Development of social values in childhood and early adolescence: a systematic review

Abstract

Values are a central dimension of human social life. As conceptualized in Schwartz’s Theory of Basic Human Values, they are core to a person’s self-concept and drive individual actions towards both personal development and social transformation. Cross-cultural research with adults reveals a consensus regarding values’ structure and priorities. Research with young populations is still very recent, but has already provided relevant theoretical and empirical insights. In this systematic review, we have aimed to collect and analyse studies on the development of basic human values in childhood and early adolescence that published from 2008 to 2021. A systematic search of the literature was undertaken using three electronic databases (PsycINFO, Web of Science and Scopus). Reviewers independently conducted the screening procedures to identify all papers focusing on basic human values in childhood and early adolescence (5 to 14 years-old), according to a set of previously defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The articles were submitted to a standardised quality appraisal assessment tool to determine their methodological soundness. The retrieved data was extracted and summarised using a narrative synthesis approach that reports studies’ characteristics, socio-demographic variables, evidence on value structure, value preferences, factors associated with values and measures used to assess values in children and adolescents. A total of 44 papers were included in this review. The evidence provides extensive support to Schwartz s theoretical model. Moreover, several factors concerning predictors, moderators, mediators, correlates and outcomes of values were identified, and a total of 6 different instruments that allow measuring values at an early age are described.