Lecturers’ stories of teaching understanding hidden curriculum enactment in a private higher education institutions

Authors

  • Nina Rossouw The Independent Institute of Education
  • Liezel Frick Stellenbosch University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/ijtl.v19i1.18856

Keywords:

hidden curriculum, teaching, narrative study, graduate competencies, private higher education

Abstract

The hidden curriculum is embedded in all levels of education, and an integral part of higher education. However, the hidden curriculum remains a challenging concept to understand and define. The focus of this study was to gain insight into the lecturer dimension of the hidden curriculum, as research on the lecturer dimension of the hidden curriculum is limited, even more so in private higher education. A narrative approach was adopted and provided valuable stories and reflections from lecturers regarding the main areas that they enact the hidden curriculum in their classroom (developing graduate competencies, supplementing the formal curriculum, enhancing the student learning experience), the importance of lecturer reflection, and the relevance of the private nature of the higher education institutions. This study contributes to a more holistic understanding of the enactment of the hidden curriculum by lecturers in private higher education, and what lecturers experience the hidden curriculum to be. 

Author Biographies

Nina Rossouw, The Independent Institute of Education

Nina Rossouw is a senior lecturer: teaching and learning in the School of Management Studies, Faculty of Commerce at the Independent Institute of Education, Varsity College, Cape Town. Her research interests are ethics education, the philosophy of education, and the hidden curriculum in higher education.

Liezel Frick, Stellenbosch University

Liezel Frick is a professor in the Department of Curriculum Studies and the Director of the Centre for Higher and Adult Education at the Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University (South Africa). Her research interests are within the broader field of doctoral education, with a particular focus on aspects of doctoral creativity and originality, learning during the doctorate, and doctoral supervision.

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Published

21-05-2024

How to Cite

Rossouw, N., & Frick, L. (2024). Lecturers’ stories of teaching understanding hidden curriculum enactment in a private higher education institutions. The Independent Journal of Teaching and Learning, 19(1), 110–123. https://doi.org/10.17159/ijtl.v19i1.18856