P.SELVI

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN ENGLISH

SRI SUNDARESWARI COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

SRIVILLIPUTTUR

ABSTRACT

A STUDY ON THE RESEARCHES IN VALUE EDUCATION

Value education is deep rooted in Indian soil with historical and

cultural background, its roots can be traced out in moral ethical, spiritual and religious education.

Martín Luther king well thought of the glory of a nation in the following words. “The prosperity

of a country depends not on the abundance of its revenues nor on the strength of its fortification,

nor on the beauty of its public buildings; but its cultivated citizens, in its men of education,

enlightment and character”. In India, Maharashtra government made value education compulsory

from 1997.Researches on value education is getting momentum. Here I am going to highlight

some of the researches done so far.

P.SELVI

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN ENGLISH

SRI SUNDARESWARI COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

SRIVILLIPUTTUR

A STUDY ON THE RESEARCHES IN VALUE EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

The concept of value is gaining importance because of the present unwholesome

condition of society where higher values are given scant recognition. Value is associated with

what fulfils or has the capacity of fulfilling the needs of man, which might be physical,

psychological or spiritual. As a chief exponent of Indian Philosophy and way of living, Value

Education is not altogether a new subject in education. It is deep rooted in Indian soil with

historical and cultural background, its roots can be traced out in moral ethical, spiritual and

religious education. Martín Luther king well thought of the glory of a nation in the following

words. “The prosperity of a country depends not on the abundance of its revenues nor on the

strength of its fortification, nor on the beauty of its public buildings; but its cultivated citizens, in

its men of education, enlightment and character”. In India, Maharashtra government has made

value education compulsory from 1997. Researches on value education is getting momentum.

Here I am going to highlight some of the researches done so far.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF VALUE EDUCATION

The important aim of education during vedic period was formation and building of

character. In Buddhist period, though the main aim of education was emancipation and character

formation, dignity of labour had also important place in the curriculum. During medieval period,

the aims of education were to develop individual’s morality and to produce men of character

along with vocationalized education. During British period, the aim of education was to impart

instructions in useful subjects and to enlighten them in intellectual, moral, economic fields and

secular moral education. In pre-independence and after independence period, several

commissions and committees recommended character education and moral education.

As a result of quick economic growth, influence of western culture, over

mechanisation, urbanisation and craving for materialistic life there has been a loss of

values and of the value system at the individual level and in the country as a whole.

Materialistic needs and never ending lust to earn more and more by putting in less and

less effort, therefore, have to be balanced by a value-based life and by inculcation of

an attitude that earning money is for leading a respectable life and for helping others

who are disadvantaged. Where and when this value orientation should take place in

the life of any person? It should begin from home, be buttressed by the community

and be entrenched positively by one's school.

Concept of Value Education

Value Education, as it is generally used, refers to a wide gamut of learning and activities

ranging from training in physical health, mental hygiene, etiquette and manners, appropriate

social behaviour, civic rights and duties to aesthetic and even religious training.

To some, value education is simply a matter of developing appropriate behaviour and

habits involving inculcation of certain virtues and habits. In opposition to such a conception, it is

pointed out that value education has an essentially cognitive component in it and that this should

not be ignored. Actually the ability to make moral judgement based on sound reasoning is a very

important aim of value education and has to be deliberately cultivated.

Moral development of a child, according to some, results automatically from the social

life of the school. The child as a member of the group imbibes the attitudes, values and general

behaviour of the group and continually tries to mould himself according to the group norm. Such

adjustment to life constitutes his moral development. Value Education is a process of aiding the

child in such adjustment. Such a view is contested on the ground that although children learn the

rules of group living from the social life of the school, such learning does not constitute value

education. For morality, it is pointed out, is not concerned so much with `what is' as with `what

ought to be' and `what ought to be done'.

Value Education, according to one more view, is essentially a matter of educating the

feelings and emotions. It is the `training of the heart' and consists in developing the right feelings

and emotions. It does not involve any cognitive abilities that can be trained. Like poetry, it is

`caught' rather than taught. It is essentially a matter of creating the right atmosphere, imitation

and learning by example communion with nature or modelling oneself after an ideal. Such a

view is countered by saying that mere imitation of a `good' person and modelling oneself after an

ideal does not confer any morality on an individual. Morality is not a thing that simply

`radiates' from one person to another. Moral development includes both thinking morally and

behaving morally. Moral thinking is a distinct type of thinking characterised by the exercise of

rational choice. A moral person is not only a person who does the `right' thing but also one who

does the `right' thing for the `right' reason.

Gupta(1988) explains that value education is instruction in the entire realm of values –

physical, emotional, intellectual, imaginative, aesthetic, democratic, scientific, social, moral and

spiritual for any individual.

Objectives of Value Education

Educational objectives refer to explicit formulations of the ways in which students are

expected to be changed by the educative process. That is, the ways in which they will change in

their thinking, their feelings and their actions. Objectives whether of value education or of any

other curricular area depend on a variety of factors, psychological, sociological, epistemological.

Objectives of value education in the modern context

Objectives, especially in value education, have a temporal dimension. Traditionally the

objectives of value education were based on religion and philosophy. There was no secular value

education and very little scope for the development of moral thinking and the capacity for

independent moral decision. In the modern world these are varieties of social demands made on

the people. A civilised individual must possess certain minimum social skills. He has to establish

decent relationship with people with whom he may come across for a short while or for a long

duration. He may have to transact business in his private or public capacity. He has to function as

a citizen of his state, or his Value education should therefore, it is pointed out, prepare an

individual to meet these demands. That these cannot be accomplished in the form of a few do's

and don'ts of the traditional form is quite evident.country and of the world, all at the same time

playing appropriate roles in each of these contexts.

VALUE EDUCATION CURRICULUM

NCERT Curriculum framework(2000) have explicitly mentioned that --:"Value education

and education about religions would not form a separate subject of study or examination at any

stage of the curriculum. These would be so judiciously integrated with all the subjects of study in

the scholastic areas and all the activities and programmes in the co-scholastic curriculum”.

Usha Sri(1995) in her study on “Restructuring Teacher education for Value

Orientation”suggested a syllabus for value education paper for the B.Ed course.

Usha Sri(1993) conducted an evaluation of Value Education provided in Secondary

schools of Tamilnadu. She has found out that books of standards VIII, IX and X, the greatest

attention is paid to examples given from life situations.

According to science teachers,”a logical approach to problem solving is emphasized”is

the most prevalent characteristic. The least perceived characteristic is “special mention made

regarding qualities of discoverers, reformers etc”

TEACHERS AND VALUES

Teaching is not a job; it is an attitude. Teacher is a source of information, a guide, a

mentor, a surrogate parent, a motivator, all at the same time. Teaching is the only profession

which always deals with the future. According to Confucian theory, only a person who is always

a source of love, morally upright and whose behaviour not only in personal but also in the

institutional life is impeccable, is worthy of being a teacher. The orientation and training given to

teachers has a significant impact on the way they set out to impart value education.

Roy Choudury’s(1958) study of values among teachers showed high political value and

low religious values among them.

Dixit and Sharma’s (1969) study shows that men teachers scored high on aesthetic,

political and social values than women teachers.

Patel (1979) observed that senior teachers prefer social, political, economic and religious

values whereas juniors preferred democratic and aesthetic values. Rural teachers preferred social,

political and economic values than their counterparts.

CONCLUSION

The world is a conglomeration of a large variety of human beings with wide ranging

differences in language, culture, beliefs and ethnicities. The most urgent need of the present day

society in the world is to have the spirit of co-existence. This is definitely based on tolerance and

mutual respect among individuals irrespective of their ethnic, cultural, and religious or language

background. From the point of view of diversity, India is a mini world in itself. The atmosphere

that can generate a sense of tolerance or spirit of co-existence in the Indian society can be a

model to the entire human society in the world. More and more researches on Value Education

will help us to achieve that.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gupta,K.M (1988) Training Cum Research Project in Value Orientation: Value Analysis model

Usha Sri(1993) “An Evaluation of Value Education Provided at the Secondary Stage of

Educationin Tamilnadu”

Venkataiah .N & Sandhya.N “Research in Value Education”