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Life Values as the Basis for the Formation of a Citizen

Zoja Chehlova and Mikhail Chehlov

Zoja Chehlova, the University of Latvia, Riga, Ruses14-169, LV-1029, Latvia, t. 29716997, chehlova@inbox.lv

Mikhail Chehlov, the University of Latvia, Riga, Jurmalas gatve 99-70, LV-1029, Latvia, t. 22316064, kerprusov1@inbox.lv
Introduction

Citizenship education is a very topical issue in Latvia nowadays. Latvia’s regaining of independence and accession to the European Union ensured real freedom of personality and genuine democracy. These were the preconditions for citizenship education to senior secondary school students. However, there can be observed certain contradictions in this process. Teachers try to develop students’ ability to engage in a dialogue with other citizens and their groups and with governmental institutions, to develop responsibility for one’s own actions and choices, students’ understanding of legal and moral obligations to the society and the state, as well as the ability to exercise one’s rights and freedoms not violating the rights and freedoms of other citizens.

At the same time, traditional educational models functioning in Latvia at present do not fully provide young people with the fundamental world outlook necessary to form citizenship. We believe that this is due to the fact that knowledge-based approach rather than value-based approach still dominates in the actual pedagogic practice. We agree with the axiolgical approach of modern pedagogy, according to which the category of value is one of the fundamental categories for the construction of a new paradigm in the philosophy of education. The value orientations of an individual constitute a channel for the acquisition of the spiritual culture of society and for the transformation of objective cultural values into stimuli and motives guiding people’s behaviour.

The analysis of the results of our research has shown that cultural values are the precondition for the effective development of citizenship, which is a very important personality feature.

The purpose of the article is to develop the structure of citizenship education and to determine the effect of life values on the development of citizenship for senior secondary school students.

Key words: citizenship education, citizenship, life values, attitudes.

Most of the contemporary psychologists include the following components in the structure of citizenship education:

the cognitive component (knowledge, notions concerning the state, and awareness of oneself as its citizen);

the axiological component (the system of attitudes and values);

the behavioural component (the realization of oneself as a citizen in a particular society).

Each of these components has its own characteristic features; at the same time, they are all interconnected and interdependent in their actual functioning. This integration of the components of citizenship education makes it possible for individuals to adapt to the changeable conditions of their life activities.

The analysis of the structure of citizenship has enabled us to consider citizenship as an integrative personality feature expressing both moral and legal culture, including the inner freedom of personality, the feeling of dignity, respect, and trust in relation to other citizens, responsibility to the state, and the harmonious combination of national and international feelings.

In our study, we analysed various pedagogic conditions for the formation of positive personality features regarding citizenship.

Objective conditions presuppose the enrichment of the content of education with humanitarian issues. Orientation to humanitarian issues means focusing of education on man.

There was carried out a discussion based on Dostoyevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment”: “Who am I – “a little man” or a responsible personality?” “Does the development of civic society depend on my activity?” etc.

In our study, there was also determined the subjective component for the development of citizenship – the life values of senior secondary school students.
The Life Values of Senior Secondary School Students as a Condition for the Development of Citizenship

The following objectives were set for the analysis of the life values of senior secondary school students:

• 
  to study the system of values of senior secondary school students;
  
• 
  to analyse their understanding of citizenship values.
  

Understanding the development of citizenship as movement towards one’s inner freedom and the awareness of one’s responsibility to the society also requires the analysis of students’ system of values. Citizenship is characterised by a wide range of meaningful values.

Based on the analysis of key value-based human attitudes represented in modern philosophy and psychology (M. Gessen, K. Roger), we have singled out the basic human attitudes:

• 
  an attitude to self as a value;
  
• 
  an attitude to another person as a value;
  
• 
  an attitude to freedom as a value;
  
• 
  an attitude to independent statehood as a value;
  
• 
  an attitude to duty as a value;
  
• 
  an attitude to work as a value.
  

In order to analyse the values of senior secondary school students, there was used the method of expert assessments. The roles of experts were performed by teachers working with these students. There were developed criteria for assessing value-based attitudes, and the content of the criteria was explained to the teachers.

As a result, there was designed a table of “Highly Significant Values.” These are the values that senior secondary school students should have acquired. In order to determine the general value concentration index, we expressed various levels of the development of these values by numerical values ranging from 0 to 2, where 2 means a high level of the development of these qualities (A); 1 – an intermediate level (B); 0 – a low level or their absence (C). We determined the following standards for attributing students to a certain level:

0 – 0.5 – low level (C)

0.51-0.75 – intermediate level (B)

0.76-1 – high level (A).

Characteristics of the content of the levels of value concentration.

The high level of “value concentration.”

A wide range of highly significant positive values. Senior form students know these values, understand their content, and are guided by these values in their behaviour.

The intermediate level of “value concentration.”

A reasonably high level of highly significant positive values. Senior form students know these values, but are not always guided by them in their behaviour, which depends on a particular situation.

The low level of “value concentration”.

A limited range of highly significant positive values. Senior form students know these values, but they do not understand the content of all values, and are not guided by them in their behaviour.

The teachers of mathematics, literature, and foreign languages took part in the observation and survey. After the teachers had completed the table, the index reflecting the development of highly significant values was determined for each student.

The students whose index ranged from 0.76 to 1 where characterised as having the high level of value concentration.

The number of such students in our sample was as follows:

Pushkin Lyceum – 35,

Secondary School No 34 – 19,

Secondary School No 29 – 10.

If the index ranged from 0.75 to 0.65, the students were characterised as having the intermediate level of value concentration.

Pushkin Lyceum – 45,

Secondary School No 34 – 30,

Secondary School No 29 – 10.

The index lower than 0.5 shows a low level of value concentration.

Pushkin Lyceum – 24,

Secondary School No 34 – 26,

Secondary School No 29 – 30

These data are reflected in the following charts.

Fig.1A. The criterion “value concentration”.

The division of the respondents of the experimental groups into levels at the forming stage of the experiment. October 2005 (%).

Intermediate level – 34% - 35 students.

Low level – 43% - 45 students.

Fig.1B. The criterion “value concentration”.

Intermediate level – 40% - 30 students. Intermediate level – 20% - 10 students.

Low level – 35% - 26 students. Low level – 60% - 30 students.
There should be noted the wide spectrum of highly significant values among the students of Pushkin Lyceum and Riga Secondary School No 34. The students know these values, are aware of their content, but do not always implement them in their behaviour. The students of Riga Secondary School No 29 are characterized by a limited range of significant, a superficial understanding of their content, and low activity with regard of their realization.

The observation of students’ behaviour and their participation in social activities made it possible to draw a conclusion that the students having a high level of value concentration are more actively involved in various social activities (the school parliament, cooperation with various organizations, participation in elections). Consequently, the development of life values is a precondition for the development of citizenship.

As a result of the present study, there could be drawn a conclusion that the development of citizenship is possible in a democratic society, which has formed in Latvia at present.

The axiological approach to the content of education, with cultural values as its central component, promotes the development of citizenship for senior secondary school students.

The subjective factor is very important in the development of this valuable social feature. The subjective factor refers to the development of life values of senior secondary school students. Based on them, a positive attitude to the society, to the state, and to oneself as a citizen, as well as to other citizens of the state is formed.

1. 
   Gessen (1966) Fundamentals of Pedagogy. Introduction into Applied Philosophy. – Moscow: Pedagogy.
   
2. 
   Ginzburg (1994) The Psychological Content of Personality Self-determination // The Issues of Psychology. V 3. pp. 43-52.
   
3. 
   Matsumoto (1996) Culture and Psychology. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks / Cole.
   
4. 
   Roger (1983) Freedom to Learn for the 80s. – Columbus, Toronto, London, Sydney.