The 'Parent Circle' Peace Education Program: Does it Make Any Change?

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Peace and Conflict Studies
• Adolescent Development

Background:

• The Israeli-Palestinian conflict creates deep-seated narratives and psychological impacts on adolescents.
• Peace education programs aim to bridge divides by exposing youth to differing perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a peace education program on Jewish adolescents' attitudes toward self and other narratives.
• To examine subgroup differences in response to the program within Israeli society.

Main Methods:

• Quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-program questionnaires.
• Assessment of empathy, anger, and legitimacy toward 'self' and 'others' narratives.
• Inclusion of 164 Jewish twelfth-graders, with 135 completing both assessments.

Main Results:

• No significant overall changes in adolescents' attitudes toward self/other narratives post-program.
• Significant pre-program differences observed between secular (favoring 'other') and traditional (favoring 'self') adolescents.
• Post-program, traditional adolescents showed increased favorability to 'other' narratives, while secular adolescents favored 'self' narratives, indicating differential impact.

Conclusions:

• The peace education program had a nuanced effect, diminishing pre-existing subgroup differences in narrative perception.
• Findings highlight the importance of considering socio-cultural factors in peace education interventions for adolescents.
• The program's differential impact suggests a need for tailored approaches in conflict resolution education.