The Values Preferred by Gymnasium Students. A Theoretical and Empirical Study

Abstract

This article discusses the values most popular with gymnasium students. Theoretical approach refers to the issue of values as such, as well as to the problem of education in human values (in the review of sociological and psycho-pedagogical literature). The empirical part of the study discusses the author’s research results. The research was aimed at investigating values which tend to be most popular with gymnasium students, and environmental factors determining students’ choices of values, as well. In total, 92 second-year students of gymnasium were surveyed (48 living in urban areas and 44 living in rural areas). The values most popular with the respondents distinguished by the place of residence were as follows: allocentric values appeared to be preferable, the second popular were hedonistic values, then pro-social values, family values and finally, material values. Having taken sex as an independent variable, two different hierarchies of values for boys and girls were established. In case of girls, the most preferable values were as reported in the following order: allocentric values, pro-social values, hedonistic values, family and material values. The boy respondents, whereas, considered hedonistic values as most important, then allocentric values, family, pro-social and material values. Finally, the problems of education in human values, transmission of values, teaching values and particularly the examples set by parents and teachers were discussed.