Eureka! Institutional Repository

This study was conducted to investigate and explorethe attitude and behaviours of teachers and parents towards the teaching of culture during primary education. The primary aim was to establish whether the teaching of tradition and culture in a systematic manner as a part of the formal curriculum would cultivate a greater appreciation for it amongst current students, which might be nurtured and cherished through to their adult years, with the ultimate goal being the recognition of culture as a national value. It is of paramount importance that a sense of culture identity is instilled in young people. The richness of Greek culture and its vast history features prominently across the world. Therefore, ensuring a high quality of culture education can also contribute to the formation of a better sense of culture globally, counterbalancing the current global culture climate. This study analysed a total of 212 questionnaires – 116 from teaches and 96 from parents – from the regional unit of the Delta municipality in central Macedonia, Greece. The results revealed an extensive need to increase the engagement of primary school students with culture; current primary school curriculum only covers the bare minimum with regards to culture education indicating a profound omission within this area of learning. Moreover, it was evident that placing greater value on culture is an important factor in the enhancement of one’s national identity as well as a greater acceptance of differences between fields. Finally, the results indicate that teachers have a strong desire to improve their qualifications – deemed as the most important factor for the improvement of teaching quality and efficacy – and this is reflected in the high demand for a substantial amount of further training through a combination of lifelong learning and students’ professional development. This project was carried out in two parts. The first part presents the current scientific views of what students stand to benefit from following an increased education of tradition and culture. The second part displays and analyses of the study’s results with a final discussion of the scientific outcome.