Shadow curriculum as a new form of curriculum: its evolution, definition, and implications for curriculum studies

Abstract

Shadow education has become a worldwide phenomenon and therefore must be considered when exploring student learning and the ecology of education. The phenomenon has mainly been studied in the fields of comparative education, sociology of education, education and policy, and lifelong education. Relatively few scholars in the field of curriculum studies have focused on shadow education, and as a result little is known about its curricular components including programs, instruction, methods, and evaluation. This article is intended to open a new scholarly space by presenting “shadow curriculum” as a new form of curriculum. We review the development of shadow curriculum and present a broad definition and its characteristics. We conclude by suggesting research areas that curriculum researchers could explore in future work.