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Pedare Christian College (South Australia) – Taking stock

This story is from one of the project schools of the Values Education Study (2002–03). It first appeared in Values Education in Action: Case Studies from 12 Values Education Schools (2004). The full report is available as a PDF on the Resources page.

Context

This relatively new R–12 Independent coeducational college, established in 1986 as a joint venture between the Anglican and Uniting Churches, maintains strong Christian principles but, until the Values Education Study, had not really checked whether these principles aligned with what students actually feel.

Strategy

To rectify this situation, the school administered the ACER Attitudes and Values Questionnaire, specifically developed for use in Christian and Catholic schools, to students in Years 7, 8, 10 and 12. This questionnaire provided the school with the baseline data needed for its more detailed exploration of values education and pastoral care. It gathered basic biographical information from students and then responses to statements related to the values of:

• conscience
• compassion
• emotional growth
• service to others
• commitment to God
• commitment to Jesus.

Overall, the conduct of the survey and the subsequent analysis of outcomes created the opportunity for broad discussion in the school community about the delivery of values education, including an evaluation of the effectiveness of existing programmes and their capacity to meet the needs of the student body as a whole. This in turn provided an appropriate context to consider new initiatives targeted at promoting the school’s values across the curriculum.

A raft of activities, primarily related to the MindMatters programme, was initiated by the school. A few of these included:

• implementation of the MindMatters programme within the pastoral care structure;
• in-service training of staff in relation to MindMatters;
• auditing of the secondary curriculum to establish where values education topics were already being taught;
• the school becoming a Drug Education Strategy school;
• reviewing the content of the school’s community-based pastoral care lessons with a consequent change to
• incorporate values education and community service in a more structured way; and
• increased responsibility for Year 11 peer support leaders.

Outcomes and advice

According to the school, the values education project has had a particular impact in promoting discussion among the teaching staff so that they address any changes necessary to the school’s delivery of values education; so that they evaluate the effectiveness of existing pastoral care programmes; and determine how best to meet the needs of the student body in regard to the implementation of the MindMatters programme and similar initiatives targeting the promotion and integration of values across the curriculum.

A particular value of the ACER survey was the fact that it highlighted areas of values education that the college needs to address, thereby helping to shape the nature of the initiatives adopted in response.

Following on from this, Pedare College planned to consolidate the work undertaken, ‘to address the areas of lower commitment within specific dimensions revealed by the ACER survey’ and to re-administer the survey in two years time to determine the impact of the changes that have been made.

Significantly, there has been a realisation that values education requires a broader approach than just relying on formal teaching of Christianity to shape young people’s views: