended to pre-determine the mental and physical problems refugee children may face, ensure their protection, minimize their asylum-related issues, produce national and international policies on their access to education, health, and basic services and take other relevant necessary measures. Practice Implications: This study contributes to our better understanding of what difficulties migration causes in children's lives and how children experience this process. All the health professionals who have roles and responsibilities in the protection and development of the health of migrant children can take advantage from the results of the study.
In this study, it is examined how children between the ages of 6 and 11, living in Nottingham, England, understand the facts of religion and homeland through Turkey and Islam in their drawings. Art-based research method and semiotic method were used in the research. In drawings, the values, symbols, and concepts that children link with Turkey and Islam and the effect of the Turkish Language and Turkish Culture (TLTC) textbooks presented in the Turkish weekend school on this link were analyzed. 14 girl and 16 boy students participated in the study. The first of the drawings was obtained in 2017 within the scope of the researcher's doctoral study, the second one was obtained in 2021. The drawings of 8 children in 2017 and 18 children in 2021 were evaluated. In the end of the research, iIt was observed that by the age the number of the signs and symbols and clarity of the drawings increased. However, there was a differentiation in the signs, symbols, and intensities reflected in the drawings based on year, gender, and age. Yet it was pointed out that Turkey was mostly associated with the flag, and Islam with mosque. The images and embedded videos used in the textbooks may have played a role in emphasizing on these elements. It was determined that the themes reflected in the drawings show parallelism with the subjects in the TLTC program and textbooks. In particular, the content on the themes of the Gateway to the past, Let's go see it, Holidays and Celebrations contribute to the strengthening of the connection with the elements of cultural and religious identity, which are also seen in the pictures.Despite of positive emotions related to Turkey and Islam, negative emotions such as fear and separation were brought up in the drawings of the boys. This situation may be a result of the developmental characteristics of 6–11-year-old boys, as well as the stimuli exposed at the time of drawings and themes such as Gateway to the past focusing on history may have shaped the children's perception.
Bu çalışmanın amacı barış kavramının orta öğretim öğrencilerinde nasıl anlamlandırıldığını ortaya koymaktır. Bu
amaç doğrultusunda, Moskovici’nin Sosyal Temsiller Kuramını çalışmanın teorik zemini olarak belirledik. Sosyal
temsiller belirli bir sosyal gerçekliğin bireysel ve toplumsal düzeyde paylaşılan kültürel kodlarını oluşturmaktadır.
Biz de önceki araştırmalardan hareketle, barıştan ne anlaşıldığına ve barışın sorumluluk atıflarına dair altı sorudan
oluşan açık uçlu bir anket formunu, Türkiye’nin 13 farklı şehrinden toplanan ve toplam 535 kişilik orta öğretim
öğrencisinden oluşan bir örnekleme uyguladık. İlk olarak verilere niteliksel içerik analizi uygulayarak üç düzeyde
(örn. alt tema, tema, kategori) sosyal temsillere ulaştık. Barışın sosyal temsili huzurlu bir yaşam, ideal bireyler
ve ideal ilişkiler gibi merkezi elementlerden oluşmaktadır. Örneklemin çoğunluğu barış içinde olmadığını ancak
yarısından fazlası barışın günlük hayatlarında yer kapladığını belirtmiştir. Bunun yanında, barışın sağlanması için
sorumluluğun çoğunlukla bireye, daha sonra devlet otoritelerine atfedildiği gösterilmiştir. İkinci aşamada, elde
edilen kategorileri cinsiyet, yaş ve yaşanılan bölge değişkenleri ile çapraz tablolama analizine tabi tuttuk. Buna
göre kategoriler ve sorumluluk atıfları cinsiyet, yaş ve yaşanılan bölgeye göre farklılaşmaktadır. Tüm bulgular ilgili
literatür bağlamında tartışılmıştır. Son olarak, araştırmamızın hem politika yapıcılar hem de uygulamalı alanlarda
çalışan uzmanlar açısından önemi vurgulanmıştır.
ZET Araştırma okul öncesi eğitim kurumlarına devam eden çocukların yaptıkları resimlerdeki oyuncak çizimlerinin değerlendirilmesi, cinsiyet, yaş grubu, devam edilen okul türü ve okul öncesi eğitim kurumuna devam etme süresinin resimlerdeki oyuncak çizimlerini etkileyip etkilemediğini belirlemek amacıyla planlanmıştır. Araştırma, Gümüşhane İl Merkezinde bulunan Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı'na bağlı ilköğretim okullarındaki anasınıfları ve bağımsız anaokullarında bulunan dört-beş yaş grubundaki toplam 132 çocukla yürütülmüştür. Araştırmada veri toplama aracı olarak, çocukların yaptıkları resimler ve araştırmacılar tarafından geliştirilen Resimleri Değerlendirme Formu kullanılmıştır. Araştırmada elde edilen veriler SPSS 12 paket programı yardımı ile değerlendirilmiştir. Sınıflama düzeyinde elde edilen değişkenler arasındaki bağımlılık testleri için Ki-Kare testi kullanılmıştır. Teorik beklenen değeri 25+ olan kros tablolarda Pearson Ki-Kare testi, teorik beklenen değeri-5 olan 2X2 kros tablolarda ise Fisher's Exact testi kullanılmıştır. Kros tablolarda gözlere düşen denek sayıların yetersiz olması durumunda test uygulanamamıştır. Araştırma sonucunda çocuğun cinsiyeti ile çizdiği oyuncak sayısı, çocuğun oyuncağa göre resimdeki pozisyonu ve çizdiği oyuncağın şiddet içerikli olma durumu arasında istatistiksel açıdan anlamlı bir bağımlılığın olduğu bulunmuştur (p<0,05). Çocukların yaş grupları ve devam ettikleri okul türü ile çizilen oyuncağı çocuğa alan kişi arasında istatistiksel açıdan anlamlı bir bağımlılığın olduğu saptanmıştır (p<0,05). Araştırma sonucunda okul öncesi eğitime devam etme süresi ile resimde çizilen oyuncak sayısı, oyuncakla oynanırken çocuğun yanında olan kişi, resimde oyuncağın boyanma durumu, oyuncağın kime ait olduğu, çocuğa oyuncağı alan kişi, çocuğun oyuncağa göre pozisyonu ve oyuncağın şiddet içerikli olup olmaması arasında anlamlı bir ilişkinin olmadığı bulunmuştur (p>0,05). ABSTRACT This research was planned to evaluate toy drawings in the pictures drawn by children attending early childhood education and to determine whether gender, age group, school type and the duration of education affects the toy drawings drawn by children. This research was conducted among 132 children at the ages of 5 and 6
Digital technologies collapse distance and accelerate the speed at which information travels. This has made it easier for children to encounter violent clashes from across the globe. Thus, the digital era has raised new questions for educators about how to teach current events in an increasingly globalized world. When children have easy access to information, how do they make sense of what they see and hear? When world events take a violent turn, what cognitive and emotional sense-making strategies do children employ? And, in light of children’s developing thoughts and feelings about global affairs, what role should educators play in helping children make sense of violent current events? This research explores these questions by examining one particular case of children’s understanding of violent current events. Through interviews and storytelling exercises it investigates how a group of Jewish children in the United States attempted to make sense of the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, interrogating the cognitive and emotional sense-making strategies that the children employed. In doing so it highlights the opportunities and challenges of current events education at a time of unprecedented global connectivity.
Research results have shown that what a child draws is influenced by many factors, including the child’s culture and environment. The aim of this study was to analyse the drawings of five-year-old Jordanian children to determine the extent to which culture informs the content of their drawings. A total of 736 children took part in this research project (387 boys and 349 girls). Their sample drawings were categorised according to specific themes. Results revealed that children drew pictures related to nature, people, surroundings, letters, numbers, symbols, animals, and transportation. The most frequent content of the drawings related to nature (38.9%) and the least frequent were drawings depicting violence (0.32%). Drawings also showed English and Arabic numbers and mathematical shapes separately and combined on the paper. Implications and recommendations for further research are presented.
z: Barış eğitimi öğrencilerin başka ülkelere karşı edindikleri algıların doğu ve akademik bir yapıya sahip olmasını gerektirir. İlkokuldan itibaren belli algılar edinerek üniversiteye kadar gelen öğrencilerin bu algılarının, gerçek nedenlere dayanıyor olması ve hamasetten yoksun olması gerekmektedir. Bu araştırmada; Sosyal Bilgiler Öğretmenliği 3. sınıf öğrencilerinin dost ve düşman ülke algısının olup olmadığı ve bu ağlıların oluşmasına etki eden faktörlerin neler olduğunun belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu bağlamda Zonguldak ilinde Bülent Ecevit Üniversitesi'nde öğrenim gören 33 öğrenciyle yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme yapılmıştır. Görüşmeler hazırlanmış mülakat formlarındaki sorulara öğrencilerin cevap yazması şeklinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular içerik ve betimsel analiz yoluyla analiz edilmiştir. Ortak söylemler belirlenen kriterler çerçevesinde birleştirilmiş ve oluşturulan temalar başlığı içerisinde sunulmuştur. Araştırmadan elde edilen bulgular ışığında öğrencilerde dostluk ve düşmanlık algısına yönelik bilincin geliştiği görülmüştür. Bu bilincin oluşmasında devletlerarasında siyasal olayların, milli, kültürel ve dini konuların algılarının etkili olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ayrıca öğrencilerdeki bilincin oluşmasında medya ve internet gibi faktörlerin etkili rol oynadığı görülmüştür. Öte yandan öğrencilerin bilgilerini oluştururken güncel konulardan etkilendiği belirlenmiştir. Anahtar kelimeler: Tarih Eğitimi, Dostluk, Düşmanlık, Sosyal Bilgiler I. ve II. Dünya Savaşları gibi milyonlarca insanın topyekün ölümüne sebep olan savaşlar, geçen yüzyılın en büyük toplumsal felaketleriydi. Günümüzde bu çapta
In order for children and adults to achieve peace, theories suggest that an understanding of peace is required. Few efforts have been made by previous researchers to trace the developmental process and describe the unfolding of that understanding. This qualitative study of 58 children ages 3 to 12 used drawings and semistructured interviews to identify themes in children's descriptions of peace. Those themes and understandings were then grouped into six levels that were interpreted in light of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of development and its later interpretations. The levels are Preunderstanding, My Peace and Quiet, Sharing Peace with Friends, Making Peace with Friends, Peace in my Communities, and World Peace. Some developmental changes in children's thinking appeared to be stagelike, others showed gradual development, and still other components appeared to be idiosyncratic.
A tanulmany a Bombi es munkatarsai (Bombi, Pinto es Cannoni, 2007) altal kifejlesztett PAIR (Pictorial Assessment of Interpersonal Relationship) rajzelemző eljarast ismerteti, mely modszer segitsegevel a 6–14 eves gyermekek interperszonalis kapcsolatokat abrazolo rajzai elemezhetők es hasonlithatok ossze hat fő szempont menten (kohezio, tavolitas, hasonlosag, ertek, erzelmek es konfliktus). Az eljaras olyan kommunikacios eszkozkent kezeli a rajzokat, mely kivaloan alkalmas a gyermekek szocialis vilagrol, tarsas jelensegekről es tarsas erzelmekről valo tudasa tudomanyosan megbizhato megismeresere. Segitsegevel feltarhato hogyan ertelmezik a gyermekek az interperszonalis jelensegeket (peldaul baratsag, versenges, egyuttműkodes stb.), a tarsadalmi statuszt (szegeny, gazdag), milyen modon differencialnak a kulonboző tarsas kapcsolatok kozott (peldaul barati es testverkapcsolat, győztes es vesztes), es hogyan eszlelik ugyanazon kapcsolatot kulonboző feltetelek menten (peldaul harmonikus es konfliktustelitett t...
In societies emerging from conflict/war, sustained occurrence of violence appears to be a common feature. In Northern Ireland, while incidents of violent deaths and injuries specifically related to the political conflict have decreased dramatically since 1998, regular riots and paramilitary activity confirm continuing division and conflict. The study described here explored children’s perceptions of their own lives and their predecessors’ lives in the country, through a draw-and-tell technique (n = 179). While multiple positive elements of peace and hope were depicted by the majority of children, especially in the pictures portraying the present, negative elements and violent references mostly appeared in the pictures representing the past. Violence was more likely to be portrayed by boys, older children, and those attending segregated education. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)
This study looks at art therapy, its relationship to conflict, and subsequently conflict resolution. It introduces a new concept called the conflict ladder based on theory developed by Alan K. Cooper. The study addresses the quantitative aspects of the theory with the practical intervention needed by art therapists. One hundred individuals were sampled, given a list of conflict-related words, and asked to make a line related to each word. They were further asked to create a line drawing about a positive or negative qualitative experience. The quantitative results had high inter-rater reliability and gave clear support for Cooper's Conflict Ladder as an instrument to further measure conflict for art therapists. The qualitative findings were consistent with the quantitative findings, clearly supporting the practical application of the instrument and furthering exploration and investigation of art therapy as a tool for assessment of conflict and avenue for therapeutic reduction of conflict.
Early childhood educators are in a unique position to provide peace education to young children and have been called to do
so by their professional organizations. This article is intended to support early childhood educators in these endeavors by
providing an overview of young children’s conceptions of peace, war, and peacemaking strategies. In addition, a theoretical
framework for assessing young children’s conceptions of peacemaking is presented and recommendations for encouraging young
children in their peacemaking efforts are suggested.
Previous studies reported that children’s first coherent utterances about peace and war were evident between the ages of 6 and 8, where verbalization of war preceded verbalization of peace. In the following years, children develop fairly well-defined ideas. This conceptual development was assumed to be part of and to reflect children’s development of interpersonal understanding. In a longitudinal study, 44 Dutch children between the ages of 6 and 10 (i.e., three repeated measures through age ranges of 6.0 to 7.11, 7.0 to 8.11, and 8.0 to 9.11) were interviewed about conceptions of peace, war, and strategies to attain peace. The longitudinal data were consistent with earlier results that the concept of war developed prior to the concept of peace. Concrete aspects such as friendships, absence of quarrels, and absence of wars dominated images of peace, whereas weapons and soldiers, war activities, and consequences of war dominated images of war. A more abstract, norm-related level of reasoning was not evident.
This article examines age-related changes in the conceptions children and adolescents hold about peace, war, and strategies to attain peace. These were expected to change from concrete, materially related to abstract, norm-related conceptions. The conceptions were assessed by means of a semi-structured questionnaire presented to 101 Dutch children between 8 and 16 years of age and divided into five age groups (mean ages 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 years). Each age group consisted of approximately equal numbers of boys and girls to ascertain any gender differences. Developmental levels for children's understanding of the reciprocal nature of interpersonal relationships (assessed by means of role or perspective-taking tasks) were presumed to relate to their conceptions of peace and strategies to attain peace, in particular. In addition to a development from concrete, materially related conceptions to abstract, norm-related conceptions, the findings suggest a more complex developmental course. While 8 to 12-year-olds used concrete, materially related characteristics for peace, war, and strategies to attain peace, 14 to 16-year-olds mentioned abstract, norm-related characteristics only when strategies to attain peace from an everyday perspective were considered. As noted by Selman, most 12-year-old children understood the mutual or reciprocal nature of interpersonal relationships. The latter understanding was primarily associated with the more abstract, norm-related level of reasoning involving ideas about human attitudes and universal rights.
Protestant primary school children (N = 181) from 3 schools representing areas in Northern Ireland with high and low political and sectarian violence, and 1 area in England with no political and sectarian violence, were asked to draw pictures of peace and war. Three hypotheses were explored: (a) Northern Irish children to a greater extent than English children would emphasise the concept of peace as the absence of war; (b) children from the high-violence area of Northern Ireland would be more likely to emphasise the concrete aspects of war such as weapons, soldiers, and war activities; and (c) boys would demonstrate greater knowledge of war than would girls. Hiloglinear analyses of the images in the drawings confirmed the first and third hypotheses.
This article presents findings from a Dutch-Swedish comparative study on children's conceptions of peace and war. Interviews with 416 Dutch and Swedish girls and boys between 7 and 17 years of age were conducted. The findings show a fairly stable core content of the concept of peace and war for children of all ages. Variations according to nationality, age, and gender were mainly found in the content elements that older children added to the core content of peace. These variations are discussed within a sociocultural developmental perspective comparing Dutch and Swedish conditions for learning and developing concepts of peace and war.
During early adolescence, youth begin to make choices about their future. Sundberg and Tyler (1970) found differences between adolescents in the Netherlands and the United States as to their possibilities for future occupations and leisure activities. Since there have been many changes in both countries over the past twenty-five years, the present study was designed as a replication and expansion of that research. Participants were 522 14- and 15-year-olds in the Netherlands and the United States who filled out the Sundberg and Tyler questionnaire (in the original Dutch and English forms) and drew a picture of the ideal man or woman engaged in an activity. Two-way (country by gender) ANOVAs indicated that the number of occupations listed was greater for adolescents in the Netherlands than in the United States, and that girls listed more occupations than did boys, but considered fewer occupations as actual possibilities for themselves. There was an apparent increase in the number of leisure activities listed by adolescents in the Netherlands. In the U.S., the ideal person was more often drawn as being at work (44.9%) as compared with the Netherlands (20.4%). U.S. students seemed more inclined to glamorize work; popular drawings had themes which linked work and success, achievement and wealth. Dutch students seemed to be interested in quality of life; their drawings depicted sports, relaxation, attractiveness, and humor.
The self-conceptions of 100 girls (11-17 years old) from Sri Lanka and the United States were studied from the traditional Western perspective of identity development as a process in which adolescents become increasingly independent and autonomous. This perspective is based on male development in Western countries and may not adequately describe the experience of girls of non-Western adolescents, for whom relationships with others may be central to identity formation. The participating girls drew self-portraits and either answered the question "How would you describe yourself to yourself?" or completed the sentence "I am..." 20 times. The results indicate that relationships and independence are important themes for the girls from the United States and from Sri Lanka. Older girls differed from younger girls in that greater maturity was associated with greater interest in interpersonal relationships and future lives.
Children's and adolescents' understanding of conflict and strategies for peace were assessed in response to concerns raised during the Gulf War. The sample comprised 156 schoolchildren aged 7-18 years. Major findings included a unilinear developmental progression in understanding the concept of war and peace. There was a tendency for the younger children to have concepts of war which broadly incorporated many negative aspects and to cite government rather than individuals as having responsibility for ensuring peace. The older children were more likely than the younger children to express the belief that there should be no intervention in others' conflicts. Age differences in strategies for resolving conflict and establishing peace between individuals were found to be greater than developmental differences in strategies for conflict and peace between countries. There was little evidence for assuming that children develop a strategy for resolving conflicts which is generalised across interpersonal and international domains. Across ages, the concept of peace was specified less well than the concept of war, although the overall patterns of findings suggest that most children understand peace.
Separation of groups is associated with differential meaning of crucial concepts, negative attributions of the separated parties arising from cognitive differences, and an accompanying increase in the probability of conflict. Here, the crucial concepts examined are “war” and “peace.” Eighty children from Germany and the United States were asked to take one photograph that represents war and another that represents peace. A content analysis of the photographs in conjunction with photo-focused interviews showed German children in comparison with American children depicted more destruction and negative consequences associated with war and more person-related photographs associated with peace. These differences in orientation may be irreconcilable because they are below the level of awareness of the group members.
Attention has been recently directed towards fathoming young people's responses to the nuclear threat, but the broader question of how they acquire and form attitudes to peace and war in general has been neglected. Based mainly on studies published in the 1960s and early 1970s, it is hypothesized that children's conceptions of, and attitudes towards, war and peace vary with age, gender, sources of information and exposure to media violence, perceived threats to Australian security and type of school attended. The hypotheses are tested using data obtained from a questionnaire and interview survey of 608 students aged 4-16 years in 10 government and non-government schools in NSW, Australia. By and large, the findings parallel those of previous studies on the age factor, though the assertions that children know more about war than peace and that older children are more likely to believe in innate human aggression are not confirmed. Some interesting differences emerge, however, with respect to the gender, school type, security and media exposure factors. Gender differences are unequivocally significant, as is type of school attended. Boys' attitudes are more militaristic, whilst girls' attitudes are more pacific, and acceptance of war is greater among children attending single-sex boys' and Private Protestant schools. But there are no strong connections between information sources or consumption of violent TV programmes and attitudes. The degree of security children feel is related to attitudes to war and some attention is given to discussing the paradox of children being generally threatened by war and non-accepting of it, yet supporting the use of violent defence. In this context, it is suggested that further research be conducted on children's ideas about just war. Additionally, it is suggested that more work be done on the dynamics by which school ethos influences attitudes, on media violence and attitudes and on the knowledge of very young children about peace and war.
This article explores the development of attitudes among Israeli Jewish and Arab children and youth, and their possible relevance to peace. The article is based on free compositions written in schools by 9-18 year olds in Jewish and Arab towns and villages in central Israel before, as well as shortly after, President Sadat's Peace Offer in Jerusalem in 1977. The 1224 essays were subjected to content analysis as well as to a more impressionistic study. Many similarities between Jews and Arabs were found. Be fore Sadat, younger children saw peace as natural. The older ones (17-18 years) generally argued that peace is a well-defined but unrealistic ideal of doubtful desirability, especially for Jews. Neither ethnic group was aware of its own part in the conflict, seeing themselves as helpless victims of each other. The effect of Sadat's visit was influenced primarily by the social role of each age. The age groups 9-10, 13-14 realized that peace has a price, and became sceptical. The 17-18 year olds, who expect to encounter adult society and army induction (for Jews), focused on the hope for peace with enthusiastic creative imagination. All groups saw peace primarily as active rather than passive. Its realization was seen as something beyond one's own influence or control.
The recognition that children's cognitive skills are evident in visual as well as verbal conventions has led to the construction of the Silver Test of Cognitive and Creative Skills (STCCS) for the assessment and development of children's cognitive abilities. Research on cognition, the role of language in cognition, and left and right brain hemisphere thinking has led to the following conclusions: (1) even children with inadequate language may be able to construct visual models of reality and represent their experiences nonverbally by drawing images of them; (2) intellectual ability is largely independent of language; (3) language is structured by the development of logical ability; (4) people tend to favor one mode of hemispheric thinking over another; and (5) individuals successful at solving problems tend to use visual thinking as one means of solving problems. Based on findings such as these, the STCCS consists of three main tasks: drawing from imagination, drawing from observation, and predictive drawing. The test is designed to assess children with cognitive or creative strengths who may do poorly on traditional measures of intelligence or achievement. Examples of the use of the STCCS in assessment are provided. Teaching procedures derived from three structures underlying the assessment tasks are described and illustrated. In conclusion, six studies using the STCCS to assess or to develop children's cognitive skills are summarily discussed. (Author/RH)
Fourteen chapters in this volume (see
27: 645) cover the following topics: meaning of art in education; meaning of creative activity in elementary education; first stages of self-expression; first representational attempts; achievement of a form concept; dawning realism; pseudorealistic stage; period of decision; adolescent art; meaning of aesthetic criteria; case of the gifted child; therapeutic aspects of art education; summary of all stages, and lastly a chapter of references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
• This work, a second edition of which has very kindly been requested, was followed by La Construction du réel chez l'enfant and was to have been completed by a study of the genesis of imitation in the child. The latter piece of research, whose publication we have postponed because it is so closely connected with the analysis of play and representational symbolism, appeared in 1945, inserted in a third work, La formation du symbole chez l'enfant. Together these three works form one entity dedicated to the beginnings of intelligence, that is to say, to the various manifestations of sensorimotor intelligence and to the most elementary forms of expression. The theses developed in this volume, which concern in particular the formation of the sensorimotor schemata and the mechanism of mental assimilation, have given rise to much discussion which pleases us and prompts us to thank both our opponents and our sympathizers for their kind interest in our work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Children's reactions to international conflict: A cross-cultural analysis. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations Introduction: Understanding peace, conflict, and war
- K S Myers-Bowman
- K Walker
- J A Myers-Walls
Myers-Bowman, K. S., Walker, K., & Myers-Walls, J. A. (2000, November). Children's reactions to international conflict: A cross-cultural analysis. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations, Minneapolis, MN. Oppenheimer, L., Bar-Tal, D., & Raviv, A. (1999). Introduction: Understanding peace, conflict, and war. In A. Raviv, L. Oppenheimer, & D. Bar-Tal (Eds.), How children understand war and peace (pp. 1-24). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Peace starts with a 'P': Parents' and children's perceptions of peace
- K Walker
Walker, K. (2002). Peace starts with a 'P': Parents' and children's perceptions of peace. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Kansas State University, Manhattan.