Values Clarification

Since the middle of the 20th century, moral education in the public schools has involved efforts to inculcate in students a given set of moral values or to encourage students to discover their own values. In an attempt to avoid “indoctrination,” several educators in the mid-1960s, such as Louis Raths, Sidney B. Simon, Leland Howe, and Howard Kirschenbaum, advocated a reform in moral education known as values clarification. These proponents asserted that students needed a system that would assist in decision making, critical thinking, and a conscious examination of their values. Simon, Howe, and Kirschenbaum sought to arm teachers with lessons that would lead to values clarification. No longer would the student live an “unexamined life.” Students as critical thinkers would focus on questions and issues such as race relations, love, sex, and material possessions. Educators of the 1960s and 1970s were prepared for a reform movement and found ways to incorporate values clarification into several different content areas. School districts sponsored in-service education programs on values clarification. And the question, “What is values clarification?” was asked by teachers, parents, religion, and other organized groups.

Values clarification is a process approach to assist students and others to develop a system of values. This process enables a person to learn about the values he or she holds, and to become aware of beliefs, attitudes, feelings, and ultimately to determine that which he or she values. Values clarification does not provide or prescribe a set of values, but rather allows a person to explore and discover his or her values.

Values clarification involves a process wherein students are encouraged to critically examine their own moral decisions by clarifying their own values. This process was adopted in many schools, but by the late 1970s critics frequently charged that it was not a “neutral” process but rather rested on a relativistic foundation. In the 21st century, values clarification remains as one of several approaches to moral education in the public schools; other approaches include character education and cognitive moral development.

Values clarification proponents such as Raths, Simon, Howe, and Kirschenbaum set forth the following criteria for holding a value:

• Choosing: freely from alternatives after thoughtful consideration of the consequences of each alternative.
• Prizing: cherishing, being happy with the choice; willing to affirm the choice publicly.
• Acting: doing something with the choice; doing something repeatedly, in a consistent manner.

Proponents of values clarification have designed exercises, case studies, and lessons that may be used by classroom teachers either in the context of a teaching unit or as an exercise in values clarification. Values Clarification: A Handbook of Practical Strategies for Teachers and Students is one text that offers numerous examples of value activities for the classroom. One of the most popular classic activities that provide an “X-rated version” as well as a “PG version” is Alligator River. The Alligator River (either version) presents a very short story with a cast of characters. After reading the stories, [Page 919]students (of various ages) are asked to rank order the characters from the one they liked the best to the one they liked the least. The Bomb Shelter is another classic example of values clarification. In The Bomb Shelter, students are asked which persons described in a case study might be admitted to the “bomb shelter” and which persons will be denied entry. Other values clarification lessons might ask students to do “values voting” on a list of 5 to 10 questions. “Values voting” is a process in which the student signals strong agreement to strong disagreement. Another lesson in values clarification is “rank order.” Students are given a list of 5 to 10 questions with 3 possible answers. Students are asked to rank order the answers from 1 to 3. Popular songs, poetry, political cartoons, and other media were often selected as spring-boards to values clarification activities. Teachers selected a song or other media item and designed a set of value questions to explore with the students.

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