‘Individually tailored, collectively constructed’: non-formal peace education in Kosovo

Thesis

This dissertation is a qualitative study using student focus groups, staff semi-structured interviews, and document analysis to answer the following question: In Kosovo’s context of a formally divided education system, what role do non-formal peace education programs play in shaping youth perceptions of peace and agency? Kosovo offers a unique case study as it is a post-conflict society with an ethnically stratified education system that receives little government support for instituting formal peace education initiatives. As a result, an integral need and research gap exists in understanding the role of non-formal peace education in facilitating Kosovo’s ongoing peacebuilding process amidst barriers existing in the formal environment. To respond to this need, the researcher examined the Hawley Youth Center’s (HYC) Student Exposure Program (SEP) as a case study of non-formal peace education in Kosovo by applying Monisha Bajaj’s (2019) four critical peace education competencies. The findings will demonstrate that non-formal critical peace education initiatives encourage youth to view peace and agency as objects of sensemaking. HYC develops this student mindset through an approach that is relevant to individual student experiences (‘individually tailored’) while collaborated on with others for a common purpose (‘collectively constructed’). This paper contributes to peace education literature by discussing how a sensemaking perspective facilitates pursuits for long-term, sustainable peace as youth are better prepared to face evolving challenges and unanticipated spoilers to the peace process. The researcher then recommends that further research be conducted to one, evaluate the development of sensemaking mindsets in other cases of non-formal peace education initiatives and two, explore how this perspective directly aids sustainable peacebuilding efforts.

Authors: Pratt, H

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-dorkxxzeb
• Type of award: MSc taught course
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: CIE2024; focus groups; peace education; CIE; sensemaking; non-formal education; Kosovo; semi-structured interviews; conflict resolution; document analysis
• Subjects: Kosovo War, 1998-1999; Non-formal education; Focus groups; Analysis; Education; Interviews; Conflict management; Peace