The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has awarded funding to a new project comparing how values are formed in classrooms across Switzerland and the UK. Westminster Reader in Psychology Dr Anna Doering is the Co-Investigator on the project, which will be run as part of the SNSF Co-Investigator Scheme, working in collaboration with Swiss academics.
The project is titled How Do Values Take Shape in Classrooms? A Mixed-Methods Study of Teacher and Peer Influences on Children’s Value Formation in Primary Schools in Switzerland and the UK. By collecting data from children and teachers across the two countries, the team will gain a comparative perspective of how values are formed in different cultural environments.
Their findings will enable educators and policymakers to understand how values are transmitted to children in schools, allowing them to adapt values education to reflect the cultural and social realities of their communities. It will also provide material for teacher training and professional development opportunities in the education sector.
This funding bid success builds upon a strong and well-established international collaboration between Dr Doering, Professor Elena Makarova from the University of Basel and Professor Anat Bardi from Royal Holloway, University of London, looking into value formation in schools. Together they are also working on a new project titled Values for Sustainability, which explores how schools can teach sustainable values, such as waste management, to children from a young age.
Dr Doering’s work reflects the University’s Being Westminster strategic vision of people who stand out as significant contributors to their communities seeking to make the world a more sustainable, healthier and better place. Her research explores how human values, including Westminster’s strategic values of compassionate, progressive and responsible, unfold a positive impact in learning environments. As a global university, Westminster is committed to international collaboration that makes real impact across the world.
About the project Dr Doering said: “I am delighted that we will be launching this new project in primary schools in the UK and Switzerland. This is a wonderful opportunity to delve more deeply into values and actions in the classroom and to give voice to both teachers and children.”
The project’s Principal Investigator Professor Makarova added: “I am excited to continue our established collaboration with leading value researchers in this interdisciplinary project. As an educational scientist, I particularly value the project’s potential to generate unique insights into children’s value development in classrooms and to provide important impulses for educational practice.”
This research directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4: Quality Education, 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
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