Educating for peace entails overcoming a reductive conception of peace understood merely as the absence of war, and reframing it as a positive and relational process rooted in everyday educational practices (UNESCO, 2023). Within this perspective, peace education is conceived as an orientation aimed at transforming structural and cultural violence, in line with Galtung’s (2019) distinction between negative and positive peace. This theoretical framework draws on the contributions of critical pedagogy, which understands education as a dialogical practice oriented toward conscientization (Freire, 1970; 1996), and democratic pedagogy, which identifies cooperative and reflective experience as the generative principle of educational processes (Dewey, 1916; 1938). In continuity with this perspective, research on peace education emphasizes the need for transdisciplinary approaches capable of addressing the complexity of contemporary educational contexts (Guetta, 2024). Within this framework, conflict is understood as a structural dimension of educational ecosystems and as a lever for transforming relational and educational processes (Lederach, 1997; 2005). Building on the outlined framework, an exploratory study was conducted to investigate the professional representations and educational practices of 266 teachers regarding peace education, as well as their connections with classroom climate and conflict management. Qualitative data analysis, carried out using the software MaxQDA, highlights a conception of peace as a daily and multidimensional educational process, linked to the development of relational and socio-emotional competencies and to classroom well-being, as well as the recognition of conflict as a pedagogical resource intentionally employed to foster reflection, dialogue, and the transformation of relational dynamics.

Authors:
Alessandra Priore, Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Italy
Federica De Marco, Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Italy

About the Presenter(s)
Federica De Marco is a PhD student in Peace Studies. She graduated in Primary Education Sciences. Her research interests focus on peace education, with particular attention to educational processes and the non-violent management

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