Values Lost in Society in the Eyes of Teachers

Abstract

People’s actions are governed by their values, beliefs, perspectives, and world views. There is so much diversity that everyone has or creates their own moral standards, principles, and values, making social cohesion difficult. We come to a dead-end when we evaluate different moral standards and value systems from the perspective of relativity and absoluteness. People acquire values first in the family and then at school. Therefore, teachers play a crucial role in helping students adopt values and moral standards. This study investigated teachers’ views on values (especially lost values). This study adopted a qualitative research design (phenomenology). Data were collected using a semi-structured interview questionnaire developed by the researcher. The questionnaire consisted of six questions. The study sought answers to the following questions: What do teachers think about values and values education? What values do teachers think we have lost in society? Why do teachers think we have lost values in society? and How do teachers think we can get back the lost values? Participants viewed values as moral principles. They regarded values education as the type of education required for society to live in a healthy, harmonious, and peaceful way. They thought that we had lost the values of honesty, understanding, respect, etc. They believed that we had lost those values because of social media, changes in the institution of family, etc. They suggested that we provide students with values education courses and encourage school-family collaboration to get back the lost values.