Dilemas arising when researching and emphasising educationally desirable values of individual and society

Abstract

The dilemas that arise in researching educational values stem from two different analytic approaches: the deductive-theoretical and the inductive-empirical approach. The inductive-empirical approach to values suggests a relativism of values with its thesis that each individual is the one creating, bearing and interpreting the prefered object. The main problem relating to this approach in investigating values is contained in the fact that it is simply impossible to anticipate all the variants of an individual standard of behaviour. The prefered object can manifest itself in a billion ways. The second, theoritical-deductive approach to values propagates the permanent or universal character of values. The shortcoming of this approach is the absence of empirical authentication. An acceptable approach to values would have to be able “to explain both the permanent character of values and their mutability“ (M. Rokeach).