Value transmission in primary schools: are teachers’ acculturation orientations a moderator?

Values education within the school context is, among other elements, shaped by a value-related school climate as well as teachers’ value-related educational goals. This longitudinal study investigated the interplay between these two elements over fifteen months, starting in March 2021, and including four points of measurement (t1 − t4). The sample consisted of 118 primary school teachers (years 1 and 2) from primary schools in Switzerland. Teachers’ value-related educational goals were measured with the Portrait Values Questionnaire, and teachers’ perception of their school climate was measured with the 12-Item School Climate Measure Scale. Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models along with Multiple Imputation for missing data were used to investigate the reciprocal relationships along the four dimensions of value-related educational goals represented by Schwartz’s Higher-Order Value Types: Openness to Change, Conservation, Self-Enhancement, and Self-Transcendence and their corresponding dimensions of a perceived value-related school climate of Innovation, Stability, Performance, and Support. For the dimensions “Innovation and Openness to Change,” the analyses revealed that the perceived value-related school climate of Innovation predicted teachers’ value-related educational goals of Openness to Change significantly from t1 to t2, while an effect in the opposite direction from t2 to t3 and from t3 to t4 was found. For the dimension “Stability and Conservation,” the analyses revealed that the perceived value-related school climate of Stability predicted teachers’ value-related educational goals of Conservation from t3 to t4. These findings are discussed in light of the dynamic processes of values education within the school environment as well as in the context of environmental and societal developments.

The interplay between teachers’ value-related educational goals and their value-related school climate over time

Oeschger,

Makarova,

Raman

et al. 2024

Giving voice to educators: Primary school teachers explain how they promote values to their pupils

Döring,

Jones,

Oeschger

et al. 2024

Values are the trans-situational goals guiding human attitudes and behavior (Schwartz, 1992). As early socialization agents, teachers have a responsibility to promote democratic values of citizenship to create an inclusive, fair, and sustainable society, necessary for individual and collective well-being (OECD, 2019). By facilitating social and cognitive development through social interactions, the school setting helps spark curiosity, leading to reflection and adaptation. Across the curriculum, teachers use strategies like imitation, modelling, priming, and discussion to help children make sense of the world (Makarova et al., 2024; Oeschger et al., 2022). Yet little empirical evidence exists to support how teachers achieve this. The present study gives voice to educators through the personal experiences of ten UK primary school teachers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, lasting between 50 and 90 min. Data was analyzed in two stages: First, a deductive structuring content analysis identified how values of self-transcendence versus self-enhancement and openness to change versus conservation, as defined in Schwartz’s (1992) model, were reflected in the interview data. Second, an inductive thematic analysis yielded the following themes: mechanisms of value transmission; implicit vs explicit instruction of values; values that are most difficult to teach; value transmission through taught lessons; the role of collective worship and cultural days; opportunities for value transmission in the wider school environment; and the role that a school culture and ethos play in the transmission of values. This study supports the view that values are promoted through a variety of methods and across all areas of the school environment.

The values of schools: an analysis of vision statements

Daniel,

Arieli,

Akerman

2024

School vision statements articulate an aspired future state for the school, highlighting its ideals, purpose, and unique aspects to direct behavior and promote motivation and commitment among stakeholders. This paper investigates vision statements of schools as artifacts expressing the values emphasized by schools, drawing on organizational literature that shows the role of central organizational artifacts in conveying the values important to the organization. Using a comprehensive sample of elementary schools across all districts in Israel (N = 99), we built on Schwartz’s values theory to identify values and analyze expressed values. We employed a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze these values. First, we analyzed the content of vision statements to investigate how values were manifested. Then, we investigated the values hierarchy reflected in the vision statements, and compared sectors to identify the impact of the broader social context. Our analysis revealed variation in values expression: as expected, self-direction and benevolence emerged as the most prevalent values in school vision statements; power and hedonism were less salient. Comparison of vision statements from public and public-religious schools, as well as across schools with varying socioeconomic status (SES), revealed differences in universalism values. Public schools and those with higher SES placed greater importance on universalism values compared to public-religious schools. Additionally, tradition values were less prominent in public schools but were the second most significant values in public-religious schools. We discuss the results within the framework of values theory and educational policy.