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Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 180 (2015) 524 - 530
The 6th International Conference Edu World 2014 "Education Facing Contemporary World
Issues", 7th - 9th November 2014
Anchor-values of the axiological universe of primary teachers
Venera-Mihaela Cojocariua*
"Vasile Alecsandri" University of Bacäu, Department of Teacher Training, Märä§e§ti Street no. 157, Bacäu, 600115, Romania
Abstract
Today, raising and educating children is becoming increasingly difficult, not just from a material point of view. In this context, it is vital that the axiological universe of primary-school teachers is able to contribute significantly to building the moral benchmarks of the young pupils. The study aims to identify the set of values that define the professional profile of a primary teacher. The main method we have used was the questionnaire-based inquiry. The questionnaire was applied during the 20132014 school year. All the results will be integrated into the initial and continuous teacher training processes.
© 2015TheAuthors.PublishedbyElsevierLtd.This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.Org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of The Association "Education for tomorrow" / [Asociatia "Educatie pentru maine"]. Keywords: values, primary teachers, the axiological profile of teacher
1. Arguments regarding the issue of values and their relevance for primary education
The 20th century and the evolution of sciences has generated increased interest in the knowledge boom and the way in which this may be translated into the students' knowledge. Teachers, students, parents have been primarily concerned with What are we learning? and then, in the latter half of the century, with How are we learning?. There is no doubt regarding the fact that the learning content and the method are, in an equal and intercorrelated way, extremely relevant in any instructive-educational process. Numerous studies have highlighted the fact that the last decade of the former century has experienced a renewal of the interrogation on the relevance of values in this process, of the axiological articulation of contents and method (Sunley&Locke, 2010). In fact, distracted by the mirage of efficiency and performance, measurable and immediate aspects, we have really forgotten about the basics, about what is achieved in time, with effort, but which founds, on a definitive term, not just the process of learning
* Corresponding author. Tel.:+0-074-706-6462 E-mail address: venera_1962@yahoo.com
1877-0428 © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.Org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of The Association "Education for tomorrow" / [Asociatia "Educatie pentru maine"]. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.02.154
and its results, but also the students' entire personality - values. These are equally important for all the actors involved (Harecker, 2012): for teachers, because as part of the architectonics of their personality, values will become impregnated into the entire teaching process and will be transferred to students (Sunley&Locke, 2010); for students, because they will internalize values and place them at the root of their training, orienting their entire becoming and actions on the long term; for parents, because they will become aware of the model they represent and the impact (convergent with the school or, on the contrary!) which they have/ may have upon ensuring the development and evolution of their own children. In the absence of values, individuals are disoriented, act randomly or are driven by immediate interests, lack constancy and moral relevance in their behavior, are opportunistic and try to find a justification for any type of action. For primary education, the issue of values and their internalization is even more relevant, at least due to the following reasons: the early evolutionary stage of pupils; the relevance of the parental and teacher model for the subsequent evolution of their personality; the major relevance of the process of clarifying values and its particularities for young pupils; the role of imitation in assimilating values; the school's decisive impact upon the pupils' axiological substantiation and orientation; the relevance of values in relation to the students' socio-moral behaviour. Therefore, the primary education teaching process is a critical aspect of enculturation as "primary schools are more proactive in the values domain than their secondary counterparts" (Sunley&Locke, 2010, p. 415). The relevance of the values in which teachers believe has become so meaningful that recruiting and training teachers in England "requires all trainees to be able to demonstrate the positive values, attitudes and behaviour they expect from children and young people" (ibidem, p. 418).
2. Benchmarks in the axiology of education
Of significant importance in approaching our topic are the ideas of Sachs (2005) on the teacher's professional identity. It integrates a series of beliefs and values which "provide a framework for teachers to construct their own ideas of 'how to be', 'how to act' and 'how to understand' their work and their place in society" (p. 15). In this way, values are placed at the heart of each teacher's personality ego, practically generating his axiological profile.
Serious analyses on the reflexive teacher and the impact of values upon the effects of educational work have been conducted as of the 1990s (Grant&Zeichner, 1984) and originated in J. Dewey's theory. Based on highlighting the relevance of the adults' values and beliefs for the children's becoming, Bloom&Ellis (2009) argue that the hypostasis of teachers as reflexive practitioners should also find manifestation in a self-interrogation regarding the personal values handed down in the classroom as of the kindergarten age. Values are omnipresent in the teacher's entire activity, in extremely different aspects, ranging from the children's entrance into the classroom to relationships with parents or the content of homework (Bloom&Ellis, 2009; Harecker, 2012). The many data they obtain from pupils, related to issues ranging from behaviours to knowledge, may reveal their value choices, which should not be ignored.
The contents of learning are not even by far isolated from the axiological underground. Although there is the desire to separate the teaching of values from the teaching of reading, writing or Mathematics (the so-called neutrally axiological disciplines), all those involved in the instructive-educational process know that, practically, there are no such domains or themes (Slater, 2008). More or less, directly or indirectly, separate from or together with the contents, willingly-unwillingly, values are transferred from teacher to student. Concerned with How do values reach students?, we shall discover a series of teaching strategies supporting this process (Harecker, 2012), as well as, especially, the fact that they are not to be taught or imposed, but proposed by means of the teacher's entire personality and teaching style. Nevertheless, the possibility that students may not reach the axiological connotations of contents or processes has determined some of the teachers to propose certain ways in which these may be rendered explicit (Mergler, 2008).
Education has always been a socially difficult process and contemporary society, with all its complex and contradictory issues, amplifies these difficulties. The tensions manifested between the individual-social, nationaluniversal, micro-macro, material-spiritual (Kumar&Pandey, 2012), moral-economic, influence significantly the axiological springs of the teaching activity, generating the need for a serious and systematic reflexive approach to the formative action, as well as a better exploitation of the philosophical perspective upon values in education (Etherington, 2013).
3. Research methodology
The study is part of a wider research, which aims at elaborating a model of the axiological profile of the Romanian teacher, by identifying and articulating the representative values for this professional category. Its structure has also included the investigation and presentation of values characteristic of teachers according to different levels of the educational system, university and pre-university. This study aims at discovering the basic values of teachers for primary education in our country.
The research aim: the identification and systematization of the values characteristic of the axiological profile of teachers from primary education
The general research hypothesis: Is there a defining set of values for primary teachers, which guides their professional activity?
The specific hypothesis: Is there a shared set of anchor-values in the axiological profile of teachers from primary and preschool education?
The research objectives and their correlation with the items from the questionnaire are:
01 - Identifying a number of at least three anchor-values which guide the activity of primary teachers (items
1,4,5,8);
02 - Identifying a central value for the activity of trainers in primary education (items 2, 3, 7);
03 - Configuring a feasible model of the axiological profile of the primary teacher;
04 - The comparative analysis of the two axiological profiles corresponding to the preschool teacher, respectively the primary school teacher;
05 - Establishing the degree of similitude between the two axiological profiles.
The qualitative research was conducted during the 2013-2014 academic year, on a sample of 100 primary teachers. The data collection tool was a questionnaire consisting of 8 open-ended items. For the items that required a hierarchization of the respondents' options, the score of each value was established as follows: 3 points for the value from the first position, 2 points for the value from the second position, 1 point for the value from the third position.
4. Presentation and analysis of results
The data collected afforded 8 sets of data, corresponding to the questionnaire items. They will be systematized, analyzed and presented in agreement with the research objectives, to the achievement of which they have contributed.
In order to achieve O1, the subjects had to answer the following items: I1 The first three values in which I believe most are...; I4 I believe that nowadays, the most dangerous counter-values are...; I5 I believe that the fundamental values which pre-university education should inculcate to students nowadays are...; I8 The future society needs the following three values... Table 1 is a systematized representation of the collected data:
Table 1. Centralized presentation of the data obtained from the perspective of achieving objective 1
Item no. Values rank I/points Values rank II/points Values rank III/points
1. professionalism - 59p equity - 54p faith in God - 41p
4. deceit - 92p idleness - 53p incompetence - 36p
(truth) (industry) (competence)
5. respect -60p responsibility - 43p work - 43p
8. work - 29p respect - 24p professionalism - 18p
honesty - 18
truth - 92p equity - 54p faith in God - 41p
The analysis of the data from Table 1, which centralizes the results obtained for items 1,4,5,8, shows that: 1. According to O1, we have succeeded in identifying three values, which guide the activity of the primary teachers from the investigated sample: truth, equity and faith in God; 2. There is a great difference between the score of the first value, truth (92p), and the following two values (equity, 54p., faith in God, 41p.), together totalling little more than the score of the first value; 3. The first two values are relevant in terms of secular morality, honesty, whereas
the third value explicitly designates the level of religious moral, with which it correlates and agrees, from this perspective. Together, they may express high esteem, but also the need for GOOD and an instance that may grant its certainty at a time acutely marked by moral crisis and a lack of valid moral models; 4. The highlighted values are relevant for the contemporary role and status of every teacher, especially of the primary school teacher.
To achieve O2, the subjects answered the following items: I2 In relation to my work, the value which concerns me most is...; I3 I believe that the most important value for a teacher's activity is...; I7 I believe that the value which will always preserve (save) humankind is.... Table 2 shows the systematized data:
Table 2. Centralized presentation of the data obtained from the perspective of achieving objective 2
Item no. Values rank I/points Values rank II/points Values rank III/points
2. equity - 14 options performance - 13 options professionalism - 9
options
3. professionalism - 26 options equity - 10 options devotion - 7 options
7. faith in God - 11 options respect - 9 options work - 8 options
professionalism - 26 options performance- 13 options professionalism - 9
options
professionalism - 35 options (35%)
The analysis of the data from Table 2 shows that: 1. According to O2, we have managed to identify a central value for the activity of the trainers from primary education; 2. This value is professionalism, cumulating 35% of the respondents' options, respectively a third from the questioned sample; 3. This value is in agreement with the data obtained from the perspective of O1. Within it, professionalism has been identified as a rank I value, 59p, and as a rank III value, 18p, thus approaching (77p) quite closely (15p) the value of truth, which scored highest (92p); 4. The value of professionalism becomes the nucleus of the axiological profile of the primary teacher; 5. There is a significant number of non-answers for item 7, representing 11% from the questioned sample. This approach, as well as the wide diversity of the obtained answers (respectively, the small number of options which could be systematized for this item - 28%) indicates either the difficulty of the problem, or the primary teachers' lack of reflection regarding this topic. Other suggestions, which obtained few percents of representativeness for this item, were: love for people, 7%; equity, 6%; scientific knowledge, 4%; education, 3%. We may notice a certain heterogeneity of answers, but also a partial lack of full overlapping of some of them with the domain of values (love for people - feeling, education - process) or their inaccurate formulation (scientific knowledge instead of scientific experience!). They are yet proof that the domain of the axiology of education is difficult in itself and primary school teachers, although properly trained and experienced, have had neither the necessary time nor the motivation for a conceptual and action clarification from this perspective.
Illustrating the viewpoints of the investigated primary teachers will be done by resorting to their answers to item 6: If tomorrow were my last meeting with the students, I would address them, as a final message, the idea....
• Statements referring directly to the urge of learning: Learn! (10 options); Statements which refer directly to the urge of learning, correlated with other aspects, such as: Learn and respect your parents!, Learn and hope!, Learn and you will not regret it!, Learn and work hard!, Learning is the most precious thing in life! Learning is wealth just like a profession is a gold bracelet! Always keep learning and improving yourselves! Learn in order to become better! Learn and grow through your own efforts! The roots of learning are bitter, but its fruits are sweet! (10 options); Statements indirectly referring to the urge of learning, correlated with other aspects, such as: Read!; Read every day!; Keep up with the novelties!; Study!; Look for truth in books!; Be a model through your learning results!; Know, keep, take Romanian values further!; (7 options) (a total of 27 options for learning );
• Statements referring to the value ofperseverance: Persevere! (4 options); Persevere in studying!; Persevere in what you are doing!; Do not give up fighting for what you want!; Be perseverant in life!; You've won, go on! You've lost, go on! (2 options) (a total of 10 options for perseverance);
• Statements referring to various general-human values: respect (in general) or self-esteem, respect for others, respect for work, respect for school, teachers and parents (e.g., Respect the school and those who guide you!) (6 options); self-confidence, confidence in others, in the power to change the world (e.g.,
Believe in yourself and your power to change the world! (6 options); fairness, honesty: Be fair!; Be honest!; Be positive, honest about your acts and responsible for everything you do!; Be fair in life!; Be honest and persevere! (a total of 5 options); dignity (e.g., Live with dignity and trust! (2 options); industry (e.g., Be industrious, honest and kind!) (2 options); kindness (e.g., Be true human beings! (2 options); happiness (e.g., Be happy!) (2 options); scrupulosity (e.g., Be scrupulous! (2 options); responsibility (e.g., Be positive, honest about your acts and responsible for everything you do!) ( 2 options);
• Statements as pieces of advice on future success (e.g., Good luck! Make us proud!), social integration (e.g., Keep improving yourself in the domain of your profession!; Try to be the best!; Discover the qualities of the people around and support them in correcting errors!; Improve yourself!; Be strong and do not sell yourself short!) and the general quality of being Man (e.g., Without education, you cannot truly call yourself a man! A place is what a man makes of it!; Pour soul into everything you do!)
• No answer: 4 options
The above systematization and presentation of the messages with an axiological content highlights a very wide range of values indicated by the teachers from primary education. Nevertheless, we have succeeded in identifying the value of learning as having the highest frequency (27%), followed by values such as perseverance (10%), respect (6%), trust (6%), honesty (5%). Although the urges are focused, in a relatively natural way, upon learning, generally human dimensions are not left aside, for example happiness, dignity, responsibility, scrupulosity, which should be part of every person's moral profile.
In order to achieve O3, we have combined the synthesis data shown in Table 1 and Table 2, and represented the following model graphically:
Figure 1 - A model of the primary teacher's axiological profile
In order to achieve O4 and O5, we have compared the model of the preschool teacher axiological profile (presented in a similar study and built on the basis of the same questionnaire to a group of 100 preschool teachers) (Cojocariu&Albu, 2014) with that of the primary school teacher we have elaborated in this study. The systematized and comparatively presented data are shown in Table 3.
Table 3. Synthesis, comparative presentation of the defining elements of the axiological profile of the preschool teacher and the primary school teacher
Rank Set of anchor-values,
axiological profile of the preschool teacher
Set of anchor-values, axiological profile of the primary school teacher
respect - 120p work - 42p
honesty - 34 p
Central value
professionalism - 20%
truth - 92p equity - 54 optiuni
faith in God - 41p
Central value
professionalism - 35 options 35%
professionalism - 55%
The data presented in Table 3 highlight the following: 1. The first three values cherished by the two groups of investigated teachers are relatively different (respect, work, honesty for preschool teachers; truth, equity, faith in God for primary school teachers); 2. The scores based on which these have been hierarchized on each rank are, overall, quite different. Not only is the first value different, but it has also been appreciated with quite a difference of points: respect, 120p (preschool teachers) - truth, 92p (primary school teachers). For values 2 and 3, the scores are higher for the values mentioned by primary school teachers: equity, 54 p, compared with work, 42p, respectively, faith in God, 41p, compared with honesty, 34p; 3. Despite the differences recorded for the first three values appreciated by teachers, we may see that the central value of their axiological profile is the same, professionalism; 4. The percentages indicating it as the central value are quite different, 20% for preschool teachers and 35% for primary teachers; 5. At the overall level of the two groups of 200 preschool and primary school teachers, professionalism represents the central value shared by more than a quarter of the respondents.
Graphically speaking, the two models of the axiological profiles, identified on the basis of the answers obtained at the questionnaire, are comparatively shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 - Comparative presentation of the two axiological profiles (a) A model of the pre-primary teacher's axiological profile; (b) A model of the primaty teacher's axiological profile
5. Conclusions and future practical implications
The data interpreted above enable us to advance the following conclusions and future practical implications:
1. All the objectives have been reached: O1 - it was possible to identify at least three anchor-values which guide the primary school teacher's activity and these are: truth, equity and faith in God; O2 - it was possible to identify a central value in the primary school teacher's axiological profile and this is professionalism; O3 - it was possible to achieve a feasible model of the primary school teacher's axiological profile, shown in Figure 1; O4 - it was possible to apply the comparative analysis of the anchor-values and central values characteristic of the axiological profiles of primary and preschool teachers (Table 3); O5 - it was possible to establish the similarities and differences between the 2 axiological profiles, thus: the anchor-values are different, the central value is the same, professionalism.
2. The general hypothesis - Is there a defining set of values for primary teachers, which guides their professional activity? - has been confirmed, with the values of truth, equity and faith in God articulated around professionalism.
3. The specific hypothesis - Is there a shared set of anchor-values in the axiological profile of teachers from primary and preschool education? - has been invalidated. Despite the age and psycho-physical similarities between preschoolers and primary school pupils, the many shared elements related to the instructive-educational process from kindergarten and primary school and the similar elements from the initial and continuous training of preschool and primary school teachers, the anchor-values which shape their axiological profile are different. The relatively novel religious value, faith in God, is highlighted with a score (41p) that is almost equal to the score obtained by the value of work (42p) from the preschool teachers' axiological profile. A possible explanation for this result could be the urgent need for a solid axiological basis in a world shaken by moral crisis. It is a known fact that the primary school teacher plays a relevant role as a moral pillar and model for children and the moral confusion from society may have generated the search for an unquestionable value, which has been identified in the domain of the sacred.
4. The axiological profile of primary school teachers is rich, diverse and interesting in terms of the organization of the set of anchor-values around the central value, which is professionalism.
5. The multitude and diversity of the values from the axiological profile of the primary school teacher do not necessarily cover all the components required by an updated axiological universe. Values such as solidarity, freedom, initiative, creativity, tolerance, empathy, civic involvement are only weakly represented, if at all. At the same time, economic and aesthetic values seem to be ignored.
6. Additional focus is necessary, both in initial and continuous training, on the axiological component of education. It is necessary to aim at ensuring a higher degree of awareness at teachers regarding the process of value clarification, achieving a balance between the different categories of values and the identification of the best transfer strategies of the values through the educational process.
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