The role of school culture in teacher professional development for peace education: The case of three schools in post-conflict Aceh, Indonesia

This thesis aims to explain the relations between the practice of school culture and teacher professional development for peace education, particularly in a post-conflict society in Indonesia. The thesis arises from the lack of literature on teacher professional development in peace education and the reality in the field in Indonesia that teachers who have been trained to teach peace education did not implement it in their teaching. In order to achieve this aim, case study research was conducted in three private schools in the post-conflict province of Aceh, Indonesia. Teachers in these schools, that have a school culture that supports peace, were interviewed, and the data was analyzed using Hord’s framework of a professional learning community (PLC). The thesis found that teachers in the schools perceived that the practice of school culture in their school mostly encouraged them to learn peace. The finding also suggests that the nature of a school culture that supports teacher professional development for peace education in this society is based on a clear stance of the school on peace, which then becomes the foundation for the school culture. The practices of the school culture that support teacher professional development for peace education were grouped into four categories: institutional management; school environment; facilitation for learning; and relationships between teachers. Departing from Carter’s three factors for supporting teachers in learning peace education (training for peace education, government policy and guidelines to implement peace education, and a curriculum that supports peace education), this study suggests the fourth factor that could support teachers to learn peace education, which is school culture