Exploring Teachers’ Lived Experiences on the Integration of Values Education in South African High Schools

Values education has become a necessary tool in response to the rise in moral deterioration in an average South African society today. The school is viewed as one of the key players in nurturing children into adulthood. The teaching of values that can give the growing generation, necessary moral development is one of the responsibilities of the schools. Hence, this study aims at exploring teachers’ experiences on how they integrate values education into South African learners in various high schools. This qualitative study engaged five schools in its case study, where five teachers from each of the schools were purposively selected for semi-structured focus group interviews, to share their experiences on the integration of moral values in schools. Moral development theory was used to underpin the study. Findings from the inductive thematic analysis from the participants from both rural and urban schools indicated a misunderstanding of the concept of values education by some teachers, which affects its effective integration. The study established that role modelling of learners by teachers and parents are inevitable to save the society from moral decadence, while some participants indicted overpopulation, single parenthood, social media as some of the challenges to the integration of value education in schools. The study, therefore, recommends capacitation of teachers through various professional development programmes, to integrate values education and adequate parental support as some of the strategies to promote effective integration of values education in schools.


INTRODUCTION
The place of value education in upholding the acceptable moral standards in every society is invaluable.Transformation of children into adulthood is a process where integration of values education is significant to the peace, respect and mutual understanding of the community members for peaceful co-existence and cohabitation of the individuals especially in a diverse society like South Africa (Khuzwayo et al., 2016).The school is a prominent member of a social institution that has a lot of influence on every learner, and the community expects learners' disposition of right moral standards from the school system (Burton & Leoschut, 2013).According to Harecker (2012), societies today are riddled with several moral decadences among the learners, the learners engage in several acts of violence, bullying, sexual assaults, rapes, robberies and use of dangerous weapons not only in the school premises but also outside the school environments.Hence, the schools have lost their loco parentis in the same way most families have failed to nurture and guide their children on moral standards (Harecker, 2012).Statistics South Africa (2013) indicates that women are breadwinners and family heads in 40% of South African families which is noted as one of the contributing factors to moral deterioration.With the alarming increase in the rates of sexual harassment, school violence, killings, drug abuse and teenage pregnancies amongst other social vices in learners in the present South African children, there is an urgent need for integration of right values education in the upcoming generations of learners in schools (Kalunta-Crumpton, 2016;Mchunu et al., 2012;Ncontsa & Shumba, 2013).
The question therefore is how can schools assist in re-orientation or integration of values education that can salvage the society?In a longitudinal study conducted by Khuzwayo et al. (2016) in uMgungundlovu, KwaZulu-Natal, they affirm that the integration of values education in learners by the teachers remains a proactive tool of changing the learners' mentality to acceptable moral standards that can make them responsive to the society.Seemingly, Burton and Leoschut (2013) opine that the school as an agent of socialization can be used as a major vessel to drive values education in learners.Therefore, the school has the critical responsibility of inculcating values education into the learners to complement academic experiences (Ferreira & Schulze, 2014).Hence this study aims to promote the integration of values education in South African learners by the teachers.
The study is guided by the following research questions: • What are the responsibilities of teachers in teaching values education in schools?
• How should values education be integrated into learners?
• Why is values education significant to the society?

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The Concept of Values Education Halstead and Taylor (1996) suggest that the umbrella term 'values education' is most commonly understood as placing particular emphasis on both civic and moral values.In addition, they also highlight the concept values education is closely aligned to other terms that are currently used in the literature, which include spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.Research evidence (Munn, 1995;Halstead & Taylor, 1996) show that academic publications in the United Kingdom mostly refer to 'moral education', while McLaughlin (2005) argues that in various European literature, 'civic education' has been described as values education in practice.Thus, values education represents many concepts that seem to teach values or moral to learners in different communities such as citizenship education, human rights education, or even moral education, with the aim of promoting right attitudes and well-manner dispositions in learners (Nucci, 2001).This concurs with Kohlberg's (1981) interpretation of values education as an effort to improve learners' decision making for moral and just behaviours.Hence, the term values education according to Taylor (1994), embraces several concepts like citizenship, ethics, moral and civic education.
Based on the established explanations of the concept of values education, it is evident that different meanings are attached to values education in different countries.Seemingly, Chaitanya (2017) posits that the process to inculcate deep sense of humanity, which shows concerns for other is value education.Thus, the absence of humanism, is the lack of human wellbeing character.It is further asserted by Chaitanya (2017) that values education does not impose or indoctrinate values but encourages learners to understand good and worthwhile values, which their cultures tend to promote or believe.Chaitanya (2017) also argues that the values education can capacitate learners with right attitudes and good behaviours that can make them responsive in the societies.Clement (2010) defines values education as a learning process that can transform or strengthen ideal behaviours and attitudes that conform to society's dream.It is argued that this learning process can occur in learners through different and various approaches, with learners' abilities to understand why and how they need to behave or display certain behaviours or attitudes in the society.A well-grounded values education can transform learners into critical thinkers, who can understand and exhibit sense of humanism, with a deep concern for others well-being in the society.Studies indicate that values education embed together many things as moral values to promote cultural or societal norms through educational system, for learners to be responsive citizens (Ajaps & Obiagu, 2020;Aspin & Chapman, 2000;Clement, 2010;Jones, 2009;Kaya, 2021;Taylor, 1994).

The Need for Integration of Values Education into Learners
According to Ferreira and Schulze (2014), the importance of values in education is illustrated by the fact that the youth, particularly those from emerging economy countries such as South Africa, live in societies where violence, crime and racial intolerance are rife.In this context, teachers who endorse different values in accordance with their own cultural and religious identities are responsible for values implementation in education in classroom praxis.Extant literature proves that values education that is well embedded in the curriculum and delivered through an appropriate strategy will effectively benefit teachers and learners in a value-laden curriculum.In Indonesia for instance, a study conducted by Sutrop et al.(2013) revealed that with values education in schools, learners should not only recognize values but also habituate life with values.According to Pambudi and Mardati (2019), the Indonesian national education has shown that value education is part of education and that the goal of integrating values into the school curriculum is to guide their learners such that they become citizens who have a sense of responsibility, to educate genuine citizens willing to contribute energy and critical thinking to the country and society.
According to Iyer (2013), the education system in the 21 st century should ensure promotion of values-based education in the school curriculum.This is to promote teaching of values education for quality education and also a positive school environment.Iyer (2013) like many other scholars, believes in the holistic development of the learners by applying and delivering value-based education programmes in schools and in the classroom.He affirms that it is somehow not easy and at the same time it is challenging for teachers to master the skill of teaching values as it is different from transmitting knowledge using subjects such as Life Science, English and others.It is appropriate to say according to the literature reviewed, the emphasis on value education helps learners to develop compassion, adaptability, moral courage, patience, and increased tolerance.These are the qualities both the school and society envisage the youth to acquire from school as well as from the society at large.Equally, Cavazos (2002) concurs with Iyer's (2013) findings that implementation of values education in school is vital to prepare children for the inevitable challenges and decision making in real-life situations.It is indeed challenging and painful because learners as they realise how society is broken in terms of an absence of values and corruptness will be compelled to use their skills to gradually transform it not only to become a tolerant society but indeed to be a society that is comfortable and pleasing to live in.
The education system today is faced with many crises which include drug addiction/peddling, indiscipline, school dropout, rape, abuse of various forms, smoking, drinking of alcohol, and other violent crimes across the globe.The manifestations of various crimes in schools, especially in African schools can be traced to lack of moral values and this threatens the peace and development of the society (Omodan & Addam, 2022;Turker et al., 2016;Wachikwu & Ibegbunam, 2012).The inclusion of values education in school system is capable of addressing and moulding learners.Solomons and Fataar (2011) assert that the integration of values education into school system will conceptually contextualise values education that can necessarily enhance citizenship education.This will promote in learners' broader understanding of values in South African schools.Wachikwu and Ibegbunam (2012) believe that values education in the school system will promote and strive towards building a shared view, if values education is well-taught to address moral decadence.The school system is believed to drive moral or values education into learners.Nurdin (2015) avows that many obstacles influence implementation of values education in the schools, and these include lack of teaching skills and appropriate methods of transmitting these skills and knowledge to learners.In addition, Hadi (2015) emphasises the issue of the failure to implement values education in schools suggests that teachers in schools do not yet have enough skills to integrate values in their classroom learning.Significantly, Brady (2011) again, states that even though the integration of values education concerns delves on the teacher's role, one critical factor that is consistently ignored on values education is the effects of personal values of teachers themselves, and how they express these in the classroom which is also rather vital.Tiri and Husu (2007) assert that schools have the responsibilities to ensure an orderly and safe school environment for learning to be effective and learners to acquire necessary skills.Schools nowadays face the challenge of creating pedagogical environments that are sensitive to various and different individual backgrounds to support learners' social and academic success.Schools can no longer afford to focus solely on delivering academic curricula; instead, they are also responsible for establishing and maintaining school cultures that empower both learners and teachers alike to negotiate the diverse values and social norms of their communities.The aim is to improve social competence among all pedagogical participants because the social curricula are crucial for mutually productive interactions and durable inter-personal relationships.

The Pedagogy of Values Education
The integrating values education through teaching and learning process in the school system is driven by teachers' ability to lead by good examples.Thornberg and Oguz (2013) agree that moral education or values education is transferred to learners through teaching and learning, exhibited in their interaction within and outside the school environment, using Problem-Based Learning and Cooperative Learning.Values education can be enhanced in schools, to integrate moral and character values in learners, with teachers' use of diverse teaching techniques, which can be drama, role-playing, simulation, debates, educational games, discussion, group-work, and project (Chowdhury, 2016).Implementation of values education is further reinforced through religious days and national days, as valued by the society and the parents.
Teachers must understand and use the appropriate components of the curriculum to execute effectively and to achieve the goals enshrined in the National curriculum.It is a fact that even if the curriculum is excellent with good intentions of moulding and shaping the behaviour of learners if the implementers especially teachers are not ready and prepared to implement it accordingly, its envisaged purpose and outcomes, will be in vain.It is, therefore, essential for teachers to acquaint themselves with these curriculum components which facilitate the understanding of what, how and why teaching a particular subject.These are the curriculum components that teachers must embrace and master for successful and effective teaching in class: purpose, content, learning experience (method) and evaluation.Of course, these can be represented diagrammatically.:

Figure 1. Successful and effective integration of values education
Surely, the understanding of the content will facilitate effective and meaningful teaching and learning by teachers and learners respectively (Brigas, 2019).Accordingly, Iyer (2013) argues for new curricula across the globe to accommodate teaching and learning of values education in classroom practices.Thus, the policymakers, parents, teachers, politicians and other stakeholders should ensure for urgent necessary educational change.Similarly, Chowdhury (2013) calls for a change in education systems in the United States of America (USA) and Australia, imploring the national government to enact necessary policies and legislation to implement values education in schools.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Kohlberg's concern for moral education prompted him in 1969 to propound the Theory of Moral Development, to enhance values education in education system.Kohlberg (1969) identifies 6 stages of developing or promoting moral education in his Theory of Moral Development.These stages are grouped according to the pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional moral phases.The stages are: (a) obedience and punishment driven, (b) self-interest driven, (c) interpersonal accord and conformity, (d) authority and social order obedience driven, (e) social contract-driven, (f) universal ethical principles driven.This emphasis of this theory is on moral growth and development, which need to be emphasised at early life and should be continued throughout all the childhood stages, adolescence stages, and adulthood stages (Wilber, 2019).This view is supported by the study conducted by Tata (2010) in the Kampong Naga family in West Java, where Tata (2010) opines, that parents are expected to inculcate educational values purpose (aims, goals and objectives) content or subject matter methods or learning experiences evaluation in the family before their children get to know the other values of the wider community.This implies that parents as Kohlberg's theory suggests, have the responsibility of instilling values to their children even before they interact with the different members of the society at large.Nzama (2017) also reiterates the importance and the role of the family in initiating values to the children while still young and asserts that it plays a critical role in determining the nature and behaviour of a child.
According to Wilber (2019), there is, however, a common fallacy among people hoping that children can grow up with integrity and high moral standards on their own.Seemingly, Grieshaber and McArdle, (2014) believes that young children can be morally nurtured by adults, especially teachers using the moral development theories as stipulated by Kohlberg's (1969) six stages of moral development.Furthermore, Grieshaber and McArdle (2014) assert teachers can devise approaches to drive moral values into children through the stages.Piaget (1965); Kohlberg (1969); Kohlberg (1987) argue that traditional structural-developmental theories enhance moral development through increasing differentiation, which distinguish between non-moral concepts and moral concepts.(Pragmatics, convention and prudence).
Kohlberg's theory of moral growth emphasises the need for the moral development of a child right from birth till he grows into adolescence to learn the norms of society, these occur through stages which are valid when it comes to the stage of adolescence; as well as where the school takes over the responsibility of value integration in the lives of learners through the teaching of various subjects.Grieshaber and McArdle, (2014) argue that teachers have traditional responsibilities to shape learners' moral learning, to transform into social, responsive and responsible citizens.Similarly, Hashim (1999) supports the above statement of Kohlberg's theory on moral development at the adolescent stage, Hashim (1999) also posits education is aimed at developing learners for balanced intellectual, spiritual, rational feelings and senses.This idea of a balanced human being is supported by the humanistic theory which advocates for the promotion and development of the whole child (Kohlberg, 1969).Of course, this theory discourages the concentration on cognitive development only.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study adopted qualitative design to explore in-depth and rich information of the participants' experiences on the integration of values education in South African schools.The purposive sampling technique was employed to select the participants with information to the research questions (McMillan & Schumacher, 2010) and who were statistical representatives of the entire study population (Merriam, 2009).Five teachers teaching different subjects in each of the five schools in King Cethswayo district, KwaZulu-Natal province provided primary data information for the study.The teachers included male and female, young and experienced teachers teaching different subjects at high school phase.The use of interpretivistic paradigm for the semi-structured focus group was to gain an in-depth understanding of the participants' lived experiences in the integration of values education in schools, through their description, explanation, thoughts, and deeper reflections based on the interview guides drawn from the research questions (Nieuwenhuis, 2007;Merriam, 2009;Mertens, 2014).The use of pseudonyms was engaged in the interviews of 45-60 minutes and transcriptions for confidentiality and privacy of the schools and the participants.All the interviews were audiorecorded with due permission of the participants after which the consent forms were signed.The recorded interviews were systematically transcribed and coded as thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006;De Vos et al., 2011) for the presentation of findings.Participants were made to check the transcripts of the interviews to ascertain their information.Thus, the trustworthiness of the data was ensured in data collection process.Participants were informed of their voluntary participation in the study and were asked to sign informed consent forms after they had been briefed about the study, and assured of their confidentiality, anonymity and freedom to withdraw their participation at any time (Creswell, 2013).
The use of semi-structured focus group interviews aimed at collecting high-quality data in a social context and provided a better understanding of the problem from the viewpoint of the participants (Patton, 2002).Teachers teaching English, isiZulu, Life Orientation, Life Science and Social Sciences were purposively selected in a non-probability sampling for each of the focus group interviews.These subject-teachers were the most suitable subject teachers that can use their subjects to convey values to learners (Thornberg & Oguz, 2013).The study was conducted in the King Cetshwayo district in the Northern Zululand area in Kwa-Zulu Natal, which is one of the nine provinces in South Africa.One circuit out of the five was targeted for the study, which is the Umfolozi Circuit.
Participants 5 teachers each from 5 schools teaching various subjects at high school phase were engaged in 5 focus group interviews.25 teachers consisted of 10 male and 15 female teachers from 5 various high schools, aged between 28-55 were included for this study.Each of the participants was given an opportunity to express his/her views without any limitation, fear, or intimidation.

FINDINGS
Findings have been presented with the use of pseudonyms: 5 schools labeled schools A-E, with teachers from each school labeled as TA (teachers from school A), TB (teachers from school B), TC (teachers from school C); TD (teachers from school D) and TE (teachers from school E).Hence, TA1, TA2-TA5, TB1-TB5, TC1-TC5, TD1-TD5, TE1-TE5, TA1 represents teacher from the first school, while TA2 represents the second teacher from the same school, TB1-5 represents 5 teachers from the second school and so forth.Thematic analysis was used to generate findings relating to the research questions.

Theme 1: Sense of responsibility in imparting values education
Sense of responsibility in imparting values education simply implies the understanding of the participants on who should take responsibility in imparting values education into the learners.
The participants expressed various opinions on whose responsibility is to impart necessary value education onto the learners.Some participants specifically articulated: I do believe that it is the responsibility of the teacher to input values to learners.Because we as teachers we are also the parents, so as a parent you always want the best for the child.So as much as we teach them the subject, we have to teach them values because they are part of the society, the school is part of the community.So, what they come, the information they come with from their homes is not always complete.And the other thing we spend more time with the learners that is why we always have the opportunity to get to know them better than their parents, so knowing them better is means that we can identify the values that are lacking in their lives so that is where we come in and we can instil that there are lacking in their lives (TA4).
Furthermore, another participant opined that teacher should endeavour to impart values education onto the learners, as they are builders of their lives; especially because some learners do not live with their parents: Yes, I also believe that it is the responsibility of a teacher to impart appropriate values to learners to shape their lives in the society.Because most of the learners in our days come from child-headed homes whereby there are no parents or any adult who could impart those values, so the teachers being the ones spending most of the time with the learners it is their responsibility (TC1).
The school is regarded as a second home for the learners as they spend a greater part of their time there.A participant affirmed this statement as follow: Okay, I think that as teachers because we believe that the school is the second home for the child, yeah yes it all begins at home.But what do we say about those children that have no parents?I think we also there is a certain role that as teachers should play in their lives so that we can help them able to live at the societies we can't just leave them like that.I think the little time we get we can share things with them and help them grow and yeah, I think that's that (TD1).
Another participant agreed that as much as teachers have the responsibility to teach learners moral education, the parents have to cooperate or compliment the teachers' effort.The participant declared: I think that it's not the teacher's responsibility as such, I think it's the parent's responsibility to start to impart the appropriate values to the learners.I think it all begins at home, us as teachers we can only go or can only do, okay only go so far.I think that it's better if these values are instilled back at home, then we as teachers can then add or emphasize those values to the learners because firstly as teachers we are not here just to -for values we need to deliver content and there is a lot of time, there is a time that is allocated for us to give a content right.So, if we were to start with the values now, just give the values and you run out of time for content right.So, I think that it is better if the teachers-the parents start then us as teachers we can help the parents (TD4).
Further to this, a participant opined that school can only accomplish half of the expectations, while there is a need to compliment the school by other stakeholders in the community providing a helping hand during the process of inculcating values amongst learners.
Yes, I do believe that the teacher can play a role in shaping the value -the learner in terms of appropriate values but we have to note that it is just the part of responsibility -50 per cent of that responsibilities is faced by the parent; the teacher can take another 50.Because if a parent is doing nothing at home, then the teacher will have a problem in instilling those values to the learners (TC1).
Findings on the sense of responsibility for the impartation of values education revealed that participants agreed that values education is necessary for the learners.This education should be provided to the learners for their responsiveness in society.
According to Amollo and Lillian (2017), teachers are critical to successful implementation of value-based curriculum to instil moral education, for effective citizens.Similarly, Chaitanya (2017) concurs with Amollo and Lillian (2017) by stating that a positive and remarkable change in society is expected to be brought in by teachers through the integration of values education into the curriculum.

Theme 2: Integration of values education across the curriculum
The importance of value education demands its integration into the curriculum.Participants were asked how the values education is integrated into the curriculum, across the curriculum, holistically or even through specific subjects.Findings indicated that values education is either taught explicitly or implicitly in schools.Most of the participants admitted that values education should be taught in all subjects, across all subjects however, they indicated that only specific subjects have been identified for the teaching of the values education.One of the participants expressed: I believe all subjects are relevant.I'm not truly sure about maybe about Mathematics but I believe all the other subjects are because you should take at any opportunity that arises in your subject to instil some values in the learners.So, it's not like you need a specific topic but there are always topics that you can integrate into your subject.So, the little bit you can do will go a long way (TE3).
Similarly, another participant believed that integration of value education into the learners should be through all the subjects: I believe all subjects are suitable in integrating values to the learners because when you are teaching you always come across the content that will take you to like to the environment the learners are coming from.For example, I'm teaching Agricultural Science so when I'm teaching Agricultural Science, they always integrate the good values in the learners because they have to know that as much as we are dealing with the production of food, they must also know that as they produce that food, they have to follow certain values in life.Like you cannot produce food containing chemicals knowing very well it is going to kill the people, so they must have that understanding that whatever are producing is going to be used by people and in them they must have those values that these people are important (TA4).
The view of another teacher was that the present Life Orientation subject in high schools is the ideal to teach values education.He clearly stated this: I think the best out of all subjects is the Life Orientation because that is where most of the time, they are dealing with things that are happening around and things that learners need to be involved in.So that in future there would be a learner that is well built up on top of what you taught them as subject content (TC2).
From the above findings, participants indicated that values education could be taught in all subjects, this supports Kemendiknas (2010) in his longitudinal study in Indonesia, that for values to be developed among learners, it must be realized in the content of each subject through the process of learning in the classroom, the tasks outside the classroom, and also it would need to be manifested in the school rules.Furthermore, Sutiyono (2013) also concurs with Kemendiknas (2010) that values education should not only be in the form of certain subjects but instead, the practice and application of values should be part of the content in every learning activity in school.Though, some of the participants believed that it should be subject-specific based as it was presently declared by certain participants.This view relates to a study by Hadi (2015) in Indonesia wherein he argues that values education should be encouraged in specific subjects as means of imparting values to learners.

Theme 3: Teachers as role models in values education
Teachers' implementation of values education is necessary to shape learners; the learners have a lot to learn from their teachers.The responses of some teachers were emphatic in saying that teachers should indeed act as role models for their learners.The study revealed that learners can be influenced positively and negatively by teachers' behaviours, the way they communicate with them and even among themselves and even the manner they handle themselves in front of the learners has an impact.This is how one of the participants responded to the questions: I think the learners look up to the teachers so the way they behave, the way they speak to them, the way they handle themselves in front of them, so they look up to them.I think the way we behave as teachers can impact a lot in the learner's life of the way they change their lifestyle because some they take us as their role models, and they want to be like you in future, so I think we do play apart in their behaviour (TB2).
Another participant believed that the use of role modelling especially by the teachers has a great impact on the learners.He explained the modelling as thus: I would also say yes because we do spend most of the time with the learners and portraying a big picture to learners help them or it helps us as teachers to earn some respect from them because whatever image you are giving them it's going to impact negatively or positively.If you portray a bad picture the learner will that and they will never respect you, so I think yeah, we do need to portray a good picture on the (TD1).
Similar views were affirmed by another participant who declared this: I think as we are teachers, we are adults, in all situations that we faced among them, but we must show those good values to the young ones so that at a certain stage there will be learners that are good in imitating, and they can at a certain point look at that particular teacher and see that no I like this then I want to behave like this at the end (TD2).Some participants although agreed that teachers should endeavour to be positive role models, they however had some reservations that external influences exerted on learners by other role models in the society can influence the values and norms of the society.A participant had this to say: As much as we would like to be role models of good behaviour to children the reality is that the children, we teach are independent thinkers in some cases they choose to go the other way and, in some cases, a teacher's behaviour may not be the best So what you do as a teacher as much as society would like us to be rim-road straight it's not always the case because teachers are also human.But as much as possible a teacher should be a moral campus (TE5).
Another teacher believed that learners' backgrounds have an impact on role modelling.His view was: Yeah, I think yes, we can be their role models but sometimes it depends that a learner where does that learner come from because even the background of a learner is accountable because other learners hate other teachers because of where they are come from.So, you can become a role model sometimes you cannot become a role model it depends to what the learners where does those learners come from their backgrounds from homes (TB4).
Teachers' good examples of values education make them role models to their learners.Learners are influenced by the behaviour of their teachers; the behaviour can have a negative or positive influence.(Halstead & Taylor, 2000).Conversely, it is important for teachers to be good role models that learners can learn from.This promotes the systematically and deliberately integration of values education into the learners (Deveci, 2015).Teachers are role models that learners emulate easily in the education system; this is why teachers need to live by good examples, their examples can also influence their learners either positively or negatively (Kemendiknas, 2010;Sutiyono, 2013).

Theme 4: Societal deterioration of values
It is noticeable today that some learners' behaviour is indicating a lack of appropriate values education in them.Some indicators of the deterioration include inappropriate TV programmes for learners, families headed by children, who happen to be breadwinners, absence of parents at some homes or families, a celebration of celebrities with no moral values by the society.These indicators were emphasised as contributory factors towards the decline of values in the society in the findings.One of the participants had this to say: Yes, I do believe there is a decline in the values in the society more especially if I look at the -like the -I don't know whether I can call it like the social influence social media influence because our learners these days or our kids these days they turn to emulate what the celebrities are doing which some of the things are not good.Which end up them not having to behave very good for example, if they can just see these big celebrities or these role model theirs having to drink in public and then they will see it means this is the way to do things and at the end of the day it contributes even badly to them, thank you (TA2).
Another teacher viewed different programmes that learners are exposed to as an influence on deterioration of societal values: Yes.When you watch the news, they don't end without having any scandal and some of these scandals are performed by people holding high positions in society.We have cases whereby you find that a learner or mob learners have assaulted a teacher that is not part of our culture.In our culture learners need to submit to the authority but it is now vice versa, and you find that people holding high positions in a society like pastors and staff they are accused of something like rape, and you find that sometimes you hear that an old lady has been raped maybe 87 something lady or an infant has been raped that shows that there is a deterioration of values in our society (TB2).Deterioration of values among the learners was a concern to another participant who traced the source mainly to their homes.The participant lamented: Yes, there is so much decline in the values in our societies.I think they are so unfortunate that we are raising a confused generation if I may say it like that.Once you are -like as a teacher am staying here once I get out of that gate it always brings a question to me to say 'am I still allowed to play a role of a parent to these kids because nowadays they just don't care.I think in our times when you -even if you are going with a boy but as you see an elder coming through you will separate but of today, we are seeing things, they don't even know if you exist.I'm not sure if it's the rights that they've been given they will just talk to us in anyhow, they will just do things in anyhow really, we are raising a confused generation and there is no respect anymore.We are not being respected even our profession is not being respected because they are given rights in such a way that they can't even recognize that we are here.So, there is so much that is going wrong out there in the communities with these kids (TD1).

DISCUSSION
According to the extant literature reviewed, it is established that teachers play key roles in creating a value-based teaching and learning (Rahmadi et al., 2020;Govender & Ajani, 2021) to foster in learners, positive relationships, capable of making them responsible and effective citizens (Amollo & Lillian (2017).Similarly, Chaitanya (2017) concurs with Amollo and Lillian (2017) by stating that a positive and remarkable change in society is expected to be brought about by teachers through the impartation of values education into the curriculum.Cavazos (2002) argues for implementation of values education that can prepare learners for the inevitable challenges, and also the realities of life.Further to this, participants opined that a school can only accomplish half of the expectations in terms of values impartation to learners, while the other half needs to be complemented by other stakeholders in the community such as family members and church to provide a helping hand during the process of inculcating values to learners.Findings on the sense of responsibility of teaching values education support Steinberg (1990)'s assertion that the society can only function properly when learners' moral development can regulate learners' decision making as it relates to their thoughts, emotions and behaviours.Steinberg (1990) admits that morals and values should be introduced to learners by their parents at early stage of their life by the family.These values can serve only the purpose of nurturing democratic values as enshrined by the Constitution in every young South African, if the school curriculum is rooted in values and is explicitly and implicitly taught in and out of the classrooms.This calls for the deliberate and purposeful integration of all values into the teaching processes and activities in schools.Furthermore, Sutiyono (2013) also concurs with Kemendiknas (2010) that values education should not only be in the form of certain subjects but instead, the practice and application of values should be part of the content in every learning activity in school.
In a longitudinal study conducted by Halstead and Taylor (2000), they opine that teachers can integrate the teaching of values in schools using different subjects as vehicles to convey different values to learners.The study further revealed that different subjects offered at school when intentionally and purposefully implemented in the classroom, can play a major role in conveying values to learners, hence in this regard, it is apparent that different subjects can offer a multiplicity of values to learners.The research shows that there are scholars who still believe and are convinced that all subjects have the potential of being the source of values education to learners (Lisman, 1991;Lickona, 1991).
On the contrary, extant literature also reveals that although there is relative consensus on using all subjects in conveying values to learners, there different views of whether indeed all national curriculum subjects can have equal contribution in developing values of cultural diversity (King & Reiss, 1993).Some of the participants in this study expressed different views that some specific subjects should be used to teach and integrate values to learners.They indicated that values education should be subject-specific.They even emphasised Life Orientation and Mathematics as the subjects relevant in conveying values to learners.This view relates to a study conducted by Hadi (2015) in Indonesia wherein he argued that values education should be encouraged in specific subjects as means of imparting values to learners.
All teachers should be role models regardless of what subject teach.Chaitanya (2017) opines that the most important task teachers should do is to be a role model, based on their understanding of what society wants or expects from learners.Seemingly, Clement (2010) argues that teachers must exhibit values they want learners to adopt and practice.Hence, it will make it easy for learners' emulation of good values exhibited by teachers in and outside the school system.Sanville (2003) also posits that teachers are models that learners learn easily from, and to conform with societal norms.The findings reveal that values education can be implicitly instilled into learners as a hidden curriculum, where values are adopted covertly from identified role models within the school activities (Halstead & Taylor, 1996;Thornberg, 2008).It is therefore concluded that teachers should be good role models for the learners.For society to be stable and habitable, morals and values need to be systematically and deliberately socialised in the lives of learners (Deveci, 2015).
Teachers, parents and community leaders should strive to foster positive values that can bring sanity and to ensure safe environment in schools and society (Clement, 2010).In these times of moral degradation, it is therefore essential to maximise citizenship education in South African school system.The implementation of values education conceptualises and applies necessary responses to moral decadence and can resuscitate moral behaviours in learners (Solomons & Fataar, 2011).CONCLUSION The importance of values in education cannot be underestimated especially in developing African countries like South Africa, where crimes, violence, strife, racial intolerance, thuggery, gangsterism, stealing and other vices are order of the day in schools/communities.Hence, the school system is saddled with a huge responsibility of integrating necessary values education to transform learners' behaviours in societies.Values are necessary to learners' transformation as well as for responsible living in the societies.This study was limited to five schools in King Cetshwayo district, where teachers teaching various subjects were used to explore the possibility of using various subjects to convey values to learners.Though, the teachers agreed that some subjects were more relevant to teach values education than others.However, learners can be relevantly taught values.
Role modelling of values by both teachers and parents is critical to enhance moral development in schools, where learners are taught to emulate honesty, respect, love, caring and Ubuntu.Learners learn a lot from their schoolteachers, and this hereby requires disposition of good behaviours from the teachers.There is obvious moral decadence in South African schools and the society at large.Indicators of various moral deterioration include learners' access to inappropriate TV programmes, children-headed families (where the children are the breadwinners), celebrations of unmannered celebrities.Other forms of moral decadence include violence in schools, disrespect to teachers by learners and carnal knowledge of female learners male teachers, corruption and other forms of immorality.
The study revealed that some teachers did not even understand the concept of values education and did not know how to teach values education.Hence, the main purpose of values education in teaching and learning to develop learners' cognitive domain is difficult.If ever they were teaching values, they were teaching values education implicitly or unconsciously.Therefore, it will be difficult for teachers who did not understand the concept of values education, to integrate it effectively into their teaching, especially for subjects that did not specify it.Teachers must be involved in the curriculum development and regular training of values education (Govender & Ajani, 2021).This will enable them to develop insight and understanding of what is contained in the curriculum and how it must be taught and why.

Recommendations
The following recommendations have been drawn from the findings, to assist the concerned school management teams, worried teachers, education policymakers, parents and other stakeholders in South African education system for the integration of values education into learners by the teachers and the parents, alongside other stakeholders for peaceful cohabitation: • Existing research studies on values education in South African schools indicate that there is a literature gap, hence there is a need for more research studies to enhance values education in schools.
• There is need to review existing educational policies to integrate values education across the curriculum, to enhance values education in all the subjects.
• Provision of adequate and regular professional training for teachers for the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of values education by the Department of Basic Education (Ajani, 2018;2019;2020;2021).
• Involvement of teachers in design of curriculum contents for values education in every subject.Their involvement will assist in the inclusion of practicable values education into teaching and learning of all subjects.
• The School Management Team (SMT) members, parents, teachers and learners must al work together for effective implementation of values education in schools.Parents should be actively involved in the integration of moral values into learners.Hence, there is need for parents to be co-opted into school management by the school leaders.
• Learners who misbehave should be reprimanded by the school disciplinary committees, using the appropriate channels/strategies.While learners who exhibit good morals should be recognised and celebrated as role models or good examples to their fellow learners.Various activities to promote these should be encouraged for learners.
• Learners should be mentored by the teachers to encourage and promote all school learners.Mentor-mentee is a good way of nurturing learners in acceptable norms of the society, it can also be used to correct bad habits/behaviours in the learners.Mentoring of these learners can also include the use of motivational to inspire or promote values education in learners.