IMPACT OF VALUES EDUCATION ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

ABSTRACT

This study examines whether values education has a significant impact on students’ academic achievement. Further, it investigates whether there is a correlation between the provision of values education at secondary schools and academic achievement, with a focus on gender, age, and parents’ educational level as variables. This study followed a correlational research design and used quantitative research methods. The sample comprised 335 secondary school students receiving education in different schools in the Sincan district of the Ankara province of Turkey in the academic year 2020–2021. The study group was selected using the convenience sampling method, a nonprobability sampling methods. The data were obtained using the “Values Scale for Secondary School Students” and by collecting the participants’ grades from the previous semester.

АННОТАЦИЯ

В этом исследовании рассматривается вопрос о том, оказывает ли ценностное образование значительное влияние на академическую успеваемость учащихся. Кроме того, исследуется, существует ли корреляция между обучением ценностям в средних школах и академической успеваемостью, с акцентом на пол, возраст и уровень образования родителей в качестве переменных. Это исследование проводилось по схеме корреляционного исследования и использовало количественные методы исследования. Выборку составили 335 учащихся средних школ, получающих образование в различных школах района Синджан провинции Анкара Турции в 2020–2021 учебном году. Исследуемая группа отбиралась методом удобной выборки, методом невероятностной выборки. Данные были получены с использованием «Шкалы ценностей для учащихся средних школ» и путем сбора оценок участников за предыдущий семестр.

Keywords: value, values education, academic achievement.

Ключевые слова: ценность, ценностное образование, академическая успеваемость.

INTRODUCTION

Values play a significant role in the formation and evolution of individuals’ attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors. It is common knowledge that values have a determinative and guiding impact on human behavior [1]. Accordingly, it can be held that individuals’ values significantly affect their achievements and the meanings they attribute to success. Values are also decisive in the development and evolution of individuals’ perspectives and perceptions of the world. Therefore, studies on values education have recently gained prominence. Indeed, values education was mentioned explicitly in the course content of the Ministry of National Education of Turkey in 2003. At the 18th National Education Council of the Ministry of National Education of Turkey, values education was included within the scope of the “2023 Vision in Education” [2]. In an era of rapid development and change, the acknowledgment of global values in addition to local values is of great significance. Thus, values and value education are substantial for the future of societies [3]. Individuals need to find a place for themselves in society to lead a happy life. This social aspiration can be fulfilled by complying with principles that are widely accepted by society, such as cultural and moral rules.

These principles are entrenched not only in daily social interactions but also in institutions such as schools. Schooling and education have a significant role in socialization [4]. Education helps individuals make sense of social values. Teachers play the role of facilitating values acquisition and ensuring upkeep of values in society [5, 6]. Although research has been conducted on the concept of values, a generally accepted definition of values and a consensus on their scope is yet to be reached. Based on the definitions found in the literature, values can be identified the tendency to prefer some qualities to others. Individual values refer to perspectives that have a direct effect on human life, behavior, and judgment. Values are indicators of what individuals attach importance to and prefer [7]. It is challenging to nurture individuals who simultaneously adhere to their social identities and adapt to the constantly developing and changing global scenario. Educators are responsible for guiding students to stay abreast with the changes in society and internalize a sense of national unity and solidarity for the future of their respective countries. This responsibility can only be fulfilled by providing values education to future generations.

Values are the criteria individuals consider while assessing the characteristics, wishes, and behaviors of the people around them. Individual values govern people’s lives from the moment of their birth. Individuals expand their classification of appropriate and inappropriate behaviors, the foundation of which is formed in the family—humans’ first social environment, with the diversification of the environments of which they become a part. Individual values shape people’s behaviors; the conscious and unconscious acquisition of values starts within the family and continues at school and in other social environments throughout one’s lifetime. The concept of value can be identified as the tendency to prefer some qualities over others. Individual values refer to the perspectives that have a direct effect on human life, behaviors, and judgment. Values are indicators of what individuals attach importance to and prefer [7]. Values, in addition to the functions mentioned above, have a significant role in academic achievement as well, which particularly concerns students, teachers, and parents. Today, the academic achievement of secondary school students is of great importance for families because of its impact on the living conditions and social lives of children. In Turkey, the High School Entrance Exam (LGS, for its Turkish acronym) includes Turkish, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, English, and Culture of Religion and Knowledge of Ethics questions. The examinees’ grades from these courses represent their academic achievement levels. Therefore, students’ achievements in these courses were taken as the basis for this study that investigates whether there is a significant correlation between the provision of values education and students’ academic achievement.

Purpose

This study aims to reveal whether there is a significant relationship between the provision of values education and academic success. Accordingly, answers were sought to the questions below.

1. Is there a significant relationship between secondary school students’ academic achievement and their

1.1. Gender,

1.2. Grade,

1.3. Mothers’ educational level, and

1.4. Fathers’ educational level?

METHOD

Research Model

This study used a correlational research design, which aims to determine the existence or degree of change between two or more variables [8].

Population and Sampling

The study group consists of 335 secondary school students studying in different secondary schools in the Sincan district of Ankara province of Turkey. The study group was selected using the convenience sampling method, a nonprobability sampling methods. Nonprobability sampling is used for randomly selecting samples in cases where not all members of the population have an equal chance of participating in the study. In the case of this method, not every sample within the population is equally likely to participate in the study [9, 1]. With the convenience sampling method, the researcher selects samples based on the inclusion criteria from among people who are the easiest to contact and reach [10]. The demographic information of the students included in the study is given in Table 1.

Table 1.

Demographic Information of the Sample

Table 1 shows that of the students included in the study, 48.1% are male and 51.9% are female; further, 23.6% are 5th-graders, 29.3% are 6th-graders, 15.8% are 7th-graders, and 31.3% are 8th-graders.

Data Collection Tool

The Values Scale for Secondary School Students (VSS) developed by Çetin and Coşkun [11] was used in the study. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to test the construct validity of the scale, and confirmatory factor analysis was performed to verify the factor structure of the scale. Also, the item-total correlation test was conducted and the Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale was measured to determine its reliability. The test—the number of items of which was increased to 99—was used after corrections and additions.

FINDINGS

Demographic Characteristics of the Sample

Students’ Perspectives on Values by Gender.

The Mann–Whitney U test, a non-parametric test, was performed to determine whether the responses given by the students to the statements about values varied significantly by gender. The findings obtained from the test are given in Table 2.

Table 2.

Students’ Perspectives on Values by Gender

* Significant at the p < 0.05 level

The table reveals a significant difference between the responses given by female and male students to statements about values (U = 12202.500, p < 0.05). Considering the mean ranks, the responses of the female students to statements about values are more positive than those of the male students.

Findings on Students’ Perspectives on Values by their Grade Level.

To check whether there is a statistically significant relationship between students’ grades (5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade) and their responses to statements about values, the Kruskal–Wallis test, another non-parametric test, was conducted. The findings obtained from the test are given in Table 3.

Table 3.

Kruskal–Wallis Test Results Revealing Students' Perspectives on Values by Grade Level

Table 3 shows that students’ responses to statements regarding values significantly differed by grade (X² (Sd = 3, n = 335) = 20.90, p < .05). This shows that student grade levels have a determining impact on students’ responses to statements about values. Considering the mean ranks, the most positive perceptions regarding values were found among 5^th-graders, whereas the most negative ones were found among 8^th-graders. As grade levels increase, students think less of values.

Findings on Students’ Perspectives on Values by Mothers’ Educational Level.

The Kruskal–Wallis test was performed to find whether there is a statistically significant relationship between students’ responses to statements about values and their mothers’ educational levels. The findings obtained from the test are given in Table 4.

Table 4.

Kruskal–Wallis Test Results Revealing Students’ Perspectives on Values by their Mothers’ Educational Level

Table 4 shows no statistically significant relationship between students’ responses to statements about values and their mothers’ educational levels (X² (Sd = 4, n = 335) = 3.47, p > 0.05)

Students’ Perspectives on Values by Father’s Educational Level.

The Kruskal–Wallis test was performed to find whether there is a statistically significant relation between students’ responses to statements about values and their fathers’ educational level.

Table 5.

Kruskal–Wallis Test Results Revealing Students’ Perspectives on Values

The table reveals no statistically significant relationship between students’ responses to statements about values and their fathers’ educational level (X² (Sd = 4, n = 335) = 2.74, p > 0.05).

Conclusion

In this study, first, the relationship between values education in secondary schools and students’ academic achievement was investigated. Further, this study investigated whether there is a statistically significant relationship between secondary school students’ perceptions of values and their genders, grade levels, and parents’ educational levels. A significant difference was found between the responses given by female and male students to items related to values. Compared to male students, female students gave more positive responses to the statements on the scale about values. Students’ responses to statements regarding sensitivity, trustability, and responsibility differed significantly by grade. Considering the mean ranks of the groups, with regard to the values of sensitivity, trustability, and responsibility, the most positive perceptions were found among 5th graders, whereas the most negative ones were found among 8th graders. As grade level increases, the importance of sensitivity, trustability, and responsibility as values falls in the eyes of students.

No statistically significant correlation was found between parents’ educational levels and students’ responses regarding adherence to the values of sensitivity, trustability, and responsibility. A very weak and negative correlation was detected between the value of sensitivity and success in the Mathematics and Turkish courses. While a weak but positive correlation was found between the value of sensitivity and success in the Science course, a weak and negative correlation was found between the value of sensitivity and success in the English course. There is a moderate and negative correlation between the value of sensitivity and success in the Social Studies and the Culture of Religion and Knowledge of Ethics courses. While there is a weak and negative correlation between the value of trustability and success in the Turkish and English courses, there is a weak but positive correlation between this value and success in the Culture of Religion and Knowledge of Ethics course. While the value of trustability has a positive and moderate correlation with success in the Science course, it has a moderate and negative correlation with success in the Mathematics course and a strong negative correlation with success in the Social Studies course.

A weak correlation was found between the value of responsibility and success in the Science, Culture of Religion and Knowledge of Ethics, Social Sciences, and English courses; it was found to have a moderate correlation with success in the Turkish and Mathematics courses. Finally, when the values of sensitivity, trustability, and responsibility are considered as a whole, their impact on success in the English and Social Studies courses is moderate and negative, while their correlation with success in other courses is tenuous to the point of nonexistence. The following recommendations can be made in light of the findings. The study findings reveal a negative correlation between students’ grade levels and their academic achievement. Therefore, different projects can be developed by schools to increase academic achievement, especially among 7th and 8th graders in secondary schools. Further, in terms of adherence to the values of sensitivity, trustability, and responsibility and its positive impact on academic achievement, there is a difference in favor of female students. Accordingly, activities that draw more attention from male students can be conducted for increasing their awareness of these values and fostering their active participation in courses, which will lead to better academic achievement. The correlational survey model was used in this study because it allows examining the relationship between the provision of values education to secondary school students and academic achievement. However, to reveal the different dimensions of these concepts, various qualitative or experimental research methods should be used in future studies. The relationship between values education and academic achievement can be investigated with a focus on variables other than gender, grade level, mother’s educational level, and father’s educational level. Thus, future studies on the relation between values education and academic success may present more detailed results if they include different variables and study groups.

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