Opinions of Special Education Teachers on The Necessity of Values Education

Abstract

In order for an individual to be a part of the society he/she lives in, he/she must adopt the values of that society. Individuals with special needs generally have problems in adapting to society and show various behavioral problems. For this reason, it is important for individuals with special needs to gain the values that exist in the society in order to integrate into the society. Along with the family, teachers are also an important factor in the acquisition of values. In this study, it was aimed to reveal the views of special education teachers about the necessity of values education. For this purpose, the case study model from the qualitative research design was used in the study. The participant group of the study consisted of 16 special education teachers. The participant group was chosen using the criterion sampling method. The collection of the research data was provided by a semi-structured interview form. The data was analyzed using descriptive analysis. The data were collected, summarized and described in the themes of “value examples, ideal behavior and being a good person, cultural transfer, tradition and custom, spirituality”. The majority of the teachers explained value education by giving examples of values while defining it. The first three values that teachers want to teach to special education students are "respect", "love" and "responsibility". Some of the teachers stated that values education in special education is necessary without any conditions. Some teachers, on the other hand, associated the necessity with the student's need, inadequacy level and priority order.