Can a Philosophical Letter Be Used in Values Education? Letters from Seneca to Lucilius

Abstract

The aim of this research is to reveal the usability of moral letters, which are intellectual and literary products, as a resource in values education. The research was aimed considering the fact that different materials add excitement to the teaching environment, increase students’ interest and motivation in the course, and increase academic success. The research was carried out in a qualitative design and the document analysis method was used. The data source of the research consist of the letters with philosophical content written by Lucius Annaeus Seneca to Lucilius, the Governor of Sicily at the time. Value Review Form, henceforth “VRF” prepared by the researcher was used to collect data from the aforementioned data source. The collected data were analyzed by using the Maxqda 18 qualitative data analysis program, and the content analysis method was used in the analysis of the data. As a result of the analysis process, meaningful word groups and sentence/sentences were coded around the themes. As a result of the research, it was concluded that, moral letters can be used in the teaching of more than sixty different values that make life meaningful, keep societies and human generation alive, and organize and facilitate human relations. These values which are mentioned as the root values in the Turkish national education program and which all nations aim to see in their individuals include; “Justice”, “friendship”, “honesty”, “self-control”, “patience”, “love”, “respect”, “responsibility”, “patriotism”, “helpfulness”, are frequently used. Therefore these values are a wealthy resource that can be used in values education. In the suggestions section, suggestions were also made regarding the use of moral letters for values education inside and outside the school and including the value-content parts of these letters in the textbooks in the form of partial quotations following the purposes of the curriculum.