Value priorities in the United Germany: Teachers and students from East and West compared

A study of the value orientations of teachers and students of the teaching profession was conducted in East and West Germany based on a theory that discriminates ten types of values (universalism, benevolence, tradition, conformity, security, power, achievement, hedonism, stimulation, and self-direction). Samples of 188 West German and 204 East German teachers as well as 377 West German and 274 East German students were studied using a 56-item value survey. Multivariate analyses of variance showed that: a) Values in the East and the West can be seen as opposing each other most strongly on the polarity of self-direction vs. security with the former more important in the West, the latter in the East; b) Differences between teachers and students (regardless of area of origin) are at least equally large as those between East and West. From a cross-national perspective, however, the differences between East and West appear less substantial: Both East and West German samples exhibit the general West European profile which contrasts with samples from East Europe and around the world. They attribute high importance to values that express concern for others and openness to change and low importance to values that emphasize the status quo. Implications of the findings for educational policies in East Germany are discussed.