Values education: the understanding of values across Irish educational legislation, policies and curriculum

Schools have long been identified as important sites in terms of instilling values within the next generation. In order to develop our understanding of values, this paper sets out to explore how values are understood in Irish educational legislation, policies and curriculum. Irish Legislation, policies and curricula were searched systematically. Following the application of inclusion criteria, 188 documents were included in the sample, policies (n = 49), legislation (n = 39) and curriculum specifications (n = 100). Across these documents, ‘values’ tend to be understood in four main ways: 1) establishing the role of the school in developing students’ values, 2) supporting the development of particular values, 3) respecting a diverse range of values, and 4) respecting and protecting schools’ values. Some considerations are presented in terms of supporting schools to navigate these different and at times diverging policy, legislative and curriculum contexts with regards conditions for implementation of values in education.