The Role of Faculty Members in Peace Education Instruction: Understandings, Pedagogies, Technologies and Practices in Sri Lanka.

Abstract

Sri Lanka is a country in transition. Since independence in 1948, it has experienced multiple forms of conflict that have shaped its political, social, and educational systems. In the post-conflict context, government peacebuilding efforts have focused primarily on secondary education, while the role of higher education remains largely overlooked. This study examines how faculty in Sri Lankan universities understand and implement peace education in the post-conflict context. While government peacebuilding efforts have focused on secondary education, higher education's role remains largely overlooked despite universities' historical involvement in political mobilization and ethnic conflicts.

Using Brantmeier's Critical Peace Education framework, researchers conducted 32 interviews across three provinces (Eastern, Northern, and Western) to explore faculty approaches. The research identified five instructional strategies: bilingual-based, culturally responsive, place-based, intergroup contact-based, and sensitive topics-based instruction. These strategies reflect faculty efforts to address regional histories and social dynamics.

Faculty navigate significant contextual challenges including militarization, surveillance, ethnic divisions, institutional resistance, and limited autonomy.

Key findings reveal that peace education in higher education is shaped by local contexts and implemented through varied strategies reflecting faculty adaptation to challenging circumstances. The study highlights the gap between secondary education peacebuilding focus and the overlooked potential of higher education institutions.

The research contributes to understanding how universities can support peacebuilding through contextualized instructional practices, while emphasizing the need for stronger institutional and policy support for faculty engaged in peace education initiatives in post-conflict settings.