Values in textbooks: From the Late Ottoman Empire to the Early Turkish Republic (1908-1928)

In this study, the values that want to be given to children in the late Ottoman Empire (1908-1922) primary schools (iptidai mektepler) textbooks and in the early Turkish Republic (1923-1928) primary schools (ilk mektepler) textbooks examined the values that stand out in their contents were tried to bring to light. In this study, document analysis method and content analysis technique were used as a qualitative research. In order to achieve this goal, a total of 12 textbooks called Ma'lûmât-ı Medeniyye; Musâhabât-ı Ahlâkiyye, Sıhhiye, Medeniyye, Vataniyye ve İnsaniyye and Yurd Bilgi taught in the primary schools of the period were used. It was taken care to ensure that they were prepared according to the curriculum of the period and approved by the official authorities in the selection of the textbooks. The textbooks mentioned above were studied under two themes. Each theme; it is divided into five categories: religious values, personal values, family values, national values and human values. In each category, the values that are wanted to be given to the children and the prominent ones were also evaluated by coding. In textbooks, values were taught to children with a value transfer approach. During the late period of the Ottoman Empire, while values were given more space in the textbook contents, the name of the morality book Ma'lûmât-ı Medeniyye and Musâhabât-ı Ahlâkiyye, which were taught until the early years of the Turkish Republic, also took the name "Yurd Bilgisi" and turned into more of a citizenship content. The main values that stand out in the examined textbooks are: As religious values; To be a pious person. As personal values; being healthy, studying science, having a strong will, being moral, courage, patience, fortitude and composure, self-respect, dignity, modesty, truthfulness, honesty, working, self-confidence and entrepreneurship, being thrifty. As family values; family, showing obedience, love, respect, service, gratitude and compassion to family elders. National values; love of homeland and nation, doing military service, paying taxes, obeying the law, exercising the right to elect and be elected, respecting the flag and heirlooms of our ancestors. As human values, love towards others, tolerance, respect, obedience, compassion and mercy, generosity, kindness and cooperation, justice, equality, brotherhood, friendship, loyalty, sacrifice, these include complying with civilized manners and loving other living creatures and animals.