Sources of teachers’ values and attitudes

Abstract

Philosophers have written extensively about values and have long understood that internalized values define character and decisions. However, scholarship on sources of values, particularly for teachers, remains relatively unexplored. Sources of teachers’ values are usually mentioned only in passing in books or articles dealing with other aspects of teaching and are rarely included in teachers’ professional development. This article synthesizes sources of values and attitudes found in a survey of the literature, then extends and illustrates them using data from a study of 81 exemplary secondary school teachers across the USA. The teachers identified 14 sources that shaped or refined their values and attitudes, many of them during adulthood. The study suggests that this subject holds potential as a worthy topic for teachers’ professional development and as a way to help teachers understand how their values and attitudes affect the students and colleagues whose lives they influence.

Keywords:

• teachers’ values
• attitudes
• exemplary teachers
• professional development
• teacher development