A Study of the Content of Educational Texts for Fifth-Year Algerian Primary School Students in Terms of Moral Values in Light of Global Changes

Abstract

Ethical values enable individuals and societies to distinguish between right and wrong, though the adopted frames of reference vary across different cultures. It is from this ethical reference that the norms governing behaviors and interactions are derived to safeguard rights and duties. Given that global shifts—namely globalization and technological advancements—have made cultural openness inevitable, a society's ethical values are now facing an existential clash between what is prohibited by its own standards and what is permitted elsewhere. This has led to a cultural blurring and, potentially, a detachment from the original identity. Consequently, social systems must strive to preserve their core components by exerting efforts across various fields to instill values and principles, most importantly through education.
Education is not merely a process of transmitting knowledge from one generation to another; it is, at its core, a process of human character-building in both value and conduct. While science provides individuals with the tools for success, ethics grant them the purpose and the right direction to utilize those tools. In this context, studying ethical values within educational texts designed for the primary stage gains immense significance; it is the phase where the initial features of a citizen's personality are outlined, and where the morals capable of protecting society against global shifts are ingrained. Thus, examining the educational texts prescribed for fifth-grade primary students in Algeria serves as a pivotal gateway to understanding how these values are translated from abstract concepts into behavioral and linguistic practices acquired by the learner.