The Effect of Past Value-Focused Educational Experiences of Students on Their Future Ethical Behaviors

Abstract

Values education is tried to be given to students both implicitly and explicitly in schools. It is important to determine the effects of educational experiences in schools on students' behaviors. This study, which examines the effects of students' past value-oriented educational experiences on their future moral behavior, was carried out with an exploratory sequential design, one of the mixed-method designs. The quantitative universe of the research consisted of 8th-grade students studying in Istanbul. The qualitative study group was selected among the students, primary school teachers and administrators according to the scale values. Three different scales and semi-structured interview forms were used to collect data. According to the results, the moral identity of the students significantly predicted their moral maturity and social responsibility levels. It can be concluded that schools and teachers who attach importance to values education are more effective in the moral behavior of students in their future lives. It is observed that schools carry out independent studies on values education in their curricula and teachers who use the method of learning by living in accordance with the constructivist education approach are successful in acquiring values. Values education produces effective results when it is a part of school culture.