Studying value orientations of adolescent students by the proverbs method

Introduction . Adolescence is characterized by qualitative changes in the value sphere that undergoes transformation into an autonomous and coordinated system. Value orientations of young people mutate faster and adjust to the altering socio-cultural conditions, thus reflecting the general trends of social value system transformation. Therefore it is important not only to study the content of adolescents’ value orientations but also to search for new methodological approaches to their investigation. Materials and Methods . The author's methodology "Value orientations in proverbs and sayings" is used. It is focused on identifying respondents’ inclination towards socially significant or egoistic values. The study was conducted on a sample of students aged 16-19; the total number of respondents was 387 people (146 boys, 241 girls). Results . Value orientations of adolescent students are largely formed and function as an individually configured system. The common vector of the value sphere in both boys and girls is directed to socially significant and socially approved values. This is especially clear with regard to "Study, work" and "Family, relatives" values reflecting the age-specific needs and interests of the surveyed. Still, there are significant differences in value orientations due to the gender of the respondents: young men are more inclined to the common cause values and their close circle (family, friends), whereas individualistic values, as well as those related to the external social and activity circle, are more attractive for girls. As for the general structure of value orientations, the categories "Money, wealth" and "Country, homeland" get mixed assessments. Discussion and Conclusions . We showed the productivity of the proverb method used to explore value orientations of adolescent students. The consistency of the results obtained with the data of psychological and sociological studies indicates that they not only register a certain stage of formation of young people’s value system but also reflect the complexity of value self-determination in modern society.