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MIAMI UNIVERSITY The Graduate School Certificate for Approving the Dissertation We hereby approve the Dissertation of Angela Ștefan Trubceac Candidate for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy ______________________________________ Kate Rousmaniere, Director ______________________________________ Brittany Aronson, Reader ______________________________________ Thomas Poetter, Reader ______________________________________ Thomas Misco, Graduate School Representative ABSTRACT MOLDOVAN SECONDARY EDUCATION SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS’ CONCEPTUALIZATION OF MULTICULTURAL APPROACHES TO PEACE EDUCATION (MAPE) by Angela Șt. Trubceac A key social driver in The Republic of Moldova, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, has been the establishment of a state education system that emphasizes cultural pluralism and interculturalism. Educational research about the Republic of Moldova shows an increased motivation among contemporary secondary education social studies teachers to incorporate multicultural education and to enhance their professional skills in helping students to deal with violence, conflicts, and interethnic, linguistic, and cultural tensions. In the Republic of Moldova, secondary education social studies are required by the state education system to teach civic and citizenship education for the purpose of developing a harmonious society. However, there are no formal or required multicultural and peace education dimensions in Moldova’s system of education. In order for Moldovan youth to successfully understand the historic and contemporary ethnic and cultural diversity and political challenges of the Republic of Moldova, teachers must be prepared to teach multicultural and peace education. This study accordingly examines the experiences of 30 secondary level social studies teachers in the Republic of Moldova to further explore the ways that they adapt their teaching pedagogies and negotiate their personal experiences to include multicultural and peace education. Specifically, the intent of the study is to understand the unique phenomenon of multicultural approaches to peace education (MAPE) through the narratives of those 30 educators. The study employs a qualitative, phenomenological research method. Interviews revealed teachers’ narratives of their experience of developing multicultural approaches to peace education while fulfilling their curricular and extracurricular duties. This study sheds light on teachers’ perceptions and practices of developing multicultural approaches to peace education, resulting in implications for further practice and research. The major finding of this study is that Moldovan educators increasingly, but not fully, include MAPE in their teaching options. I argue that even though Moldovan teachers personally appreciate the idea of MAPE, they are not fully effective at teaching it because they are influenced by their own past experiences, their understanding of the tensions between multiculturalism and patriotism and between civic education and global education, and their own understanding of ethnic identities and language issues. While following the national social studies curriculum and educational policies that indirectly promote MAPE, teachers still allow their preferences to sneak into their daily teaching practices. MOLDOVAN SECONDARY EDUCATION SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS’ CONCEPTUALIZATION OF MULTICULTURAL APPROACHES TO PEACE EDUCATION (MAPE) A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Educational Leadership by Angela Ș. Trubceac The Graduate School Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2020 Dissertation Director: Kate Rousmaniere © Angela Ștefan Trubceac 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1 – Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................... 1 Historical Considerations ............................................................................................................ 3 The Socio-political context of Ethnicity and Identity in Moldova …………………………......8 Education, Ethnicity, and Identity in Moldova …………………………………………….....12 The Republic of Moldova System of Education ……………………………………………...15 The Context of the RM Social Studies Curriculum………………………………………….. 17 Problem statement …………………………………………………………………………… 21 The study………………………………………………………………………………………21 Research Questions……………………………………………………………………………22 The Theoretical framework of the Study .................................................................................. 23 Chapter 2 – Literature Review .................................................................................................... 299 Peace Education ………………………………………………………………………………29 Multicultural Education ………………………………………………………………………33 Intertwining Peace Education and Multicultural Education …………………………….……35 International Organizations on Peace and Multicultural Education...................................... 3939 Teachers’ Perceptions on Peace Education and Multiculturalism ............................................ 40 Citizenship Education, Social Cohesion, Nationalism, Language, and Identity in Moldova ... 47 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 55 Chapter 3 – Methodology ............................................................................................................. 57 The Rationale for the Phenomenological Approach and Interpretive Discourse ...................... 57 Epistemology………………………………………………………………………………… .61 Ontology ………………………………………………………………………………………61 Ethics ………………………………………………………………………………………….62 Why Phenomenology?................................................................................................................62 Research Design & Procedures ................................................................................................. 63 Study sample participants ……………………………………………………………………. 63 Participants’ profiles ………………………………………………………………………… 64 Protection of participants …………………………………………………………………….. 66 Data collection ……………………………………………………………………………….. 66 iii Data recording …………………………………………………………………………………67 Data Analysis, Synthesis, and Interpretation ............................................................................. 68 Transcription and Translation …………………………………………………………………69 Credibility, Trustworthiness, and Dependability of Study ........................................................ 69 Ethical Considerations............................................................................................................... 70 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 70 Chapter 4 – Findings: Facing the Complexities and Dilemmas of Multicultural Approach to Peace Education (MAPE) ............................................................................................................. 72 Theme #1 – Between Legacy and Choice: The Stories of Becoming Multicultural Teachers...73 a. Soviet legacy as a factor in Becoming a Multicultural Teacher …………………………...74 b. Becoming a Multicultural Teacher: Western Influence ……………………………………80 c. Teaching MAPE as a deliberate choice …………………………………………………... 82 d. Other factors that influence the journey of becoming ……………………………………. 86 Theme #2 – Multiculturalism or Patriotism: The Matter of Priority......................................... 89 Theme #3 – Balancing between Civic Education and Global Education……………………..98 Theme #4 – Conflict of National/Ethnic Identities ………………………………………….106 Theme #5 – Language issue: Still an apple of discord………………………………………116 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….…..152 6 Chapter 5 – MAPE Aspects: What is Taught and What is Left Behind?....................................128 a. LGBTQ: “No room” for it in Social Studies curricula…………………………………… 131 b. General sexuality: An inconvenient topic to be discussed in [civics] classes……………. 135 c. The perception and inclusion of ethnic minorities: The case of the Roma(ni) people ……138 d. Political abuse of history education curriculum…………………………………………. 150 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………... 152 Chapter 6 – Discussions, Implications, and Conclusions ........................................................... 154 Analysis and Interpretation of the Findings ............................................................................ 154 The stories of becoming multicultural teachers: Between legacy and choice ……………… 155 Multiculturalism or Patriotism: The matter of priority ………………………………..……..156 Balancing Between Civic and Global Approaches …………………………………………..158 Conflict of National/ Ethnic Identities ……………………………………………………….159 The Language Issue: Still an Apple of Discord ……………………………………………...160 MAPE aspects: What is taught and what is left behind? …………………………………….161 The Other Takeaways ……………………………………………………………………..... 163 iv Naming the MAPE: How do Moldovan teachers define Multiculturalism? ………………. 163 The benefits