The impacts of peace education: A meta-analysis

Peace education is crucial in addressing violence issues. Despite significant attention to peace education in both theory and practice, gaps remain in research concerning its impact and effectiveness. This paper employs a metaanalysis to examine 90 peace education intervention trials involving approximately 15,000 children. The results indicate that: (1) Compared to the control group, participants in peace education programs show significant improvements in social values, conflict resolution skills, and positive personal qualities. (2) These participants also exhibit significant reductions in aggression and violence. (3) Subgroup analysis reveals that the intervention effect on positive dependent variables is stronger among students in high school and above, and in traditional classroom settings. Furthermore, peace education programs with a total intervention time of 1440 min or less demonstrate stronger effects on negative dependent variables. These findings offer important policy implications for the implementation of peace education programs. Therefore, it is recommended that governments actively promote the adoption of peace education across all educational levels, providing the necessary resources and support to foster social harmony and stability.