Teaching for Forgiveness Among Teachers in Three Arab Countries

• In Event: The Trickle-Down Effect: Working in Teacher Education to Create a Culture of Peace

Abstract

This study was conducted among Arab teachers in three Middle Eastern Countries (Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine) on their understanding of forgiveness and ways they teach it in their classrooms. Sixty teachers (twenty each) participated in semi structured interviews as part of a larger study on forgiveness in the region. Initial results suggest eagerness to address and teach forgiveness but the lack of instructional materials prevents teachers from doing so. The strength of religious teaching in shaping forgiveness attitudes was also evident. This study contributes to our understanding of forgiveness and reconciliation both at the conceptual as well as the behavioral levels. It highlights the need to educate for peace and ways to assist teachers to do so in their classrooms

Authors

• Ilham Nasser, George Mason University

• Mohammed Abunimer, American University

• Shelley Wong, George Mason University