My_Concept_of_a_'World_View',_Beliefs_and_Attitudes,

My concept of a 'world view', beliefs and attitudes, particularly to education and how my worldview has been shaped. By Donna Reberger During this essay I will highlight my beliefs and attitudes that have shaped my concept of a ‘world view’, particularly focussing on my education and learning. I also intend to reflect on what I believe constitutes a world view and how my idea of a world view has been shaped by factors within my life. I will utilise papers written by Julia Hobson (1996); Larry Samovar and Richard Porter (2004) and university text by Marshall and Rowland (2006). It is my opinion that an individual’s core belief of a world view is developed by their family, community and national identity; this is primarily shaped through an individual’s experiences and relationships from their everyday life and may be impacted by their education and social interactions. An individual’s idea of personal identity directly shapes the person they become and it is this understanding that influences a person’s concept of world view. To me a world view is not only how I see the world as a whole, but also how I perceive myself within it. The old saying ‘the world is my oyster’ rings loud and clear to me, I believe that no matter who you are or where you are from in this world, we all have the same opportunities, however within some societies and cultures individuals are restricted from certain undertakings. Be this because of gender, religion, cultural, political reasoning, family hierarchy and beliefs. This is one view that I do not agree with, I believe everyone should be able to develop their own personality and opinions. Whilst there are many people in this world whose views I do not agree with, I understand that they have developed these beliefs through their own upbringing, and everyone is entitled to their own outlook. How I live my life every day, my values, working hard, being loyal and honest in my interactions with others sets my significance within this world. By being happy with myself I am able to take hold of the endless supply of opportunities within the world, though with many speed humps in the way I need to stay true to myself and my values to remain on my own path. Julia Hobson (1996) writes “a world view is the primary conceptual framework within which our beliefs, values and attitudes about ourselves and others rest”. I agree with this concept. My idea of a world view has been shaped largely by my family and the community I grew up in. I was raised in rural NSW to older parents, both being 40 when I was born; I have 4 older siblings, with an age difference of 19 years between us. This meant that my exposure to a range of experiences and generational activities and culture such as music and movies during my childhood were varied. Growing up within a farming community, the culture was hard working “battlers” who, without genuine input within their working lives, they did not get ahead. My parents instilled the values in me of honesty, reliability, determination, confidence and consideration for others. I was raised within a non practising catholic household, and therefore religion was not a major factor in my upbringing. Education is a daunting experience for some individuals; this may be because of their own world view that has been instilled in them because of such factors as their religion, countries political views, age, gender or community. Marshall and Rowland (2006) write “Your body and your emotions, your cultural background and your beliefs, the people in your life and where you study – these all affect your learning………. A belief in the value of hard work may make you a conscientious student.” My beliefs towards a world view have allowed me to further my own independence through university education, by my confidence that people should not be limited by the society they grew up in, or the level of education previously achieved. I am only restricted by my own determination, self awareness and personal effort. Within my studies the skills I have learnt through life, such as independence, determination, time management, commitment and self awareness will assist me in meeting my goals and obtaining my degree. Whilst it is my belief that a person’s concept of a world view is instilled in them during their upbringing, I also strongly believe that some people’s world view can change over time dependant on their personal experiences. Samovar and Porter (2004) write “world views influence perception, beliefs, and values”. As previously stated, I grew up in rural NSW and at age 18 I decided to relocate to Sydney, ‘the big smoke’ as I was tired of the country life and knew there was something bigger and better out there for me. My parents had instilled in me not only to be a trustworthy individual, but also to trust others. In saying this I trusted my flat mate with the financial matters of our household, and found after some months that this was not a smart concept as she had left me in thousands of dollars worth of debt. This changed my perception and belief of others when it came to trusting them, and therefore my world view changed as I matured and realised that not everyone in this world can be trusted. Different environments and experiences have changed my concept of world view, and therefore it is assumed there are others out there whose world view also changes by their experiences. During this essay I have identified my own beliefs and attitudes that have been determined by my concept of a ‘world view’, concentrating particularly on my education and learning. For this purpose I reflected on what my idea of a world view is and how my idea of a world view has been shaped by factors within my life. I also utilised papers written by Julia Hobson (1996); Larry Samovar and Richard Porter (2004) and university text by Marshall and Rowland (2006). This examination led me to my opinion that an individual’s core belief of a world view is developed by their family and community, but can be shaped through their individual experiences and interactions that can then be taken from their everyday life into the learning environment and will shape the person they become. References Hobson, Julia. 1996. Concepts of the self: Different ways of knowing about the self. SSK12 lecture transcript. ed. Lorraine Marshall. Perth: Murdoch University. Marshall, Lorraine & Rowland, Frances, 2006, A Guide to Learning Independently, 4th ed. Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest New South Wales, p. 1 Samovar, Larry A., and Richard E. Porter. 2004. Communication Between Cultures. 5th ed. Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.