Value preferences from 1970s to 1990s: Cohort, generation and gender differences at a Turkish university

Changes in value priorities of university students between 1970s-1990s, gen der differences in each time period, generation differences (between adoles cents' and their parents') in the 1970s and basic dimensions of the univers ity students' value orientations in the 1990s were examined Rokeach Value S urvey was administered to 150 (32 females, 118 males;) students from Nacett epe University and some of their parents (27 mothers, 30 fathers) during th e late 1970s; and to 114 students (22 females, 91 males, 1 unidentified) fr om the same university at the beginning of 1990s. In addition to the rankin g procedure used in the 1970s, in the 1990s, respondents were also asked to rate values in terms of their importance using a 7-point scale of "not imp ortant - important". Findings demonstrated that the university students of the 1970s and 1990s were more similar in their values (especially in terms of terminal values) than different. However, a trend to attribute relativel y more importance to individualistic values was observed in the 1990s. Simi larly, gender-related findings indicated similarities to be move important than differences. On the other hand, generation differences in the 1970s we re found to be relatively more important particularly in terms of terminal values; the students of the 1970s attributed more importance to individuali stic values, whereas their parents considered socio-cultural-normative valu es to be more important. Thus, results indicated generation differences in value orientations to be relatively more apparent than cohort and gender di fferences. In the 1990s, value orientations of Autonomy, Self-Development- Maturation and Adjustment-Recognition-Love were identified as second-order value orientations. The implications of these value orientations and other findings were discussed from a cross-cultural perspective and with referenc e to self-developmental tendencies in the Turkish society.