Values! A Hot Topic

This paper reports on a PhD project which explored the perceptions of teachers and elite personalities regarding the possible use of a selected religious text for values development, in Life Orientation. This paper focuses specifically on the teacher participants' understanding of values, their opinions on the insertion of values into the curriculum and who takes responsibility of values development. The paper also reports On the elite personalities ideas of prescription of values. This study is located within an interpretive paradigm as it attempts to interpret the views of Life Orientation teachers and elite personalities on values. Questionnaires (with Life Orientation teachers) and focus group interviews (with elite personalities) were used to gather data. The data suggests that values development occurs most effectively through dialogue, experience and critical thinking While some teacher participants and elite personalities favoured prescription and expressed some concern of. changing time honoured values, others were in favour of engaging with the values that they would like to instill in learners.