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Development - Research - Training - International
Collaboration
EFP-International:
Research
EFP-International is also involved in conducting research
on the principles of Education for Peace and in making the findings
available globally through
the Institute’s on-line Education for Peace Journal.
Currently two research projects on the impact of the EFP program in Bosnia and Herzegovina are underway. The first research project is being conducted by a doctoral candidate and his supervisor, both from the Columbia University Teachers' College in New York City . The second research project is being conducted by the faculty of EFP-International and is partially financed by a grant from the United States Institute for Peace. Both of these research projects are longitudinal in design and aim at evaluating the impact of the EFP program on such issues as worldview, attitude change, rate of conflict and violence, and the degree and quality of interethnic relationships in the participating school communities as compared with non-participating schools. Both projects began in spring 2004.
Preliminary observations based on the pilot program include:
- Positive indications that EFP is effecting a comprehensive and sustainable change with proactive and potential long-term effects in reducing incidences of interethnic and interpersonal conflict and violence within and between participating school communities;
- Positive indications that the EFP program promotes a healing environment in schools with populations that have been subject to severe social dislocation, disruption, alienation, and violence; and
- Positive indications that the EFP program in BiH has created a model of harmonious, peaceful, violence-free schools that can be studied, observed, and replicated by other schools in BiH and elsewhere around the world.
Indicators that a culture of peace and a culture of healing are taking root in participating schools:
- Violence is becoming anomalous, and creative and consensus-based action are becoming the norm;
- Participants feel personally empowered to respond to threats and challenges using non-adversarial methods;
- Creativity, service-oriented action, and unity have been fostered;
- Students are achieving positive identity-formation and harmonious interpersonal relationships;
- Innovation has increased;
- Incidences of conflict and miscommunication have greatly lessened; and
- There is heightened awareness of others and an appreciation and celebration diversity among peoples, cultures, and perspectives.
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