Parents' Views Regarding the Values Aimed to be Taught in Social Studies Lessons

Abstract

This study aimed at learning parents' ideas about the values aimed to be taught in Social Studies lessons in the 4(th) and 5(th) grades of the primary education and about values education. Study data were collected by administering "the Values Education I" and "Values Education II" questionnaire forms developed by the researchers. The views of 378 and 387 parents who filled "the Values Education I" and "Values Education II" questionnaires respectively were collected. The results obtained in the light of the collected data are as follows: parents of the students attending at the 4th and 5th grades of primary education used 19 different values to define the values that have to be taught; they listed the reasons of value education as "success, socialization, democratization, self-improvement of the children", "peace" and "necessity to teach these values." Parents deemed both themselves and the school sufficient in terms of values education and they thought that the main responsibility of giving values education belongs first to parents and second to school. Parents gave priority to the values such as "patriotism," "honesty," "attaching importance to family unity," "responsibility," and "hardworking."