Teaching Peace Initiative Research Report

7/29/2019 Teaching Peace Initiative Research Report

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A Quantitative Study of the Impact of TheTeaching Peace Initiative Curriculumon the Understanding of Important Concepts of

Peace Education-

Kevin HwangDirector of Research, Teaching Peace Initiative

August 31st, 2013


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INTRODUCTIONThe following study is based on the collected questionnaire responses from third-grade

students who took part in the Teaching Peace Initiative program to learn about peace

education and non-violent ways of conflict resolution. The students names have been kept

anonymous, and each separate PDF file and corresponding ID is a different student. The

students were asked to respond in writing in one or two sentences to the following questions:

Write a sentence or two to answer each question.Do your best, but dont worry if you dont know the answer.

Do your best to guess! There is no right or wrong.This test isnt graded--its meant to judge our teaching, not you.

1) What is bullying?2) How do you tell a friend theyve done something w rong?3) What is peace?4) What does it mean to be a citizen of the wor ld?The typed-up responses presented at the end of the report are the original statements

of the students, unaltered with the exception of occasional spelling corrections, as well as the

addition of commas or semicolons to more clearly separate disparate thoughts. Additional

annotations are in brackets. The original statements of the students are presented in order to

allow others to see the raw data from which our conclusions came from.

Analysis of the effectiveness of the peace education program that Teaching Peace Initiative

offers is explained.


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ANALYSISThe above responses were collected from students after the Teaching Peace Initiative (TPI)

Program was administered to several third-grade classes; the responses demonstrate

unequivocally high student receptiveness to the lessons imparted from the program. We

examined the results of each individual question, and whether students were able to respond

appropriately. For each question criteria, the number of students who fit the criteria is shown,

as well as the PDF IDs of the students who fit that criteria.

Question 1: What is bullying? Number of students who identified a correct example of bullying or defined bullying

correctly (off-topic answers are not included): 47 out of 52 students.

PDF IDs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25,

26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47,

48, 49, 50, 51, 52.

Number of students who, in their answers, explicitly identified emotional attacks as

bullying (answers that might have discussed bullying in some other manner are not

included): 36 out of 52 students.

PDF IDs: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29,

30, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 40, 43, 44, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 52.

Number of students who, in their answers, explicitly identified physical attacks as

bullying (answers that might have discussed bullying in some other manner are not

included): 9 out of 52 students.

PDF IDs: 2, 4, 5, 19, 25, 31, 32, 42, 51.

Conclusion: The results of responses to Question 1 demonstrate that the vast majority of

students understood how to identify bullying. In addition, a large majority of the students

understood the concept of emotional bullying, or hurting others through mean words and

exclusion from groups. Perhaps most impressively, a significant number of students cited thatmost bullies act bitterly towards others only because they themselves have been emotionally

hurt. After the program, students showed a deep understanding of empathy and of resilience

against bullying.


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Question 2: How do you tell a friend theyve done something wrong? Number of students who say they would take active measures against the wrong

actions of a friend (off-topic answers are not included): 47 out of 52 students.

PDF IDs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24,

26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49,

50, 51, 52.

Number of students who explicitly mention speaking out against bullying in a gentle

and peaceful manner (answers that did not explicitly mention being non-abrasive when

speaking out against a bully are not included): 39 out of 52 students.

PDF IDs: 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25,

27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 40, 43, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52.

Conclusion: The results of the responses to Question 2 show that students are willing, inclined

to, and not afraid of taking steps against bullying after learning about how to face bullies

through the TPI program. The vast majority of students (excluding those who misunderstood

the question or left the answer blank) discussed how they would willingly confront bullies. At

the same time, the vast majority of students also expressed how they would confront bullies

peacefully and kindly, in order to decrease tensions and make peace.

Question 3: What is peace? Number of students who mentioned nonviolence, harmony, and understanding (off-

topic answers excluded): 42 out of 52 students.

PDF IDs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25,

26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 36, 39, 40, 41, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52.

Number of students who discussed how peace is love, or how peace is derived from

the principle of love (off-topic answers excluded): 11 students.

PDF IDs: 3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 29, 36, 41, 51.Conclusion: The majority of students understood how to define peace in relevant terms ofnonviolence and understanding. The responses that did not mention nonviolence and

understanding misunderstood the question, talking about the literal meaning of peace as

quiet and calm. Also of note, discussed later, is the fact that many of the students picked


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up the same phrase peace is love directly from the TPI curriculum. This fact has many

implications on the functionality of TPI volunteer instruction.

Question 4: What does it mean to b e a citizen of the world? Number of students who mentioned caring for other people (off-topic answers

excluded): 33 students out of 41 students who answered the fourth question.

1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27,

28, 29, 32, 33, 34, 39, 41, 45 ,47, 51.

Conclusion: The majority of students understood the phrase citizens of the world in termsof empathy and caring for other people, a quality essential to the maintenance and growth of

peace among individuals across the globe. [Note: 13 students received an older version of the

questionnaire that did not include the fourth question--this has been noted in the discussion

above.]

The Phenomenon of High Student Retention of InformationMost evidently noticeable from the data is the fact that the students who attended the

program were able to pick up on and retain information about proper ways to handle bullying.Many of the responses cited direct quotes from the TPI curriculum itself, showing how the

students paid significant attention to the TPI curriculum and were able to absorb it and explain

it.

The phrase Peace is love and the discussion of the advanced principle of how peace

is derived from love appears consistently throughout student responses. In fact, 11

students discussed this concept. (Refer to analysis of Question 3 responses.)

Phrases such as excuse me, please, and I think you should stop consistently

appear in student discussion of how to confront bullies peacefully. (Refer to the

analysis of Question 2 responses.) Overall, 39 students referred to these calming,

peaceful phrases when discussing how to solve the problem of bullying.

Patterned responses show the strong effectiveness of the TPI volunteers and curriculum in

impressing upon students important lessons about peace and conflict resolution. The

consistency of student responses prove the efficacy of the programs impact.


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CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, collected responses to the questionnaire administered at the end of the TPI

program show that the students who participated in the TPI curriculum were then able to

clearly identify cases of bullying, resolve issues with bullies peacefully and non-abrasively, and

understand the meaning of peace and of being a citizen to the world. Furthermore, students

demonstrated specific retention of key points unique to the TPI curriculum (such as phrases

like peace is love, or the importance of calm confrontation of bullies), pointing to the

powerful effectiveness of TPI instruction in underscoring positive peace education and making

sure students understand how to prevent and stop bullying.


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DATAPDF11) Bullying is a type of way to be mean or make fun of someone.

2) You tell them nicely.

3) Peace is people cooperating and agreeing and also being nice and fair.

4) Being a good person is being fair and share.

PDF21) When someone is bothering you in a violent way.

2) You should give them a message.

3) When there is no war, no fighting, and everybody is happy.

4) [Earlier version of questionnaire, did not include the fourth question.]

PDF31) Bullying is when you are being treated unfairly by a person that is being not nice, rude,

disrespectful, and annoying.

2) You tell them what they have done and to think about it. Also, to tell them what is the right

thing to do.

3) Peace is love.

4) You are a member.

PDF41) Harming another person or bringing harm to a community.

2) Talk to them in a nice peaceful way without harmful actions.

3) No war, relaxation.

4) To not bring harm to the country. Peace is important!

PDF51) When someone is not happy and they can be happy by knocking other people down.

2) Caringly, kindly, and thoughtfully.

3) No conflict, kindness, good political and polite governance.

4) Be kind, caring, loving, and considerate of environment, people, and animals.


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PDF6[Incomplete, only one sentence that seems to respond to question 4]

Preventing stuff like 9/11 by joining the US Army.

PDF71) Bullying is when someone is being mean to a lot of people or one person and they should

not be doing it.

2) Nicely; you try not to hurt their feelings.

3) When there is no violence or hurtful words or ways.

4) To be kind and to respect everybody.

PDF81) Bullying is when someone is mean to somebody else because they feel bad inside.

2) You should ask them are you okay and try to solve the problem without being rude.

3) Peace is when you solve things without violence. You have to be peaceful to get peace.

4) To be a citizen of the world is to solve problems with peace.

PDF91) Bullying is making somebody feel bad about themselves.

2) You tell a friend kindly and gently if they are doing something wrong.

3) Peace is love, fairness, equality.

4) To be a citizen is to be a part of the team (team=world).

PDF101) Bullying is when someone takes their bad emotions and puts them on someone else to

make themselves feel better.

2) I tell them nicely.

3) Peace is love.

4) To care for one another.

PDF111) Bullying is about being mean, getting what you want

2) You say, hey, no offense, but youre being kind of mean.

3) Peace is love.

4) It means you count in the world.


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PDF121) Bullying is when someone is bothering you and never stops bothering you.

2) You should say its wrong softly, and not yelling at them.

3) Peace is love. Peace is calmness. Peace is kindness.

4) It means to take care of the world, you, and other people.

PDF131) A person that cant do something that someone else can.

2) I dont like the way youre behaving, will you please stop it.

3) Peace is love.

4) Help the world.

PDF151) When a person is being really mean to someone and it can make a person go to a new

school.

2) In a nice way, making the thing that the person did wrong not a big deal.

3) Peace is when there will be no wars, and everyone will not get mad.

4) It means to enjoy the world.

PDF161) Bullying is when someone is being mean because he is insecure about himself.

2) You say I think you messed up, but I can show you how to do it.3) Peace is everyone being equal and fair.

4) To be a citizen of the world is just to be there to solve problems.

PDF171) Someone annoying and dumb.

2) When your friend has done something wrong, you just tell them.

3) Does not exist.

4) It means youre respectful and a kind person.


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PDF181) A person who feels inadequate and is hurting inside so he or she wants to hurt other people.

2) You would tell them nicely but tell them its wrong and even if it was an accident dont do it

again.

3) Its when there is no war or fighting; it is when no violence occurs.

4) It means you are a part of the world; it means you can make a difference.

PDF181) When someone is acting badly or rudely to someone else; it occurs usually when someone is

upset or jealous.

2) 1 = Friend [response]; 2 = Bully [response]

1. Excuse me, no offense, thats sort of mean.

2. Yeah, sorry, Im just (sad or jealous) of ______. I wont do that anymore.

3) Love, happiness, fairness.

4) To be part of a big team you have to help and support, have fairness and be peaceful with.

PDF191) Bullying is someone who hurts someone.

2) Say to someone, dont be sad, just remember not to do it again.

3) Peace is when there is no war.

4) It means to help the earth.

PDF201) Bullying is something when someone is being mean to someone else.

2) You lay it down slowly so you dont hurt their feelings.

3) Peace is no fighting and no aliens trying to destroy earth.

4) To care and love everything around you and treat others with respect.

PDF211) Bullying is when some lone kids mess with some people.

2) Kindly, nicely, and smoothly.

3) Peace is when its quiet and peaceful and you can relax.

4) It means you should be a kind and respectful person.


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PDF221) Being mean and teasing someone.

2) Talk to them quietly when no one is around.

3) Peace is no war and not being mean.

4) To be living together and to respect the people you live with.

PDF231) Its a hole in the brain or the heart, making you feel like nothing and making you feel bad.

2) I quietly ask them in a private place whats troubling me or if something is wrong.

3) Peace is no war; giving not taking, and helping.

4) It means to take care of people in need, live life to the fullest, and do what youre told.

PDF241) Picking on somebody or teasing.

2) [No response]

3) Peace is not fighting, not arguing.

4) [No response]

PDF251) Bullying is being mean, teasing, and hurting others.

2) Kindly, like, that was not very nice of you, could you fix it or say sorry.

3) Peace is being kind, caring, helpful, sharing, and truthful, following the golden rule.4) It means you should be kind, caring, and peaceful with others. And try to heal the earth of

pollution.

PDF261) Someone who feels bad inside so they make other people feel bad inside too.

2) You tell them they were mean and to stop.

3) Where everyone is friendly and people arent fighting.

4) Living on earth to do the right thing.

PDF271) Like picking grass and grass is the person.

2) Not in a threatening way.

3) Cooperating.

4) Doing the right thing.


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PDF281) Bullying is when someone is being rude to other people.

2) I dont know if youve noticed, but youre being mean.

3) Peace is when you are nice.

4) It means to follow the golden rule.

PDF291) Bullying is when someone is picking on someone else.

2) Tell them in a gentle way so they wont feel bad about what theyve done.

3) Love.

4) You are calm, peaceful, and you love one another.

PDF301) Someone is being rude or teasing someone.

2) Message.

3) No fighting, talking, and lots of meditating.


PDF311) Bullying is, for example, if someone comes to you and tries to stuff you in your locker, thats

bullying.2) Id tell a friend if they did something wrong. I would say, Hi, I think you did something

wrong.

3) Peace is harmony and no war.


PDF321) For example, bullying is pushing you and locking you into a locker.

2) Hi, I think you did something wrong.

3) Peace is a lot of things, it could be harmony, no war.

4) Someone who takes care of the world.


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PDF331) Bullying is when someone hurts someone by saying things or being mean or just making fun

of them.

2) You would tell them, I think you hurt that persons feelings.

3) It is when no people are bullied.

4) It is when you care for the world.

PDF341) It is when someone is being mean to another person.

2) I would say it in a nice way.

3) When you feel relaxed and not stressing.


PDF351) Acting like youre the boss of someone. And being mean.

2) Said because its your friend.

3) Something quiet.


PDF361) Bullying is taking power over someone else.

2) Tell them theyve done something, and please dont do it again.3) Silence, love, and no violence.

4) To be a [illegible].

PDF371) When someone is telling someone else what to do.

2) In a nice way, you tell them they have done something wrong.

3) Peace is when someone or somewhere is quiet.


PDF381) Bullying is someone who is telling another person what to do a lot.

2) You tell them in a nice, thoughtful way.

3) Peace is when everything around you feels nice and quiet.



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PDF391) It means that you are not a peaceful person.

2) Bullying is being mean to everyone.

3) Peace is harmony and being nice to everyone.

4) A citizen of the world is someone who takes care of the world.

PDF401) Bullying is being mean to everyone.

2) Say theyve done something wrong in a nice way.

3) Being nice and not mean.


PDF411) When someone is doing something bad to someone.

2) I tell them, you are doing something wrong.

3) Love.

4) It means to love the world and to bring peace to the world.

PDF421) When someone hurts you.2) They show guilt.

3) Peace is quiet and relaxing.


PDF431) Something really mean.

2) I think you did wrong.

3) Something fun.

4) It means to be part of the world.


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PDF441) Its a mean thing people do.

2) I am sorry I did this to you.

3) Peace is relaxing.


PDF451) It is hateful and disturbing.

2) Tell them what happened.

3) Respect and responsibility.

4) To help the world.

PDF461) It means people making fun of you.

2) You tell them something.

3) It is respect and kind.


PDF471) Bullying is when someone is being really mean to you and its not fun.

2) You say, I really dont think you should have done that.

3) Peace is when you are being caring to one another and no wars.4) A citizen of the world means to be a part of the world.

PDF481) Bullying is when someone is being really mean; it is really mean.

2) In a worried way.

3) Peace is when you dont use fists to fight, you use words.


PDF491) Bullying is when you are being very mean.

2) Excuse me, I think you did that wrong.

3) Peace is no violence.

4) To be [illegible] on the world.


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PDF501) Bullying is when a person doesnt let you sit at lunch.

2) Excuse me, but I think that is wrong.

3) Peace is NO guns; Peace is NO violence; NO anger.


PDF511) When someone is punching you and just not being nice.

2) You say it to them politely and dont say: Im not your friend anymore because you said

blah blah blah.

3) Love.

4) To help the environment.

PDF521) Bullying is when someone bosses another around because they think they are better.

2) When a friend does something wrong, you politely tell them.

3) Peace means no fights.

4) To be a good leader.

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Teaching Peace Initiative Research Report