Date of Award

2000

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Purpose of the study . The purpose of the study was to explore six-to-nine-year-old children's ideas about peace and strategies to resolve conflicts peacefully. Procedures . Participants in the study were twenty-four first, second, and third graders, twelve girls and twelve boys, from an urban magnet public school based on the Montessori philosophy. Data were triangulated by three developmentally appropriate activities during semi-structured interviews. Each interview was audio recorded and transcribed into a verbatim transcript. The data were coded and analyzed using the qualitative research computer program, QSR NUD*IST/N4 Classic. Findings . Two themes emerged from the analysis of the data, horizontal décalage and positive and negative peace. First, children exhibited horizontal décalage, the Piagetian phenomenon of functioning below the expected cognitive developmental level. Although children were willing to offer comments about their ideas about peace and resolving social conflicts peacefully, comments tended to be simple in nature and unelaborated. Results provided evidence that, although children do know something about peace and resolving conflicts peacefully, they tend not to exhibit the level of cognition and understanding that would be expected of their age. Secondly, children expressed ideas about peace in terms of both positive peace and negative peace. Implication . Parents and teachers need to work toward creating a culture of peace by providing more explicit modeling of resolving social conflicts peacefully and providing and guiding children in scripts of using a language of peace.

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