Bu çalışmada değer eğitimi akımlarından değer gerçekleştirme, karakter eğitimi, vatandaşlık eğitimi ve ahlak eğitimi akımlarının genel özellikleri açıklanmıştır. Geçmişte genel hedeflerde ifade edilen değerlerin, yeni ilköğretim programlarının bir boyutu haline gelmesi, değer eğitimi akımlarının yeniden bütünlük içinde incelenmesini gerektirmiştir. Bu çerçevede değer gerçekleştirme, karakter eğitimi, vatandaşlık eğitimi ve ahlak eğitimi akımlarının tanımları, kapsamları, öğretim yaklaşımları, öğretmen rolleri ve temel değerlerinden bahsedilmiştir.

This study elaborates the main features of such trends in values education as values realization, character education, citizenship education and moral education. In the past; turning of the values described by means of general objectives into one dimension of the elementary curricula prepared after 2004 required reinvestigation of the values education movements within integrity. Movements of Values Education Studies have been being carried out on the purpose and methods of moral education since the early 1900s. By the end of the Second World War, studies had been carried out concerning character education, moral character education and will education in addition to the moral education approach. Kirschenbaum (1995) states that values education and moral education were maintained by means of conventional methods until the period after World War II. Only upon introduction of newly developed approaches such as values clarification, originated by Sidney Simon et al. in the USA in the mid-1960s, and community schools developed and implemented by Kohlberg et al in the early 1970s, were other teaching methods available as alternatives for suggestion-based values education. In 1992, attention was again focused on the character education approach by Lickona. Values Realization This approach includes an individual’s being aware of her/his own feelings, beliefs, priorities and values, appreciating her/his strengths and weaknesses and having a sense of honor. Between the years 1960 and 1980, when the values classification approach was common, this approach was widely adopted to help individuals to realize their own feelings, beliefs and values. The concept was first used by Sidney Simon et al. This approach helps individuals realize their values, make decisions and put these decisions into action. It is also called life skills education. It helps the young acquire knowledge, skills and feelings to guide them throughout their life in the changing world (Kirschenbaum, 1995). Developed during this period, were approaches such as values clarification, which is about helping students realize their own values, moral reasoning, and which develops students’ moral judgment by providing them with stories that include moral dilemmas, and the value analysis approach, whereby students can propose solutions for moral problems in a reasonable and systematic manner without being emotionally driven. Character Education Character is a trait which has been given importance by human communities for thousands of years. A literature review indicates that character is defined as a well-organized integration of values (Kerschentsteiner, 1954), a strong and stable human will (Kanad, 1951) and the entirety of a human beings’ habits (Lickona, 1992). Lickona (1992) suggests that individuals who have gone through character-oriented education are not only smart but also have a well-balanced character, are literate, kind, knowledgeable and virtuous. In other words, they are good citizens, who exert their energy for the good of others and to create a better world to live in. Citizenship Education Citizenship education is a process in which the legal and political principles of any particular country are acquired by learners. It includes values such as public welfare, personal rights, justice, equality, diversity, righteousness, patriotism, etc. Citizenship education aims at helping individuals gain knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding the political and legal system in that particular country. Moral Education Moral education is not a newly introduced issue. It has been known throughout all periods of history and all over the world. Plato took moral education as one of the main responsibilities of the schools and attempted to bring up citizens who were able to use their minds as much for others’ benefit as their own (Lickona, 1992). Conclusion Once constructivism was adopted as the basic approach in the new elementary education curricula, the fact that a person’s personal knowledge, views, beliefs and values have an impact on future learning was accepted (MEB, 2005). As a consequence, values included in general objectives are explicitly stated in many of the elementary education curricula, and activities are proposed for teaching the values. Aspects necessary for moral character, including cognitive, affective and active, can be developed in a well-balanced way by means of a hidden curriculum and a direct method.