ORIGINAL PAPER
Determination of the Personal Values of the University
Students in Different Departments
Gu¨ lseren Çıtak Tunç
1
•
Dilek Yılmaz
1
•
Nurcan O
¨
zyazıcıog
˘
lu
1
Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract
This research aims to examine the personal values of the first-year university students
studying in different departments. This is a descriptive cross-sectional survey study.
Research population is composed of first-grade students approving to participate and
studying in the Nursing Department in the School of Health, Biology Department in the
Faculty of Science and Letters and the Department of Early Childhood Education in the
Faculty of Education of Uludag
˘
University. ‘‘Student Information Form’’ and ‘‘Schwartz
Values Inventory’’ were used for data collection. When the values inventory is examined, it
is seen that the point averages of the students are the highest in safety sub-dimension and
the lowest in power sub-dimension. Power, achievement, and hedonism and tradition point
averages of the students in the Nursing Department of Health Sciences are higher than
those of the students in the departments of science and educational sciences, and the
difference in between was found out to be statistically significant. Point average in the
achievement sub-dimension was found out to be high among male students (p \ 0.01). It
was found out that the point averages of female students for hedonism, universalism,
benevolence and conformity are higher than those of male students, while the achievement
point averages were higher among male students.
Keywords Gender Personal values University students Ethics Education
This study was oral presented to The World Congress on Nursing & Healthcare Congress on April 18–20,
2016, Dubai, UAE.
& Nurcan O
¨
zyazıcıog
˘
lu
[email protected]; nurcanozyazicioglu@yahoo.com.tr
Gu
¨
lseren C¸ ıtak Tunc¸
Dilek Yılmaz
1
Bursa Uludag
˘
University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nursing Department, Go
¨
ru
¨
kle Campus,
Bursa, Turkey
123
Journal of Religion and Health
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-018-0676-1
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Introduction
Values are believes and rules that guide and steer our behaviours (Schwartz 1992). Values
are defined as a set of concepts determining the world view of the individuals and
encompassing their likes and dislikes, viewpoints, requirements, tendencies, realistic and
unrealistic judgements, and prejudices (Bardi and Schwartz 2003; Bruno and Lay 2008).
It is believed that the values have lasting effects on the behaviour and attitudes of an
individual. It is stated that the preferences of individuals are related to their values and may
change through social interaction (Robbins 1994). Values of the individuals may vary in
different environments. In this process, school experience has an important role in shaping
the attitudes and behaviours. School is a field of living and learning built upon values
(Og
˘
uz 2012).
Values serve as guides in selecting and realizing the professional roles. It is stated that
people working in different occupations have different values (Knafo and Sagiv 2004;
Zhang et al. 2014). Accordingly, each discipline focused on and examined different
dimensions of the values, related to its field of study (Ulusoy and Dilmac¸ 2014). As a result
of the study carried out by Moyo et al. (2016) with different professional groups, it was
stated that prior values differ among various professional groups. Uyguc¸(2003) noted that
values guiding the life of an individual also have an effect in the selection of professions.
In their study, Lamsa et al. (2000) asserted that values play a role in students’ selection of
professions and emphasized the importance of personal values on this selection process. In
a study carried out among students studying in different departments, it was determined
that there are differences in the priority order of the values (Myyry and Helkama 2001).
In the literature, studies aiming to determine the personal values of teachers and stu-
dents who are prospective teachers are more common (Keskin and Sag
˘
lam 2014; LePage
et al. 2011;Og
˘
uz 2012; Thornberg 2008; Thornberg and Og
˘
uz 2013). However, there are a
limited number of studies on the personal values of university students studying in dif-
ferent fields, and the role of these values in terms of the departments (professions) they
have selected (Lamsa et al. 2000; Myyry 2008; Myyry and Helkama 2001; Uyguc¸ 2003).
Based on this fact, this research aims to examine the personal values of the first-year
university students studying in different departments.
To achieve this objective, following questions were tried to be answered:
• What are the personal values of the university students studying in different
departments?
• Is there any difference between personal values of students according to gender?
Method
Research Type
This research was planned to be descriptive and cross-sectional, in order to determine the
personal values of the university students studying in different departments, and the affect
of these values on the selection of professions.
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Journal of Religion and Health
Place and Time of Research
This research was carried out among the first-year students of the Department of Nursing in
the School of Health Sciences (n = 150), the Department of Biology in the Faculty of Arts
and Sciences (n = 110) and the Department of Pre-School Education in the Faculty of
Education (n = 60) of Uludag
˘
University in the fall semester (September 2015–February
2016) of the 2015–2016 academic year. Considering the effect of university experience on
the values of individuals (Og
˘
uz 2012), only the first-year students were included in the
research, and therefore, the differences observed as a result of grades are eliminated.
Research population was composed of 320 students. It was tried to be contacted with the
whole population but due to the reasons such as the absence at the time of research and
reluctance to participate, the research sample composed of 271 students (participation rate
84.6%).
Collection of Research Data
In collecting the research data, ‘‘Student Information Form’’ and ‘‘Schwartz Values
Inventory’’ were utilized. Survey forms were distributed to the students after informing
them about the research; later, the students were given time to answer the questions and
then the forms were recollected. Students answered the questions within approximately
15 min.
Student Information Form
This form developed by the researchers includes questions on topics such as the depart-
ment, age, gender and family type of the student, educational background and income level
of the parents, order of his/her current department in his/her list of preferences and
affection for his/her department.
Schwartz Values Inventory
Schwartz Values Inventory utilized in the research is a scale developed by Schwartz
(1992), adapted to Turkish and tested for validity and reliability by Kus¸dil and Kag
˘
ıtcıbas¸ı
(2000). Schwartz Values Inventory was developed by collecting data from a sample group
composed mostly of students and teachers from 54 countries, including Turkey. Because of
this aspect, the scale is an international one. The scale is composed of 57 value items and
10 sub-dimensions, which are self-direction (6 items), stimulation (3 items), achievement
(5 items), universalism (9 items), conformity (4 items), hedonism (3 items), power (5
items), tradition (6 items), security (7 items) and benevolence (9 items) (Schwartz et al.
2010; Ros et al. 1999 ;O
¨
zdemir and Koruklu 2011). In practice, first-year university
students were asked to grade the value items in the scale according to their importance as a
principle guiding their lives between - 1 (contradicts with my principles) and 7 (of highest
importance) and to mark one grade for each value. In the study of Kus¸dil and Kag
˘
ıtc¸ıbas¸ı
(2000), it was found out that coefficients of internal consistency calculated by Cronbach’s
alpha varied between 51 and .77 for each value and between 77 and .83 for value groups. In
this study, Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency reliability coefficient was determined as
.78. Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency reliability coefficient of the sub-dimensions of
the scale was determined as .74 for universalism, .74 for benevolence, .79 for hedonism,
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Journal of Religion and Health
.77 for power, .75 for achievement, .77 for stimulation, .75 for self-direction, .77 for
tradition, .75 for conformity and .74 for security.
Analysis of the Research Data
In evaluating the research data, frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation
and Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient were calculated. Spearman’s correlation
analysis, ANOVA and t test were used in the statistical analysis of data. Statistical sig-
nificance was taken as 0.05. Statistical significance level was defined as p \ 0.05.
Research Ethics
This research was carried out in conformity with the principles of Helsinki Declaration. In
order to carry out this research, required written authorizations were received from Local
Research Commission (CRB-45226392-605/649, July 27, 2015; 61514082-900/3639,
August 20, 2015) and from other institutions taking part in the study. Moreover, before
distributing the data collection forms, students were informed about the objective of the
study and were asked to participate in the study on voluntary basis.
Results
Table 1 presents the breakdown of the findings by the identifying characteristics of the
participating university students and by their preferences of profession. It was determined
that 65.9% of the students studying in the field of health sciences are female and that in
terms of the educational background of their parents, 72.4% of the mothers and 44.8% of
the fathers are primary school graduates. It was stated that 70.7% of the students like their
profession, and 42.3% of them had ranked their current department first in their list of
preferences in the university examination. It was determined that 75.5% of the students
studying in the field of physical sciences are female and that in terms of the educational
background of their parents, 38.4% of the mothers are primary school graduates and 40.4%
of the fathers are high school graduates. In this field, 86.2% of the students stated that they
like their profession and 42.6% said that they had ranked their current department first in
their list of preferences in the university examination. In the field of educational sciences,
88.9% of the students are female and in terms of the educational background of their
parents, 50% of the mothers are primary school graduates and 35.2% of the fathers are high
school graduates. In this field, 90.7% of the students stated that they like their profession
and 40.7% said that they had ranked their current department first in their list of prefer-
ences in the university examination (Table 1).
Table 2 presents the relations among the sub-dimensions of Schwartz Values Inventory.
As understood from the simple correlation coefficients in Table 2, all the relations are
significant at p \ .05 and p \ .01 level, considering the relations among the points from
value categories other than the relation between the power and the values of universalism,
benevolence and tradition; hedonism and the values of universalism, benevolence, tradi-
tion, conformity and security; stimulation and the values of tradition, conformity and
security; and self-direction and the value of tradition. When the point averages are
examined, it is seen that the sub-dimension of security has the highest average (5.68),
while the sub-dimension of power has the lowest (3.47).
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Journal of Religion and Health
Table 3 displays the comparison of the point averages of the university students by their
departments. Accordingly, based on the inter-group comparisons by the students’ fields of
education, it was found out that in terms of power, achievement, hedonism and tradition,
the point averages of the students studying health sciences are higher than those of the
students studying physical sciences and educational sciences and that the difference in
between is statistically significant (p \ 0.05). Difference among the groups as regards
power results from the divergence of students studying health sciences from the other two
groups. Difference among the groups as regards achievement was determined to be caused
by the difference between health sciences and educational sciences. Difference in both
hedonism and tradition sub-dimensions is the result of the divergence between the students
of health sciences and educational sciences.
Table 1 Breakdown of the students by their identifying characteristics
Characteristics Field of education
Health sciences Physical sciences Educational sciences
n % n % n %
Gender
Female 81 65.9 71 75.5 48 88.9
Male 42 34.1 23 24.5 6 11.1
Educational background of the mother
Primary school 89 72.4 36 38.4 27 50.0
Secondary school 13 10.5 21 22.3 12 22.2
High school 19 15.5 20 21.3 10 18.5
University and upper 2 1.6 17 18.0 5 9.3
Educational background of the father
Primary school 55 44.8 22 23.4 14 26.0
Secondary school 26 21.1 12 12.8 11 20.4
High school 30 24.4 38 40.4 19 35.2
University and upper 12 9.8 22 23.4 10 18.5
Income level of the family
Income [ expense 11 8.9 11 11.7 7 13.0
Income = expense 83 67.5 73 77.7 43 79.6
Income \ expense 29 23.6 10 10.6 4 7.4
List of preferences
First choice 52 42.3 40 42.6 22 40.7
Second choice 15 12.2 12 12.8 5 9.3
Third choice 7 5.7 10 10.6 9 16.7
Fourth and above 49 39.8 32 34.0 18 33.3
Affection for his/her profession
Yes 87 70.7 81 86.2 49 90.7
No 36 29.3 13 13.8 5 9.3
Total 123 100.00 94 100.00 54 100.0
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Journal of Religion and Health
Table 2 Breakdown of the relations among the sub-dimensions of Schwartz Values Inventory (N = 271)
Sub-dimensions of the scale (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)
(1) Power
(2) Achievement .454
.000**
(3) Hedonism .390 .289
.000** .000**
(4) Stimulation .263 .361 .193
.000** .000** .001*
(5) Self-direction .252 .438 .241 .458
.000** .000** .000** .000**
(6) Universalism .113 .265 .065 .239 .448
.063 .000** .288 .000** .000**
(7) Benevolence .056 .241 .042 .121 .291 .527
.358 .000** .491 .046* .000** .000**
(8) Tradition .108 .227 - .072 .017 .068 .360 .500
.075 .000** .238 .777 .268 .000** .000**
(9) Conformity .146 .251 .060 .045 .215 .549 .549 .475
.016* .000** .326 .456 .000** .000** .000** .000**
(10) Security .225 .224 .079 .077 .269 .568 .555 .445 .497
.000** .000** .192 .206 .000** .000** .000** .000** .000**
Average 3.47 4.34 3.92 3.70 5.20 4.41 5.34 4.14 4.77 5.68
Standard deviation 1.53 1.33 2.09 1.67 1.05 0.91 1.07 1.32 1.18 0.99
Spearman correlation analysis *p \ 0.05 **p \ 0.001
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Journal of Religion and Health
In the inter-group comparisons by gender, it was observed that in terms of the value of
power, point averages of the male students are higher than of female students at a sta-
tistically significant level, while in terms of hedonism, universalism, benevolence and
conformity, the point averages of female students are higher than of male students, at a
statistically significant level (p \ 0.05; Table 4).
Table 3 Comparison of the Schwartz Values Inventory point averages of the university students by the
fields of education (N = 271)
Field of
education
Health sciences
(a) (n = 123)
X þ SS
Physical sciences
(b) (n = 94)
X þ SS
Educational
sciences (c)
(n = 54)
X þ SS
F* p Post
hoc***
Sub-dimensions of the scale
(1) Power 3.84 ± 1.52 3.17 ± 1.61 3.16 ± 1.22 6.702 0.001** a [ b,
c
(2)
Achievement
4.61 ± 1.24 4.18 ± 1.40 3.97 ± 1.33 5.438 0.005** a [ c
(3) Hedonism 4.39 ± 1.88 3.51 ± 2.18 3.58 ± 2.19 5.581 0.003** a [ b
(4) Stimulation 3.81 ± 1.81 3.69 ± 1.53 3.46 ± 1.54 0.822 0.440 –
(5) Self-
direction
5.11 ± 1.10 5.31 ± 1.06 5.22 ± 0.92 0.896 0.410 –
(6)
Universalism
4.49 ± 0.97 4.26 ± 0.84 4.49 ± 0.84 1.863 0.157 –
(7)
Benevolence
5.43 ± 1.10 5.20 ± 1.06 5.38 ±
0.99 1.350 0.261 –
(8) Tradition 4.47 ± 1.20 3.77 ± 1.28 4.02 ± 1.49 8.179 0.000** a [ b
(9) Conformity 4.82 ± 1.24 4.65 ± 1.17 4.87 ± 1.05 0.792 0.454 –
(10) Security 5.70 ± 1.00 5.65 ± 0.99 5.68 ± 0.94 0.065 0.937 –
*ANOVA, **p \ 0.001, ***Scheffe
Table 4 Comparison of the Schwartz Values Inventory point averages of the students by gender (N = 271)
Gender
Female (n = 200)
X þ SS Male (n = 71)
X þ SS
T test p
Values scale
(1) Power 3.40 ± 1.48 3.66 ± 1.67 - 1.222 0.223
(2) Achievement 4.21 ± 1.31 4.70 ± 1.33 - 2.698 0.007**
(3) Hedonism 3.75 ± 1.88 3.58 ± 2.19 - 2.338 0.020*
(4) Stimulation 3.67 ± 1.64 3.79 ± 1.76 - 0.527 0.599
(5) Self-direction 5.19 ± 1.04 5.24 ± 1.08 - 0.376 0.707
(6) Universalism 4.48 ± 0.84 4.22 ± 1.05 2.012 0.045*
(7) Benevolence 5.42 ± 0.99 5.13 ± 1.25 1.966 0.050*
(8) Tradition 4.18 ± 1.32 4.03 ± 1.34 0.797 0.426
(9) Conformity 4.88 ± 1.13 4.48 ± 1.26 2.416 0.016*
(10) Security 5.72 ± 0.92 5.55 ± 1.14 1.252 0.212
t Test *p \ 0.05 **p \ 0.01
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Journal of Religion and Health
Discussion and Conclusion
Education aims to change the behavioural patterns of an individual. Researches on the
concept of values carried out in the disciplines/scientific fields related to psychology,
sociology and anthropology have revealed that values guide the behaviours of an indi-
vidual (Kusdil and Kagitc¸ibasi 2000; Ulusoy and Dilmac¸ 2014) and that the value is a
variable with an effect on learning and motivation (Tanrıseven and Dilmac¸ 2013). One of
the objectives of the research on values among the university students is to determine the
current values of the students and to reveal the relation between the values and the pro-
fessional roles of the students (Mehmedog
˘
lu 2006).
As a result of this study carried out to determine the personal values of the university
students who began to study in different departments, a positive (p \ 0.001) and significant
relation was determined between the ‘‘achievement’’ sub-dimension of the values inven-
tory and all the other sub-dimensions (power, hedonism, stimulation, self-direction, uni-
versalism, benevolence, tradition, conformity and security). At the individual level,
achievement point covers values related to being successful, competent and influential
(Kusdil and Kagitc¸ibasi 2000). It was found out that there is a significant difference by
gender between the achievement point averages. Achievement point averages of male
students are higher than those of female students and the difference in between is statis-
tically significant (p \ 0.01). Similar to the findings of this study, study of Ersoy (2009)
also revealed that the men attach more importance to achievement and intellectual work,
more than women. In the study of Kubat and Kuruu
¨
zu
¨
m(2010), it was stated that men
attach more importance to wage and promotion opportunities. It is noted that with regard to
gender, skills and values, men attach importance to theoretical, economic and political
values while women to aesthetic, religious and social values (Wehr-Flowers 2006).
Accordingly, based on these findings, it is thought that male students have more profes-
sional interests than female students.
Among the values, power covers the values related to being socially powerful and rich,
having authority and maintaining the social image (Kus¸dil and Kag
˘
ıtc¸ıbas¸ı 2000). It is
stated that individuals who attach importance to ‘‘self-improvement’’ value as a part of
their personality are motivated with their social statuses. Moreover, it is also pointed that
comparison process is an internal objective of the self-improvement value and that as a
result of making comparisons, individuals attaching importance to this value desire to be
more successful and superior than the other individuals (Altıntas¸ 2006). In the research, a
significant relation was determined between the ‘‘power’’ sub-dimension of the values
inventory and the sub-dimensions of achievement, hedonism, self-direction, stimulation,
conformity and security. In a study carried out by Yıldız et al. (2012) to determine the
values of the prospective teachers, a significant relation was noted between the sub-
dimensions of power, achievement, hedonism, self-direction, conformity and security. This
finding supports the results of this study.
When the power and hedonism point averages by the students’ departments are
examined, it is observed that students studying in the field of health sciences had higher
points than students studying physical sciences and educational sciences, and the differ-
ence in between was found statistically significant. Today, the young consider money as a
source of power. In a research carried out in Spain, nursing students ranked religious
values as the last, while the old generation nurses ranked value of hedonism as the last
(Jime
´
nez-Lo
´
pez et al. 2016). Moreover, in a research carried out in Germany on the values
among the overall population, it was stated that values related to social life are similar to
123
Journal of Religion and Health
the values of the youth (Alonso et al. 2013). It was found out in the research that the
hedonism point averages of the female students are higher than those of male students and
that the difference in between is statistically significant. In a research carried out by Go
¨
kc¸e
(1994) in Turkey, it was stated that among the university students, values of hedonism and
materialism are more prominent. According to the study of Daehlen (2008) on the pro-
fessionals and students, professionals care more about materialism; but this finding is
contradicting with the results of our research. It is considered that this finding may be the
result of contemporary requirements changing with age.
Results of our study revealed a significant relation between the sub-dimension of tra-
dition and the sub-dimensions of achievement, universalism and benevolence. Tradition
covers values related to being modest, faithful, grateful about life, respectful to the tra-
ditions and living a modest life (Kus¸dil and Kag
˘
ıtc¸ıbas¸ı 2000). Hedonism and tradition
values were found out to be higher among nursing students, in comparison with students of
physical sciences (Table 3). This result may be interpreted that nursing profession is
preferred more by students interested in cultural and religious values, displaying humane
and moral approaches. In multicultural societies, cultural competence is important and
necessary for an effective nursing practice (Tanrıverdi 2017). Nursing is a profession
bearing high possibility of meeting with people with different cultural and health notions.
Therefore, improvement in religious and cultural competence and sensitivity about cultural
differences is promoted. Moreover, sensitiveness of the nursing students in care and their
loving-kindness are not special to nurse–patient relation but also observed in daily com-
munication with all the people including their patients, friends and colleagues (Aydin et al.
2018; Boozaripour et al. 2018).
In their research, O
¨
zdemir and Koruklu (2011) stated that this importance placed on
cultural values makes people happy and encourages them to maintain traditional values.
Lack of a significant difference between the gender and the sub-dimension of tradition
suggests that this might be directly related to the selection of a profession. Lack of a
significant difference between the tradition points by gender supports the findings of Yapıcı
and Zengin (2003).
It is emphasized that motivation for personal achievement is a positive value in terms of
being beneficial to other individuals (Lan et al. 2010). In researches, the concept of
achievement has commonly addressed as a cognitive function and it has been focused on
learning styles in achievement (Tejeda-Delgado et al. 2011). Within the framework of
values system, achievement is defined as being competent, ambitious and influential. When
the point averages of the sub-dimension of achievement are compared by gender, it is
observed that point averages of the male students are higher than those of female students.
In terms of power and achievement, point averages of the nursing students were found
out to be higher than those of the students studying physical sciences and educational
sciences (Table 3). Self-challenge and achievement values are among the motivational
aims of those working in the field of health. Moreover, health policies encourage the
improvement in attitudes and behaviours for health care (Price 2016). Nursing is an
occupation in the field of health. As of the start of their education processes, nursing
students have to develop their problem solving skills, in a way to ensure the practical
working conditions in a complex hospital environment (Hsu 2010). Students preferring
nursing department might have made this choice knowing that this profession entails
mental processes necessitating power and achievement, such as reasoning, judging and
creation. This might have led to high points in power and achievement sub-dimensions. In
a research of Barakzai and Fraser (2005), examining the achievement levels of nursing
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Journal of Religion and Health
students in three different universities in USA, it was determined that students are suc-
cessful at both professional and scientific courses.
When the point averages of the university students in the values scale are examined, it is
seen that the point averages in the sub-dimension of ‘‘security’’ are high in all three
disciplines. This finding is considered to be the result of the school environment during
primary and secondary school years. In the study of Balog
˘
lu and Balgamıs¸(2005), it was
determined that the participants mostly preferred values related to national security. The
study of Lan et al. (2010) revealed that the most important fundamental value among the
students is ‘‘family security’’. Results of our study also support these results.
In this study, in terms of universalism, benevolence and conformity, point averages of
female students are higher than of male students. This result is similar to the results of the
research carried out by Lan et al. (2010).
In conclusion, according to the values inventory, it was found out that among the
university students, the value with the highest point average is the sub-dimension of
‘‘security’’, while the lowest is the sub-dimension of ‘‘power’’. In terms of power,
achievement, hedonism and tradition, the point averages of nursing students who began to
study in the Department of Health Sciences are higher than those of the students beginning
to study physical sciences and educational sciences, and the difference in between was
found out to be significant. Achievement point averages by gender were significantly
different in favour of the male students. It was found out that the point averages of female
students for hedonism, universalism, benevolence and conformity are higher than those of
male students, while the achievement point averages were higher among male students.
Education programmes improving the humanitarian and moral values among university
students should be planned. This type of education may develop the skills of students for
making the right choice and right decision and also helps to maintain these values for a
lifetime. In the future researches, role of values in selecting professions, effect of values on
professional performance and the comparison of personal values of students with that of
professionals working actively may be addressed.
Acknowledgements We thank all of our students participated in the study.
Compliance with Ethical Standards
Conflict of interests The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval In order to conduct the research, required authorizations were taken from the concerned
schools.
Informed Consent Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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