Prioritising Value Categories in Turkish Secondary School Curricula: A Social Class Perspective

ABSTRACT This study explores how parents from nine occupationally defined social classes in Turkey prioritise value categories in the secondary school curriculum, examining links between socioeconomic status and value‐based education. Using a cross‐sectional survey, data were collected from 311 parents in 10 randomly selected schools. After a brief orientation session, participants rated each value category as ‘less important’, ‘important’, or ‘very important’. Findings show religious‐moral, national, and democratic values were consistently prioritised across all groups, while aesthetic values received the lowest priority. Nevertheless, over 60% of participants (excluding freelancers) rated aesthetic values as ‘important’ or ‘very important’. Freelancers, who often face economic instability, assigned lower importance to aesthetic, scientific, and individualistic values, possibly due to their economic constraints. The results reveal shared cultural foundations alongside subtle occupational differences in parental value orientations. Theoretically, they contribute to intergenerational value transmission debates; practically, they support integrating socioeconomic diversity into curriculum design and educational policymaking.