Our approach to measuring values is a key factor guiding how we study them and their use in education. It could be said of value measures is that there is a reciprocal relationship between the conceptual debate and the methods we use to measure values. The findings those measures produce have as much influence on the conceptual debate as that debate, in return has on the methods. You could even draw a direct association between our conceptualization of values and the value measures used in educational contexts such as character education programmes. It is for this reason that I will argue that we need to evaluate the fundamental assumptions which lie behind these measures in order to determine how those assumptions feed into our conceptions of values.
This presentation will explore the findings and discussions concerning the authenticity of value measure to be found in the literature relating to the study of values. I will explore two debates on authenticity, namely the debate relating to the realism of moral dilemmas used and the debate surrounding the ability of value measures to predict behaviour. In both of these debate I will discuss and evaluate the critical assumptions relating to these questions of authenticity.
Ultimately, I hope show that any attempt to achieve realism in moral dilemmas needs to consider the ethical cost and practical value of such efforts. Additionally, I will argue that the relationship between values and behaviour can only be understood if we take into account both social identity and social context.