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Research Paper

Education

E-ISSN No : 2454-9916 | Volume : 5 | Issue : 7 | July 2019

VALUE EDUCATION : A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Ms. Ramya S. | Prof. (Dr.) T. V. Thulasidharan 1 2

Research Scholar, School of Pedagogical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India. Professor, Former Dean, School of Pedagogical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India.

ABSTRACT Education without values is like a flower without fragrance. Character building is equally relevant as career building. There is a saying that values are, “ better caught than taught”, but in reality values are both caught and taught. The bombardment of new technological devices and information explosion has made it very necessary to teach the values to this present generation. As a result value based education must be imparted in today's educational institutions. Education is a powerful instrument of social change and human progress, it is also a powerful tool to cultivate values in an individual. Therefore all the educational institutes have greater responsibility to impart learning and cultivation of values through education. This paper attempts to discuss the role of value based education from the sociological perspective and to review different opinions given by different educational commissions. The research methodology include relevant data collected from the books and other sources. KEYWORDS: Value, Sociological perspective. INTRODUCTION: Education should foster universal and eternal values like compassion, courage, honesty, tolerance, peace, and truthfulness to develop balanced individuals and to create a better human society. If education in our country has to fulfil the above urgent need then it's absolutely essential to promote Value Education in our schools in order to make them training centres of democratic citizenship which catalyze social transformation , promote economic growth, and accelerate or progress towards democratic socialism. “The destiny of India is now being shaped in her classrooms”. This is the opening sentence of the Kothari Commission Report ( 1964-66). What kind of destiny has been actually shaped during the last few decades? A sample of news picked up from prestigious Kerala Daily presents a horrifying picture. Ÿ

Robbery of ornaments from a home in a busy locality (Safety and Security of citizens)

Gang rape, abduction and molestation of young girls (Moral Values)

Arrest of manager of orphanage for girls on charges of harassment and sex abuse of inmates. (Social service)

Arrest of persons caught in smuggling gold and silver worth crores (Economics)

NATURE OF VALUES: 1. Values are standards or guidelines for an individual's life. 2.

Values are the guidelines for a nation that guide its policies.

Values are learned and acquired in many ways.

Values are influenced by an individual's experiences, desires, and specific situations.

Values are created and developed in the society through the interrelationship of its members.

Values steer our life's journey.

Values are not static and they change with time.

Values are socially shared and transmitted, and accepted by all members of the society.

Values energise the individual to action.

10. Values can be structured and restructured through the processes of reflective thinking. 11. Values are influenced by emotions. 12. Value of a thing or person has the power to satisfy its desire.

Students threatening teachers for internal marks and teachers misusing their students. ( Education)

Father molesting his own daughter. (Domestic Relationship)

Widespread use of narcotics and hallucinogens among school and college students.

15. Values are hierarchical in nature.

Destruction of the public property during hartal days. (Utility services)

16. Values are helpful for survival.

13. Values are derived from several sources (church, school, family, etc.) 14. Anything which has utility is a value.

The moral standards of vast number of people is unsatisfactory. This is true not only of India , but of the entire world. It is time for all of us to introspect and question ourselves whether we have lost our vision concerning the true end of education. MEANING OF VALUE: Friedrich Nietzsche ( 1844-1900) a German Philosopher, used the word 'Values' in 1880 in a plural form to denote moral attitude and beliefs that were personal and subjective. But in modern democratic societies, values include all important religious beliefs, moral attitudes, philosophy of life and political ideologies. Etymologically, Value means the equality of an individual or thing which makes an individual or thing important , respectable, and useful. Thus Value is anything ( person, object, activity or condition) that men regard men regard as worthwhile or preferable to other things. A value can be defined as an Endeavour which satisfies the need system, psychological as well as physiological. A value is directly related to a view point of thoughts.

17. Values involve emotions and people often sacrifice and even enter into conflict to uphold them. 18. Values frequently represent alternatives. 19. Values possess both cognitive and effective dimensions. 20. Values represent wants, preferences, and opinions about what is right, fair, just or desirable. CLASSIFICATION OF VALUES: Values are influenced by social, religious, technological, psychological, and moral factors. As a result, values mean different things to different people. Therefore they are classified differently by different scholars. Swami Vivekananda says, “ What I want is muscles of iron and nerves of steel “.

Copyright© 2019, IERJ. This open-access article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License which permits Share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and Adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) under the Attribution-NonCommercial terms.

International Education & Research Journal [IERJ]

Research Paper

E-ISSN No : 2454-9916 | Volume : 5 | Issue : 7 | July 2019

We want men of character and character is destiny. We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one's own feet. Swami Vivekananda's classification of values Cultivation of heart

Fearlessness

Non- injury

Personal purity and social purity

Self sacrifice

Service to others

To know about various living and non-living organisms and their interaction with environment.

ROLE OF VALUE EDUCATION IN EDUCATIONAL SETTING: UNESCO organized a 'Values in Education' Summit in 1998, to encourage schools to review their curricula in terms of value education. The fact that a world body like UNESCO should stress on the need of teaching 'values' in the school system is in itself a statement of the gravity of the problems created by gradual disappearance of a civil society and the preservation of democracy. Value education, both formal and informal, may encourage students to a.

Develop their own personal moral codes and have a concern for others.

Reflect on experiences and search for meaning and patterns in their experiences.

Have self respect and respect for commonly held values such as honesty, truthfulness and justice.

Make socially responsible judgments and to be able to provide justification of decision and actions.

Mahatma Gandhi's classification of values Ahimsa (Non- violence)

Satya ( Truth)

Astayans (Non- thriving)

Brahmacharya (Purity)

Aparigraha (Non-acquisition)

Sharirshram ( Physical work)

Aswada( Control of palate)

SarvatraBhavjavarjana ( Fearlessness)

Sarva Dharma Sambhava (Looking up at all religions equally- toleration. Swadeshi (Patriotism)

Sparsha Bhavana (Abolition of untouchability)

S.J. Dackawish in Analysis of Values of modern Midwerbarn Community, Society and Social Science research has mentioned the following twelve basic values Fairness

Genuineness

Happiness

Humanity

Impulsive control

Integrity

International skills

Love of people

Mentality

Religion

Respect for dignity

Sobriety

SOCIOLOGICAL AIMS OF VALUE EDUCATION: The aims and objectives of education for values from sociological dimensions are varied and thrilling. These primarily encapsulate the essential sociological value-axis :Ah nohbhadrakratavayantuvisvata –let noble thoughts come to us from all directions. If education is directed towards this sociological perspective of values , it serves the following five- fold purpose: a.

Education not only remains satisfied with advancement of learning but also positively ensures enkindling of the self for service towards others as best as possible.

Education becomes a communicated pursuit towards exploring and translating the essence of values best needed for the individual and the society.

The world of the learner in terms of education for values is expanded. He enjoys freedom in negotiating and appreciating social values side by side with his own values cherished in isolation.

A certain sense of heightening and enriching social sensibilities in terms of value excellence becomes an enviable reality.

Education for the social ascent of man is geared through exercise of value items both individually and in groups as a common social endeavour.

White Home conference on education emphasizes the following values 1.

Appreciation of our democratic heritage.

Ability to think and evaluate consistency and creativity.

Ethical behavior based on a sense of moral and spiritual values.

Wise use of time, including constructive leisure, pursuit.

An awareness of our relationships with world community.

Berelson & Satter have divided values into two categories Values of Heart: Adventure, affection, idealism, independence, justice, and patriotism. Values of Mind: Domination, economic success, personal success, power, problem solving, competence, and social security. VALUE EDUCATION: The growing concern over the erosion of essential values and an increasing cynicism in society has brought to focus the need for a readjustment in curriculum in order to make education a forceful tool for the cultivation of social and moral values. In our culturally plural society , education should foster universal and eternal values, oriented towards the unity and integration of our people. Such value education should help to eliminate obscurantism, religious fanaticism, violence, superstition, and fatalism. Value education should also have the positive content based on our heritage national and universal goals and perception. OBJECTIVES OF VALUE EDUCATION: To improve the integral growth of human begins.

Education for interdependence of a global citizen in a global society would serve as a genesis of education for social values. Such education would allow every learner to come out of the cocoon of narrowness of vision and crippled outlook. In order to establish new order of compassion peace, justice and security , it is essential that mankind free itself from the limitations of national prejudice and acknowledge that the forces that unite it are incomparable deeper than those that divide it – that all people are part of the one global community dependent on one body of resources , bound together by the ties of a common humanity , and associated in a common adventure on the planet Earth. STRATEGIES FOR INCULCATING VALUE EDUCATION: The most common steps which can be taken in educational institutions to inculcate values include: a.

Teaching accountability

Playing role model

Teaching basic morals and values

Appreciation of direct value education

Incidental approach

Routine co-curricular activities approach

Indirect curricular approach

Indirect co-curricular approach

Personal example

Ÿ Ÿ

To create attitudes and improvement towards sustainable lifestyle.

To increase awareness about our national history our cultural heritage, constitutional rights, national integration, community development and environment.

To create and develop awareness about the values and their significance and role.

WAYS TO MAKE VALUE EDUCATION MORE EFFECTIVE: Firstly, the moral awareness should be endorsed to orient the progress in science & technology towards the welfare of mankind. Secondly, common values should be re-discovered to unite human beings with the general decline of traditional values. Thirdly, teachers pass values to the students both consciously and unconsciously through their conduct in and out of class rooms. Therefore the

International Education & Research Journal [IERJ]

Research Paper

E-ISSN No : 2454-9916 | Volume : 5 | Issue : 7 | July 2019

need for a consciously planned value education program is obvious to establish a formal learning. Fourthly, students might face more complicated decision making situations about issues involving values. They should be helped in developing the ability to make proper choices in such situations through value education. Fifthly, increase in Juvenile delinquency is a crisis to youth who under go the process of personal growth. In such situation value education assumes a special significance. The success of Value Education / Inculcation depends upon the enthusiasm and commitment of teachers and managements/ Governments. Value education should not be an additional subject , it should permeate all work and activities in educational institutions like a Guardian Angel. SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS: Education is always a process of purification. It is a process that encompasses whatever is good , true, and beautiful for everyone. Values are to be caught and not taught is a very old saying. It was perhaps true in days gone by when parents at home and leaders in community in various walks of life were all value- based people. Therefore younger children and growing adolescents could catch values of elderly people and either by imitation or by special efforts developed, appropriate values accepted and respected in society. Much water has flown under the bridge since then and there is a grave deterioration both among parents and community leaders in terms of their being value models for the younger generation. We cannot therefore expect values to be caught from undesirable situations and persons in society in today's world. Therefore values have got to be taught in addition to being caught from selected situations and personalities. It is in this scenario that newer programmes for education for values be launched to usher forth brighter hopes and nobler promises of value poignancy in the world of learning. REFERENCES: 1.

Bhattacharya, S. (2006) Philosophical foundation of education (1st ed.)New Delhi: Nice Printing Press.

Chakrabarthi, M. (1997) Value education : changing perspectives (1st ed.).New Delhi: Kanishka Publishers .

Sharma, Y. (2001) Foundations in sociology of education (1st ed.) New Delhi: Kanishka Publishers.

Venkatiah, N. (1998) Value education (1st ed.). New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation.

Thomas, S. (2011) “ A Study on Life Skills and Value Priorities among the under graduate students of Kottayam district”, Unpublished Master's Thesis, University of Kottayam.

https://www.gktoday.in/gk/role-of-educational-institutions-in-inculcatingvalues/#Ways_to_make_value_education_more_effective.

Enwikipedia.org

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