Methodological Tendencies of Graduate Theses in the Context of Children's Literature and Values Education

Abstract

Apart from the factors such as a good education-training program, family and social environment, the literary works that encourage the individuals to think and provide that they sense and self-learn can be considered as an important tool in providing an effective values education and character development. Considering the necessity of providing values education effectively from an early age, the importance of children's books and therefore the importance of children's literature is understood. It is observed that the academic studies have increased especially after 2014 within the context of the children's literature and values education. It has been determined that a significant portion of the theses written in Turkey in the field of values education concentrates on topics connected to Turkish education and teaching. The aim of this research was to determine and evaluate the methodological quality and researcher tendencies of the studies conducted at the graduate level, which had a certain increase in quantity until 2020. In the research, 99 theses approved by YÖK until 2020 in the context of children's literature andvalues education were examined in terms of the tag, research model and value or value category variables, on which they were based, of the relevant theses. In the context of children's literature and values education, when the postgraduate theses prepared in the universities which conduct studies at the postgraduate level were examined, it was observed that studies were conducted on certain academic fields and branches of science. When the types of works that were the subject of the sampling were examined, it was observed that especially fictional and plot-oriented genres were examined in the context of values education, and it was observed that all the theses revealed very different value and value categories although they wereexamined within the framework of a certain printed document's value or value category determined in various ways.