Values in teaching and teaching values : a review of theory and research, including the case of Greece

Abstract

This paper brings together an overview of ideas about values in teaching from an historical, theoretical, as well as from a research-based perspective. More specifically, it aims to review: (i) the ways in which education attributed meaning to values and their teaching in the second half of the 20th century; (ii) the relationship between values and education with respect to three educational movements of different underlying theoretical traditions; and (iii) recent research focusing on how teachers diffuse their own values during the teaching process, thus influencing the development of their students’ own values. The study also intends to shed light on the terms of this pedagogical discussion of the relevant issues pertaining to Greek education, and to contribute to the diffusion and enrichment of relevant thinking. Suggestions for the education of prospective teachers are also included.