Skapandet av ett fredligt samhälle. Vad kan vi göra?
En studie av gymnasieelevers uppfattning om skolans och deras egen roll i skapandet av en fredligare värld
The aim of the study is to examine what upper secondary school students think that they themselves and their school can do to create a peaceful society. The study combine qualitative and quantitative methods based on questionnaires distributed among 328 students in three high schools in Sweden. The survey is a combination of multiple choice and open questions. For the analysis of quantitative responses the computer program SPSS was used producing frequency tables and response rate schemes. To analyze the questionnaire's qualitative part a narrative analysis method was used. The central theoretical framework of the study is research on peace, positive peace, peace education and racism. The conclusion of the study is that most students in the survey believe that the school plays an important role in establishing and supporting peaceful values, both with the students and in society at large. Students feel that school should take on more responsibility as a peacemaking force than it does today. They also expressed that the schools need to work more with anti-racism, harassment and bullying and that they think that the teachers ought to get more training in these subjects. According to the students, their most important role as individuals is to act in a way that promotes a peaceful society while also living by what they preach. They underlined the importance that each individual must take upon themselves to play an active role in promoting a peaceful society and they also stressed the importance of working together to bring these changes.