What Values are We Teaching? Reassessing the Affective Domain in Ugandan Primary Science Classrooms

There is a growing global concern about the deliberate teaching of values in schools, rather than relying solely on learners implicitly “catching” these values. Likewise, policy frameworks in Uganda emphasise fostering values in learners. However, recent reports indicate numerous challenges related to morality among learners in primary schools, suggesting that fostering values is minimal or absent in these schools. This study explored the values that primary science teachers in Uganda deliberately foster in learners, focusing on their planning and classroom practices. Grounded in an interpretivist paradigm, the research employed a qualitative case study involving two government-aided primary schools purposively selected for their strong academic performance and consistent instructional planning. Data were collected through lesson observations, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews with five Primary Five and Six science teachers. Findings revealed that while teachers fostered a range of values, most commonly respect, responsibility, and care, these were often not deliberately planned but emerged incidentally during classroom interactions. Although participants demonstrated a clear conceptual understanding of values and articulated their importance, their lesson plans and schemes of work frequently lacked systematic integration of the values they deemed essential. Inconsistencies between planned and enacted values were also observed, with many values listed in official documents failing to appear in practice. Teachers reported relying primarily on the national science syllabus when selecting values for instruction, yet these were not always implemented during lessons. The study concludes that despite their awareness of values, teachers did not deliberately integrate them during science lessons. Consequently, there was a misalignment between instructional planning and pedagogical practice. The study recommends that policy frameworks, teacher education programmes, and school-level support systems be strengthened to promote systematic, intentional fostering of values in science classrooms.