Human integration through Olympism education: a pragmatic engagement of youths in a war-torn society

Abstract

This paper delineates the findings of a mixed methods study that investigated how Olympism education could strengthen competencies of human integration through delivery of physical, social, and critical literacy and conflict resolution literacy. The study introduced a curriculum model integrating Olympism values and conflict resolution strategies for the purpose of facilitating human integration. This integrated curriculum model was then tested among a group of young students who represent the two main ethnic groups Sinhalese and Tamils, in a war-torn society in Sri-Lanka. The intervention of this study provided pragmatic involvement for young students as the representatives of the next generation, in order to teach them the convergence and contradictions of perceptions of social reform ideals through sport. Results revealed that conflict resolution strategies combined with Olympism education integrated curriculum intervention significantly improved young students’ conflict resolution competencies, regardless of their gender or ethnicity. This study demonstrated significant gains in the ability of young students to learn about human integration through learning about Olympism within sport and physical education lessons, in regards to effective conflict resolution.

Keywords:

• Conflict resolution
• ethnic animosity
• experiential learning
• fragile societies
• olympism
• human integration
• physical education
• reconciliation
• socio-cultural values
• sport for development

Acknowledgement

Author would like to thank Professor Ian Culpan, Director of the Center for Olympic Studies, University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and the President, Mr Hemasiri Fernando, and Secretary General, Mr Maxwell de Silva, of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, for their amicable support while conducting this study in Sri Lanka.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.