Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, vol.21, no.1, pp.256-280, 2024 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Values education refers to a form of character
education that comprehensively imparts various human values to students. It
holds great significance to instill in students the values embraced by society
through textbooks at the middle school level. Hence, this study aims to assess
the extent to which reading texts (or reading passages) in science textbooks,
aligned with the Turkish Science Curriculum implemented in 2018, address the
ten root values adopted by the Ministry of National Education. The research
employs the document analysis method, a qualitative research approach. Four
science textbooks taught at the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade levels were
analyzed within the study. The data were subjected to content analysis, and the
findings reveal that the reading texts in the four science textbooks partially
incorporate the ten root values. The results of this study demonstrated that
despite being abstract course, science textbooks emphasize the majority of the
ten root values, albeit not all of them extensively. This finding is a
significant indication that the type and content of the course do not hinder to
boost values education. At the end of the study, a few suggestions were made to
ensure that the ten root values are acquired by students.