This study explores how linguistic analysis of learners’ written and spoken language can help to understand transformation in how learners conceive of peace. It draws on 62 pre- and post-course written reflections on peace and final presentation transcripts from six iterations of Perspectives on Peace, an online, on-demand peace education course. Sentiment, word frequency, and thematic analyses of the written reflections show a broadening of peace conceptions, increased positive sentiment, and evidence of growing understandings consistent with positive peace. Analysis of the final presentation transcripts shows thematic eclecticism and predominantly personal and locally focused topic choices. However, polarity coding of these presentations revealed only a slight overall leaning toward positive peace. The results highlight both the potential value and the challenges of employing language-based analyses to understand students’ conceptions of peace and to assess peace education outcomes.

Authors:
Robert Dormer, Hiroshima Jogakuin University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Professor Robert Dormer teaches Global Studies at Hiroshima Jogakuin University, focusing on Education for Sustainable Development and IR. He studies peace education outcomes and has led the Perspectives on Peace (PoP) program for four years.

Additional website of interest
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3imR9-MAAAAJ&hl=en

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