Preliminary results from the global environmental scan on values-based education

The research team organized a global environmental scan seeking to explore the values-based education from across the globe. Information has been collected by means of an online questionnaire aiming to map out the unique curriculum requirements for values-based education. Curriculum goals, requirements for values-based education, barriers facing student health and wellbeing, and challenges related to student engagement in physical education (PE) and sports were queried. Respondents comprised 47 professionals from 40 countries; reaching all inhabited continents. Concerning the presence of guiding principles in the classroom, Romania, Poland, and Algeria lack a national curriculum in primary and secondary schools, and the curriculums in place have no particular aims. All other reporting countries confirmed an existing national curriculum with guiding principles, mostly regarding academic standards, and general educational purposes focused on preparing responsible citizens. Similarly, in Spain, Romania, Hong Kong China, India, and Japan, values-based education plays no role in school curricula. In contrast, the vast majority of countries report that values-based education is embedded across the curriculum. There were a few countries which reported values-based education as a component taught in a particular subject (pedagogy, civic education, physical activity, etc.). The most frequently reported barrier facing student health and wellbeing was lack of physical activity during school time. Moreover, depending on the different cultural contexts, other barriers included bullying, violence, social inequalities, and poverty. Linked to these barriers, challenges related to student engagement in PE and sports were similar for all respondents. An emphasis was placed on lack of specialized teachers, facilities, and time for an inclusive physical education These findings, together with the review of the literature, establish a concrete foundation from which the toolkit will manifest. This toolkit is a multicultural and cross-curricular resource suitable for primary and secondary school teachers across the globe.