Reflection of Social Values in Primary Education of Bangladesh: An Analysis

Abstract

Social values have a significant role in forming the basic foundation of a society as well as the nation. The purpose of this study is to examine how social values are represented in "Bangladesh and Global Studies (BGS)" textbooks of the primary level. Primary Class III-V textbooks have been analyzed as documents using the content analysis approach. The findings reveal that social values were explicitly and indirectly reflected across the textbooks. However, analyzing the social values from ‘individual’ and ‘societal’ perspectives, this research revealed that although the textbooks were focused on both ‘individual’ (e.g., awareness, respect, responsibility, love, courage, patience etc.) and ‘societal’ (e.g., patriotism, peace, cooperation, and sharing etc.) values, these books also have the scope of integrating some emerging social values (e.g., endurance, decency, hospitality, modesty, loyalty, leadership, belief and benevolence etc.). Furthermore, this study also finds that certain values are explicitly articulated and most of the values are presented indirectly in plain texts, occasionally in characters, pictures, or sometimes guided activities, and that the textbooks lack guidance for practicing values through various co-curricular activities. This study will provide implications for the policy makers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, and the subject teachers of BGS as it reveals the scope for incorporating social values to create value-aware and socially responsible human beings.