The Impact of Hidden Curriculum in Theological Seminaries: A Case Study of JOS-ECWA Theological Seminary

Abstract

The impact of hidden curriculum activity within the formal learning sessions of courses is real among theological school learners. In this paper, the study focused on Jos Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Theological Seminary commonly known as JETS as a case study. The questionnaire was served to lecturers, non-academic staff, students, alumni, and immediate community members of the seminary to uncover what could be viewed as their understanding of hidden curriculum. The findings were presented in a statistical method using descriptive statistics, correlation, t-tests, and chi-square analysis. The findings indicated that the effects of the hidden curriculum on JETS students are obvious with an expected cell frequency of 22.0. There is a recurring hidden curriculum that is observed in classroom sessions by both teachers and students with a cell frequency of 12.0. When it comes to learning content in class, the attitudes of the students signal a cell frequency of 11.5. With the lack of committee members in place, the school will have difficulty spotting clear attitudes that do not agree with their training policy which the test statistics gave an expected cell frequency of 11.3. In the aspect of JETS using her immediate community to assess her hidden curriculum, there is a cell frequency of 10.8. The researcher recommends that JETS as an institution reflect on her hidden curriculum for the benefit of making her training objectives relevant to the society she seeks to serve.