Exploring the implicit curriculum in social work education: a narrative literature review

Abstract

ABSTRACT In recent years, scientific literature on educational processes has focused on the physical and social environment as a significant factor in the development of students’ learning processes. Several studies have addressed the issue of values, behaviors, and tacit or implicit norms in the educational context where interactions between teachers and students occur, and significant experiences contribute to knowledge construction. The purpose of this narrative literature review is to understand how research in the field of social work has addressed the study of implicit dimensions in student training, considering the variety of contexts in which social work students learn, alternating between classroom and field education. In particular, the article describes: 1) the context in which these studies have developed; 2) the implicit dimensions studied in social work education. The review based on 43 recent studies published in the last 15 years, highlights the type of research in this field and the interest in studying implicit dimensions confined to the educational context in the classroom. Future research could investigate how implicit norms and procedures in the organizational environment where students undertake internship and mature a significant part of their learning influence the development of professional identity.