Comparison of Ukrainian and Turkish Law Students' Attitudes towards Democratic Values: Cross-cultural Study

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine Ukrainian and Turkish law students' attitudes towards democratic values and the factors that may affect these values and to compare them in terms of different variables. This study is a descriptive survey model. The research consists of total 226 students from three Schools of Law, two in Turkey and one in Ukraine, whose race, religion, culture and languages are different. We tried to determine their attitudes towards democratic values regarding as age, gender, grade, level of parents' education, accommodation types. We applied "Democratic Values Scale" with 17 items developed by Çermik. We have concluded that comprehensive democratic activities should be created and the curriculum equipped with democratic values should be regulated and implemented so that potential future lawyers, legists, policy makers, politicians and administrators to be graduated from Schools of Law can eliminate discrimination and distribute the rights equally and establish democratic order and social justice, promote and defend the freedom of thought.