An Examination of the Transformative Effect of Learning by Teaching Method in Human Rights Education

Abstract

Human rights education constitutes a significant component within the global human rights regime. In the realm of human rights education transformative approaches have gained prominence emphasizing the necessity of educational practices beyond traditional classroom settings. This study aims to examine the impact of participatory methodologies employed in human rights education on enhancing individuals’ learning and awareness regarding human rights issues. Specifically we employ the pedagogical technique of “learning by teaching” grounded in the principle that teaching is an effective means of learning. Through our research we ascertain that the implementation of the learning by teaching approach effectively heightens the awareness and knowledge of all participants concerning human rights matters. Moreover our study reveals that individuals who engaged in instructing their peers exhibited a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of subjects such as women’s rights slavery and refugees’ human rights when compared to those who solely attended lectures. The majority of these peer tutors also experienced transformative learning although transformative learning remained limited among the peer learner group. Consequently our findings not only contribute to the existing body of literature on pedagogy in the field of International Relations but also stimulate further discussions pertaining to human rights education. © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.