P.SELVI
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN ENGLISH
SRI SUNDARESWARI COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
SRIVILLIPUTTUR
ABSTRACT
A STUDY ON THE RESEARCHES IN VALUE EDUCATION
Value education is deep rooted in Indian soil with historical and
cultural background, its roots can be traced out in moral ethical, spiritual and religious education.
Martín Luther king well thought of the glory of a nation in the following words. “The prosperity
of a country depends not on the abundance of its revenues nor on the strength of its fortification,
nor on the beauty of its public buildings; but its cultivated citizens, in its men of education,
enlightment and character”. In India, Maharashtra government made value education compulsory
from 1997.Researches on value education is getting momentum. Here I am going to highlight
some of the researches done so far.

P.SELVI
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN ENGLISH
SRI SUNDARESWARI COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
SRIVILLIPUTTUR
A STUDY ON THE RESEARCHES IN VALUE EDUCATION
INTRODUCTION
The concept of value is gaining importance because of the present unwholesome
condition of society where higher values are given scant recognition. Value is associated with
what fulfils or has the capacity of fulfilling the needs of man, which might be physical,
psychological or spiritual. As a chief exponent of Indian Philosophy and way of living, Value
Education is not altogether a new subject in education. It is deep rooted in Indian soil with
historical and cultural background, its roots can be traced out in moral ethical, spiritual and
religious education. Martín Luther king well thought of the glory of a nation in the following
words. “The prosperity of a country depends not on the abundance of its revenues nor on the
strength of its fortification, nor on the beauty of its public buildings; but its cultivated citizens, in
its men of education, enlightment and character”. In India, Maharashtra government has made
value education compulsory from 1997. Researches on value education is getting momentum.
Here I am going to highlight some of the researches done so far.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF VALUE EDUCATION
The important aim of education during vedic period was formation and building of
character. In Buddhist period, though the main aim of education was emancipation and character
formation, dignity of labour had also important place in the curriculum. During medieval period,
the aims of education were to develop individual’s morality and to produce men of character
along with vocationalized education. During British period, the aim of education was to impart
instructions in useful subjects and to enlighten them in intellectual, moral, economic fields and

secular moral education. In pre-independence and after independence period, several
commissions and committees recommended character education and moral education.
As a result of quick economic growth, influence of western culture, over
mechanisation, urbanisation and craving for materialistic life there has been a loss of
values and of the value system at the individual level and in the country as a whole.
Materialistic needs and never ending lust to earn more and more by putting in less and
less effort, therefore, have to be balanced by a value-based life and by inculcation of
an attitude that earning money is for leading a respectable life and for helping others
who are disadvantaged. Where and when this value orientation should take place in
the life of any person? It should begin from home, be buttressed by the community
and be entrenched positively by one's school.
Concept of Value Education
Value Education, as it is generally used, refers to a wide gamut of learning and activities ranging
from training in physical health, mental hygiene, etiquette and manners, appropriate social
behaviour, civic rights and duties to aesthetic and even religious training.
To some, value education is simply a matter of developing appropriate behaviour and habits
involving inculcation of certain virtues and habits. In opposition to such a conception, it is
pointed out that value education has an essentially cognitive component in it and that this should
not be ignored. Actually the ability to make moral judgement based on sound reasoning is a very
important aim of value education and has to be deliberately cultivated.
Moral development of a child, according to some, results automatically from the social life of the
school. The child as a member of the group imbibes the attitudes, values and general behaviour
of the group and continually tries to mould himself according to the group norm. Such
adjustment to life constitutes his moral development. Value Education is a process of aiding the
child in such adjustment. Such a view is contested on the ground that although children learn the
rules of group living from the social life of the school, such learning does not constitute value

education. For morality, it is pointed out, is not concerned so much with `what is' as with `what
ought to be' and `what ought to be done'.
Value Education, according to one more view, is essentially a matter of educating the feelings
and emotions. It is the `training of the heart' and consists in developing the right feelings and
emotions. It does not involve any cognitive abilities that can be trained. Like poetry, it is `caught'
rather than taught. It is essentially a matter of creating the right atmosphere, imitation and
learning by example communion with nature or modelling oneself after an ideal. Such a view is
countered by saying that mere imitation of a `good' person and modelling oneself after an ideal
does not confer any morality on an individual. Morality isnot a thing that simply `radiates' from
one person to another. Moral development includes both thinking morally and behaving morally.
Moral thinking is a distinct type of thinking characterised by the exercise of rational choice. A
moral person is not only a person who does the `right' thing but also one who does the
`right' thing for the `right' reason.
Gupta(1988) explains that value education is instruction in the entire realm of values – physical,
emotional, intellectual, imaginative, aesthetic, democratic, scientific, social, moral and spiritual
for any individual.
Objectives of Value Education
Educational objectives refer to explicit formulations of the ways in which students are expected
to be changed by the educative process. That is, the ways in which they will change in their
thinking, their feelings and their actions. Objectives whether of value education or of any other
curricular area depend on a variety of factors, psychological, sociological, epistemological.
Objectives of value education in the modern context
Objectives, especially in value education, have a temporal dimension. Traditionally the
objectives of value education were based on religion and philosophy. There was no secular value
education and very little scope for the development of moral thinking and the capacity for
independent moral decision. In the modern world these are varieties of social demands made on
the people. A civilised individual must possess certain minimum social skills. He has to establish

decent relationship with people with whom he may come across for a short while or for a long
duration. He may have to transact business in his private or public capacity. He has to function as
a citizen of his state, or his Value education should therefore, it is pointed out, prepare an
individual to meet these demands. That these cannot be accomplished in the form of a few do's
and don'ts of the traditional form is quite evident.country and of the world, all at the same time
playing appropriate roles in each of these contexts.
VALUE EDUCATION CURRICULUM
NCERT Curriculum framework(2000) have explicitly mentioned that --:"Value education
and education about religions would not form a separate subject of study or examination at any
stage of the curriculum. These would be so judiciously integrated with all the subjects of study in
the scholastic areas and all the activities and programmes in the co-scholastic curriculum”.
UshaSri(1995) in her study on “Restructuring Teacher education for Value
Orientation”suggested a syllabus for value education paper for the B.Ed course.
UshaSri(1993) conducted an evaluation of Value Education provided in Secondary schools of
Tamilnadu. She has found out that books of standards VIII, IX and X, the greatest attention is
paid to examples given from life situations.
According to science teachers,”a logical approach to problem solving is emphasized”is
the most prevalent characteristic. The least perceived characteristic is “special mention made
regarding qualities of discoverers, reformers etc”
TEACHERS AND VALUES
Teaching is not a job; it is an attitude. Teacher is a source of information, a guide, a
mentor, a surrogate parent, a motivator, all at the same time. Teaching is the only profession
which always deals with the future. According to Confucian theory, only a person who is always

a source of love, morally upright and whose behaviour not only in personal but also in the
institutional life is impeccable, is worthy of being a teacher. The orientation and training given to
teachers has a significant impact on the way they set out to impart value education.
Roy Choudury’s(1958) study of values among teachers showed high political value and
low religious values among them.
Dixit and Sharma’s (1969) study shows that men teachers scored high on aesthetic,
political and social values than women teachers.
Patel (1979) observed that senior teachers prefer social, political, economic and religious
values whereas juniors preferred democratic and aesthetic values. Rural teachers preferred social,
political and economic values than their counterparts.
CONCLUSION
The world is a conglomeration of a large variety of human beings with wide ranging
differences in language, culture, beliefs and ethnicities. The most urgent need of the present day
society in the world is to have the spirit of co-existence. This is definitely based on tolerance and
mutual respect among individuals irrespective of their ethnic, cultural, and religious or language
background. From the point of view of diversity, India is a mini world in itself. The atmosphere
that can generate a sense of tolerance or spirit of co-existence in the Indian society can be a
model to the entire human society in the world. More and more researches on Value Education
will help us to achieve that.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gupta,K.M (1988) Training Cum Research Project in Value Orientation: Value Analysis model
UshaSri(1993) “An Evaluation of Value Education Provided at the Secondary Stage of
EducationinTamilnadu”
Venkataiah .N &Sandhya.N “Research in Value Education”