Original scientific paper
Teachers' attitudes towards values as fundamental components of the national curriculum framework
Marija Sablić
; Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer, Osijek, Croatia
Ines Blažević
; Croatian Education and Teacher Training Agency, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The national curriculum framework is a basic document which contains general educational aims at the state level. Education and upbringing state what kind of society we want and what kind of person we aspire to raise. Therefore it is crucial to recognize common values that should support educational efforts. In that sense, a teacher should think about values and work in accordance with commonly agreed socio-cultural values. The national curriculum framework devotes special attention to the following values: knowledge, solidarity, identity and responsibility. They are an outcome of Croatian educational politics which supports integral personal development of a pupil, maintaining Croatian spiritual and material national heritage, European coexistence and a knowledge based economy. The paper considers the role of teachers as bearers of fundamental values in a contemporary school. The first aim of the research was to examine which values teachers prioritise when integrating them into primary educational content and everyday school life. Since teachers directly participate in the realization of the curriculum’s values learning objectives, the first hypothesis considers the assumption that teachers have a high regard for a certain value’s importance. One hundred and six teachers from two towns, Osijek and Split, participated in the research. The questionnaire used in the research consisted of 66 statements estimating the importance of a certain value. The data analysis will use univariate analysis: determining the answer distribution. The obtained research results suggest that fundamental values will be an integral part of contemporary teaching. Besides material, economic, scientific, technical and biological values in educational process, it is necessary to include and emphasise social, aesthetic, cultural, spiritual, religious and moral values. Nowadays a teacher is expected to raise a truthful, honest, peace-loving and responsible individual, a person who is creative and has deep feelings for family and Croatian national heritage and respects the values of other cultures and
nationalities.
Keywords
national curriculum framework; teachers; values learning objectives; values
Hrčak ID:
148988
URI
Publication date:
2.12.2015.
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