Die essensie van morele waardes in die konteks van ‘n parallelmedium skool

Abstract

Moral values are interwoven in all aspects of teaching: in the curriculum, in the school culture, and as moral examples in teachers’ behaviour. Working with values is an essential part of teaching. The task of the teacher as moral educator increases in a time where more and more learners receive less or no moral education from their parents, where the influence of the church is decreasing, while the media has the largest influence in their moral life. The aim of this article is to determine how schools can inspire and teach learners to be moral people – to care about and take responsibility for others, to think clearly about and pursue justice, to sacrifice for important principles. A qualitative research approach was undertaken to determine the views of a purposefully selected sample of school teachers in a parallel-medium school context regarding moral values. Data were collected by means of interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. The participants’ answers were critically analysed by open coding and the ethical correctness was determined by evaluating them against the ethical and moral ideas identified in the theoretical framework. Results highlighted the importance of mutual values in all cultures. The findings are thus significant because the views clearly indicated that moral education contributes towards the development of a healthy community and behaviour. It illustrates the viewpoints of teachers on challenges facing them regarding creating moral-based practices in education.