A study on values and children's biographies

Purpose. This study attempted to analyze the values covered (contained) in children's biographies. Specifically, this study's purpose was to answer the following questions: (1) What values are most often, moderately, and most rarely covered in the biographies which had been most frequently read by Knoxville (Tennessee) elementary students? (2) What differences in values coverage exist among the biographies most often chosen by students themselves, most frequently chosen by adults' recommendations, and most rarely chosen? (3) What differences in values coverage exist among (or between) the kinds of biographies? And, (4) what categories of biography figures had been most frequently chosen to be read by Knoxville elementary students?

Procedures. From the 10 elementary school libraries which had been randomly sampled in Knoxville city schools, 36 different biographies were selected (20 biographies were those most often read, 24 biographies included those most often chosen by students themselves, most frequently chosen by both students themselves and adults' recommendations, and most rarely chosen, eight biographies overlapped). From each selected biography, approximately 30 units of content analysis (generally paragraphs) were randomly selected and judged in terms of values coverage by the value judges according to 36 value categories (including 18 instrumental and 18 terminal values) of Rokeach's system. Value frequencies obtained in each category bound in each biography were analyzed for answering the proposed questions.

Findings. First, almost all the values formulated in Rokeach's system were covered in the 20 biographies which had been most frequently read by Knoxville elementary students. Among those, the values most often covered were the six instrumental values of capable, ambitious, helpful, courageous, cheerful, and self-controlled and the six terminal values of a sense of accomplishment, social recognition, a comfortable life, family security, an exciting life, and happiness. The values moderately covered were the six instrumental values of loving, imaginative, responsible, independent, intellectual, and polite and the six terminal values of pleasure, a world at peace, national security, true friendship, equality, and freedom. The values most rarely covered were the six instrumental values of obedient, honest, clean, logical, broadminded, and forgiving and the six terminal values of wisdom, mature love, a world of beauty, self-respect, inner harmony, and salvation. Secondly, no significant differences in values coverage were found among the biographies most often chosen by students themselves, most frequently chosen by both students themselves and adults' recommendations, and most rarely chosen (only in four of 36 values, significant differences in values coverage among the three types of biographies were found). Third, considerable differences in values coverage were found among (or between) the kinds of biographies in terms of both biography figure's profession (differences in values coverage among explorer, statesman, and athlete biographies were significant in 10 of 36 values) and race (differences in values coverage between white and black biographies were significant in five values). Fourth, Knoxville elementary students largely preferred to read the biographies written on male, white, and United States statesmen, entertainers, and explorers.