Define what is meant by the hidden curriculum? explain its role in perpetuating inequality in education

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The hidden curriculum refers to the transmission of cultural values and attitudes, such

as conformity and obedience to authority, via the rules, routines, and regulations of

schools. For students from dominant groups in society, the way they are treated and

what they learn in school tends to enhance their self-esteem and expectations that they

will attain success. By contrast, students of color and students from lower-income

families or families that have recently migrated to this country may be treated in such a

manner that they acquire inferior self-images and hold less optimistic views of their

education options and future prospects. Although students from all social classes are

subjected to the hidden curriculum, working-class and poverty-level students may be

the most adversely affected. Through the hidden curriculum, schools make working-

class and poverty-level students aware that they will be expected to take orders from

others, arrive at work punctually, follow bureaucratic rules, and experience high levels

of boredom without complaining.