Lost Values in Social Life from the Perspective of Teachers

The rapid sociocultural transformation in the modern world is leading to a gradual erosion of social values. This study aimed to examine how this phenomenon occurs in a socio-culturally complex environment. The research was conducted in Kilis, exposed to social traumas like intense migration, security issues, and natural disasters over the past fifteen years. In this phenomenological study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 53 teachers and the data were analyzed using content and descriptive analysis. The findings reveal that fundamental values such as respect, tolerance, justice, love, morality, helpfulness, and honesty are gradually disappearing due to factors like the transformation imposed by technology and modern life, changes in family structure, individualization, and economic pressures. The erosion of values, particularly neighborliness, solidarity, and compassion, exposes the profound deterioration occurring in the social fabric. While teachers see role modeling as a priority value for themselves; they identified respect, love, and honesty as the most important values that students should possess. The study stresses the importance of increasing awareness, incorporating practical exercises into the national curriculum, fostering collaboration between schools and families, and making mindful use of media resources.