Assumptions underlying values in a secondary school: an investigation of their effects on teaching and learning

Abstract

This thesis considers the influence of three popular movements on values education in a secondary school: positivism, relativism and post modernism. The research method adopted was the case study'. The terms 'moral', 'spiritual' and values' were examined, both from the perspective of academic authorities and from pupils and teachers. Groups of pupils were interviewed to discern how far they had been influenced by positivism, relativism and post-modernism in their perceptions and understanding of issues to do with moral and spiritual values. Teachers from the three core curriculum subject areas (English, Mathematics and Science) and the foundation subject in the national curriculum, Religious Education, were also interviewed. The school in the case study was looked at from three perspectives: the explicit curriculum, the implicit curriculum and the null curriculum. Consideration was given to the case for a value-free' approach to teaching, although this was finally rejected. The thesis ends with recommendations for the adoption of a whole-school approach to tackling values education.