Children and Adolescents' Conceptions of Peace, War, and Strategies to Attain Peace: A Dutch Case Study

Abstract

This article examines age-related changes in the conceptions children and adolescents hold about peace, war, and strategies to attain peace. These were expected to change from concrete, materially related to abstract, norm-related conceptions. The conceptions were assessed by means of a semi-structured questionnaire presented to 101 Dutch children between 8 and 16 years of age and divided into five age groups (mean ages 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 years). Each age group consisted of approximately equal numbers of boys and girls to ascertain any gender differences. Developmental levels for children's understanding of the reciprocal nature of interpersonal relationships (assessed by means of role or perspective-taking tasks) were presumed to relate to their conceptions of peace and strategies to attain peace, in particular. In addition to a development from concrete, materially related conceptions to abstract, norm-related conceptions, the findings suggest a more complex developmental course. While 8 to 12-year-olds used concrete, materially related characteristics for peace, war, and strategies to attain peace, 14 to 16-year-olds mentioned abstract, norm-related characteristics only when strategies to attain peace from an everyday perspective were considered. As noted by Selman, most 12-year-old children understood the mutual or reciprocal nature of interpersonal relationships. The latter understanding was primarily associated with the more abstract, norm-related level of reasoning involving ideas about human attitudes and universal rights.

Children's understanding of the war in Iraq: views from Britain and Bosnia

“…Miljević-Ridički & LugomerArmano, 1994) girls have tended to be less supportive (and less knowledgeable) of war compared to boys. However it has also been suggested that they tend to grasp the concept of peace earlier and conceptualise it in a more sophisticated way than boys (Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1993 with academic researchers -how easy will it be for them to articulate their concerns about war and peace from within the classroom? This alone is clearly a matter for further research work.…”

Global Citizenship Education in Social Studies: Experiences of Turkish Teachers and Students in International Conflict and War

“…Studies about the perception of war report similar findings regarding gender. Male students tend to be more interested in the incidents of conflict and war than female students (Geddie & Hildreth, 1944;Tolley, 1973, cited in Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1993Frydenberg et al, 2001) and female students tend to regard interpersonal quarrels and disputes, things closer to them in social relations, as a war whereas male students see war as army and soldiers, things not so usual in their daily lives (Hakvoort & Oppenheimer, 1993). Teachers should be aware of the differences between male and female students' perspectives, guide male students into dialogue and negotiations, and try to reduce female students' anxiety and concerns by developing their skills of logical reasoning.…”

Supporting Young Children’s Efforts toward Peacemaking: Recommendations for Early Childhood Educators

“…Findings that have emerged regarding children's general understanding of peace and war show some similarities across studies, despite children's cultural differences and differences in exposure to political violence. For example, many children understand war in terms of its concrete details-the objects and activities of war (e.g., military weapons and fighting or killing) and peace as the absence of war or violence (Hakvoort and Oppenheimer 1993;Hakvoort and Hagglund 2001;McLernon and Cairns 2001;Myers-Bowman et al 2005;Oppenheimer and Kuipers 2003;Souza et al 2006;Walker et al 2003) or as the presence of prosocial behaviors such as being nice or sharing (Covell et al 1994;Hakvoort and Hagglund 2001;Myers-Bowman et al 2005;Walker et al 2003).…”

“…Romania, 5-6 years, peace only Cretu (1988) Sweden and The Netherlands, 7-17 years, peace and war Hakvoort and Hagglund (2001) The Netherlands, 8-16 years, peace and war Hakvoort and Oppenheimer (1993) US and Yugoslavia, 3-12 years, peace and war Myers-Bowman et al (2005) US, 3-12 years, peace and war Walker et al (2003) differently. They suggested interpersonal, prosocial behaviors (i.e., making friends) as a way to make peace when asked the more personal question.…”