The number of studies tried to clarify style and classify the different number of conceptualization (Biggs, 1994; Guilford, 1980; Riding& Cheema, 1991). Sternberg (1988) suggested “The mental self-government theory” that discusses 13 thinking styles along with five dimensions: legislative, executive, and judicial (function dimension); hierarchical, oligarchic, monarchic, and anarchic (form dimension); global and local thinking (level dimension); internal and external (level dimension); internal and external (scope dimension). In the literature, there is empirical research investigate the relationship between thinking styles and the number of constructs. There is positive relationship between executive thinking styles and conventional personality type (Zhang, 2000). External thinking style was found to be positively correlated with enterprising and social personality types (Zhang, 2000; Zhang and Huang, 2001). University students who preferred to use legislative, judicial, hierarchic, global and liberal styles have higher self-esteem then the others (Zhang, 2001). Values are defined as characters of individuals that clarify what is preferred, what is selected as being important and then guides an individual life (Rokeach, 1973, Schwartz, 1992). Allport (1960) believed that an individual’s philosophy is founded upon their values, or basic convictions that he holds about what is and is not of real importance in life (Allport, Vernon and Lindzey, 1960). He outlined six major value types: the theoretical, economic, aesthetic, social, political and religious. The study of values is the main issue in the development of both individuals and societies. At the individual level, value priorities are the key to person’s beliefs, attitudes, and behavior, specifying what is preferred. At the cultural levels, value structures of different cultural groups enable one to realize attributes characteristics of that particular culture (Aygün & Imamoglu, 2002). The number of studies investigated the value domains of university students in different cultures. American students assigned greater importance to the individualistic values of achievement, hedonism, self-direction and stimulation than British students ( Rcykman and Houston, 2003). The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between thinking styles, as defined by Sternberg’s theory of mental self-government and values types as defined by Allport’s Study of Values. In addition, the value domains and thinking styles of Turkish student teachers will be identified and the gender and program (early years education, primary years education, social science, physics, mathematics) differences in the importance attributed to particular value and thinking styles will be explored. The results will be discussed in related literature.

The total 250 first year student teachers (150 female, 100 male) at Marmara University- Atatürk Education Faculty participated to this study. All participants responded to the Thinking Styles Inventory (TSI; Strenberg& Wagner, 1992). TSI is a self-report inventory consisting of 65 items. The inventory has 13 subscales, with 5 items on each subscale. For each item, the respondents were asked to rate themselves on a 7 point-scale anchored by 1 (not characterize you at all) and 7 (characterize you extremely well. Palut (2003) showed that TSI was reliable and valid instrument for identifying thinking styles of university students. Value domains were determined by “Study of Values” instrument developed by Allport, Vernon and Lindzey (1960). The instrument consists of two parts. Part I comprises 30 questions. In Part II, respondents were asked 15 questions and required to rank the four alternatives. Split-half reliability coefficients ranged from .84 to .95.

Thinking styles and values have important effects on shaping the individual’s education. Both of them do not only give shape to what we see, but also teach us how to comprehend the world around us. Based on the characteristics of the value types and the thinking styles as defined respectively within two theories, five predictions were made: 1) Theoretical value type is positively associated with the use of legislative, judicial, global, internal, liberal thinking styles. 2) The economic value type is positively associated with the use of the executive, hierarchic, local thinking styles. 3) The aesthetic value type is positively associated with the use of the legislative, liberal and anarchic thinking styles. 4) The social value type is positively associated with the external thinking style, but there is negative correlation with the internal thinking styles. 5) The religious value type is positively associated with the executive and conservative thinking styles.