Teachers’ Views of Forgiveness Education: A Cross-Cultural Examination in Greece and Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Most research exploring school-based forgiveness education programs focuses on student outcomes. However, some scholars have begun studying teachers’ views of forgiveness. We build on this work by exploring teachers’ views of forgiveness education in Greece and Saudi Arabia. A total of 134 teachers (76 Greek and 58 Saudi) completed a survey asking about the meaning of forgiveness, topics to include in forgiveness education, and benefits and challenges of forgiveness education. We compared responses between Greek teachers with and without experience delivering forgiveness education and between Greek and Saudi teachers. Greek teachers with and without forgiveness education experience had different views of the benefits and practical challenges of forgiveness education. The Greek and Saudi teachers differed in how they understood forgiveness in relation to reconciliation, excusing behavior, mercy, and beliefs about the benefits of forgiveness education for the classroom. Implications for the implementation of forgiveness education and teacher training are discussed.