Informal Curriculum Research Articles

School Transportation as Social Capital: Suburban School Leaders at the Wheel of Equitable Access

The roots of opportunity gaps in suburban schools often lie hidden in widely-accepted operational practices. Despite the importance of the informal curriculum to social capital development, suburban leaders sometimes underestimate how transportation restrictions can bar access to resources that are critical to advancing their Black, Brown, and lower-income students. This case illuminates how racism, classism, and housing segregation worked synergistically to create marginalizing transportation conditions in a majority-White suburban high school, and how the social-emotional impact ultimately led to the exclusionary discipline of two students. It addresses how race-neutral policies and deficit cultures contribute to unjust treatment of minoritized students, and underscores the need for suburban leaders to become racially literate and advocate for practices that ensure equitable access to capital-building resources for every student.

Promoting resilience among medical students using the Wadi framework: a clinical teacher's perspective.

Resilience is essential for medical students to navigate the challenges of their education and future careers. Defined as the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity, resilience can be learned and is critical for maintaining mental health. Medical educators play a pivotal role in fostering resilience by integrating it into both formal and informal curricula, including the hidden curriculum, which can significantly influence students' coping strategies. Research highlights the importance of resilience training in reducing depression and anxiety among students, underscoring its necessity as a core component of medical education. This essay presents the Systematic Assessment for Resilience (SAR) framework, which provides a comprehensive approach to promoting resilience through four key constructs: self-control, management, engagement, and growth. Practical strategies for each construct are discussed, including assessment mapping, time management, and the use of formative assessments to enhance students' preparedness and self-control. Engagement is fostered through collaborative assessments, open book exams, and regular formative feedback, while growth is encouraged via self-reflection and faculty development. Implementing the SAR framework has shown positive outcomes, with students reporting reduced anxiety and improved performance. However, further exploration and institutional support are needed to fully integrate these strategies into medical education. The SAR framework offers a feasible and effective method for cultivating resilience, contributing to students' mental well-being and equipping them to face future challenges in their medical careers. Continued refinement and broader institutional adoption will be crucial to sustaining the impact of resilience training in medical education.

Colour-evasive racial ideologies underpinning the hidden curriculum of a majority-minority occupational therapy school in London, England: an analysis of minoritised undergraduate students’ experiences

ABSTRACT The concept of ethnoracial ‘majority-minority’ was introduced to describe changing population demographics where racial or ethnic groups traditionally in the majority have become a numerical minority. Despite their increase in recent years, very little is known of how hidden curricula manifests in these settings. Hence, this study sought to interrogate the hidden curriculum of race at an Occupational Therapy school with a majority-minority student-educator population in London, England. We conducted a secondary analysis of qualitative data from a larger action research project. The main data source was derived from two group interviews involving 11 racially minoritised student participants, and thematically analysed through a hidden curriculum lens. Trustworthiness of the analysis was enforced through crystallisation. The hidden curriculum of race was identified as embedded within (1) formal learning, (2) the null curriculum, (3) the informal curriculum, and (4) administrative structure and functioning. It is underpinned by pervasive colour-evasive racial ideologies which perpetuate health and workforce inequities. This paper concludes that majority-minority population demographics are insufficient to mitigate the impact of wider societal norms of oppression on hidden curricula. Thus, concerted and collective efforts involving all professional stakeholders are needed to embed intersectional, critical race-conscious approaches throughout formal learning across the academic curriculum.

Creating pedagogical possibilities through media representations of “the talk” in civics classrooms

Millions of people learn lessons about citizenship and belonging from the media they consume each day. In this study, we examined the knowledges about citizenship that are conveyed through media representations of “the talk,”—the conversations Black families have with their children about navigating interactions with police in an antiBlack society. Our findings revealed that “the talk,” as an informal curriculum, can educate people on why antiBlack police violence occurs and can provide guidance to Black people on how to survive police interactions. Additionally, we found that the Black families in this study use “the talk” to name and challenge dominant narratives about policing and police officers. Although many civics curricula and state standards continue to remain race-evasive, antiBlack, and riddled with white supremacy, we contend that incorporating media representations of “the talk” into civics instruction can create pedagogical possibilities for educators to teach about the racialized realities of citizenship experienced by Black people in the United States.

Unique practices in teaching affective learning in a higher education applied curriculum

AbstractAffective learning is important for the holistic development of students. Yet, not much is reported about how it is achieved in the higher education classroom. The purpose of this paper was to appraise the Hospitality and Tourism Management curriculum and pedagogical practices being utilized to deliver affective learning outcomes in Community Colleges in Jamaica. Adopting a qualitative tradition, involving analysis of the hospitality and tourism curriculum documents and personal interviews of 35 purposively selected academic and non‐academic participants, the study found that while affective learning practices were infused in pedagogy, the educational activities were not linked to clearly defined learning outcomes in the formal curriculum. Cognitive learning outcomes dominated the formal curriculum. Students' access to affective learning experience was facilitated through an improvised informal curriculum, that is, learning experiences that occurred outside the planned curriculum. The article theorized that design flaws in the planned curriculum contributed to the experience. This research has implications for staff professional development, practical‐based subject curriculum design and for standard setters who monitor alignment between higher education and industry requirements.

Peran Guru Kristen dalam Membangun Karakter Siswa di Sekolah Multikultural

This research examines the role of Christian teachers in building student character in multicultural schools. Using a holistic approach, this research explores how the integration of Christian values ​​in the formal and informal curriculum, as well as the development of programs that support diversity, can shape students’ overall character. The research results show that Christian teachers who consistently apply values ​​such as love, honesty, integrity, and tolerance in their teaching not only improve students’ academic aspects but also strengthen their morals and ethics. In addition, Christian teachers’ participation in extracurricular programs has been proven to have a significant positive influence on the formation of students’ character, especially through activities that encourage cooperation, empathy and respect for differences. This research confirms the importance of a holistic approach in character education in multicultural schools and the significant contribution of Christian values ​​in forming an ethical and tolerant generation.

Enhancing music rhythmic perception and performance with a VR game

This study analyzes the effect of using a virtual reality (VR) game as a complementary tool to improve users’ rhythmic performance and perception in a remote and self-learning environment. In recent years, remote learning has gained importance due to various everyday situations; however, the effects of using VR in such situations for individual and self-learning have yet to be evaluated. In music education, learning processes are usually heavily dependent on face-to-face communication with a teacher and are based on a formal or informal curriculum. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential of gamified VR learning and its influence on users’ rhythmic sensory and perceptual abilities. We developed a drum-playing game based on a tower defense scenario designed to improve four aspects of rhythmic perceptual skills in elementary school children with various levels of music learning experience. In this study, 14 elementary school children received Meta Quest 2 headsets for individual use in a 14-day individual training session. The results showed a significant increase in their rhythmical skills through an analysis of their rhythmic performance before and after the training sessions. In addition, the experience of playing the VR game and using the HMD setup was also assessed, highlighting some of the challenges of currently available affordable headsets for gamified learning scenarios.

언어네트워크 분석을 활용한 제주 지역화 교과서의 해녀 내용 분석과 시사점

The objective of the present research is to analyse the portrayal of ‘Haenyeo’ in local textbooks in Jeju by employing the semantic network analysis approach and derive meaningful conclusions. The analysed texts were specific textbooks created and delivered to elementary school pupils by Jeju City and the Jeju City Office of Education. The texts that focused on ‘Haenyeo’ in these local textbooks were extracted and then analysed using semantic network analysis. The investigation demonstrated the significance of Jeju local textbooks in incorporating indigenous knowledge, values, and attitudes of Jeju haenyeo into the formal curriculum. Previously, the informal curriculum concealed and transmitted these aspects. However, the Jeju local textbooks failed to recognise the sustainable lifestyle and liberal communitarianism of the Jeju Haenyeo culture, which are important principles for kids to acquire in order to promote a sustainable future. Hence, it is imperative that future Jeju local textbooks enhance and reinforce the sustainable lifestyle and liberal communitarian citizenship of the Haenyeo culture and effectively impart these principles to pupils through the formal curriculum. Moreover, the secondary geography textbooks, which merely mention the term ‘haenyeo’ briefly, should actively adopt the principles of haenyeo culture as outlined in these Jeju local textbooks.

Education for Buddhist Modernism: Buddhicised education and reform in Hong Kong schools

ABSTRACT Starting with an initiative called Buddhicised education, there have been calls to reform Chinese Buddhism for a century. Based on documentary research of textbooks and in-depth interviews, this paper examines the reform of Buddhicised education in Hong Kong since 2000. Facilitated by the Hong Kong government’s education reform, Buddhicised education has gone in a new direction. The promotion of character education and caring for the heart have become more significant than ever in addressing the daily life issues and social concerns of students. Buddhicised education can be broadly redefined as life education for whole-person development in terms of beliefs, values, morality, character, positive emotions and spirituality. Reforms have been made in both the formal and informal curricula by incorporating moral and life education, contemplative education and sustainable education, as well as taking a student-centred approach such as experiential learning. This paper also discusses the implications of Buddhist modernism and the prospects of Buddhicised education in the religious education context of Hong Kong.

Psychiatric nurse and educator perspectives on professional boundaries in nursing education: An interpretive description study

BackgroundPsychiatric nurses are responsible for maintaining professional boundaries. However, professional boundaries are as described as unclear and psychiatric nursing students are at risk of crossing these boundaries. Educational instruction regarding professional boundaries within psychiatric nursing often lacks foundational structure placing students at risk of transgressions. PurposeThe purpose of the study was to describe boundaries in psychiatric nursing practice, identify strategies effective in teaching professional boundaries, and inform curriculum development in psychiatric nursing education. MethodInterpretive description was utilized to answer: How do psychiatric nurse educators interpret and explain professional boundaries in psychiatric nursing undergraduate education? Psychiatric nurse educators and psychiatric nurses were recruited from an academic institution in western Canada. Twenty participants engaged in semi-structured interviews. Eight of those participants also attended a focus group. ResultParticipants reported that ‘textbook’ definitions of boundaries were insufficient in illustrating the complexities of the construct. Rather, relational forms of learning such as educators sharing clinical stories, role play activities, clinical supervision, and clinical debriefing were described as helpful strategies. ConclusionFoundational knowledge regarding professional boundaries in psychiatric nursing practice appears to be incorporated in the formal curriculum. However, learning is enhanced through the informal and hidden curriculum.

Climate Change Education as an Adaptative Strategy for Dairy Farmers: A Sociocultural Perspective

Purpose This study aims to develop a transdisciplinary informal curriculum for climate change education (CCE) to increase the adaptive capacity of the small-farm milk-producing sector in Encarnación de Díaz, Jalisco, México. Design/Approach/Methods A sustainable rural livelihood framework assessing six types of capital (animal, financial, human, natural, physical, and sociocultural) in a sequential exploratory method design was used to determine the adaptive capacity of 61 milk producers to climate change. Several interrelated aspects of capital are associated with milk producers’ vulnerability to climate change. Findings Dairy farmers’ knowledge is based on traditional, historical, and cultural ways of interacting with their environment. Respecting this knowledge allowed us to use their experiential knowledge to co-jointly develop a CCE model to decrease the vulnerability of each of the six identified types of capital, with financial, human, and sociocultural capital being the most vulnerable. Originality/Value Using local knowledge to cultivate adaptive actions for climate change and reducing the vulnerability of affected communities is essential when developing an informal CCE curriculum.

A Culture Among the Teachers: The White Habitus of Elementary Art

This ethnographic case study asks how White elementary art educators address cultures other than their own and how race and Whiteness operate in their curriculum work. This research involved three phases, where the researcher moved from observing teachers’ multicultural curriculum work to guiding critical reflection, and finally to collaboratively writing a critical curriculum that teachers then enacted. Findings suggest that teachers’ sociocultural knowledge shapes their teaching philosophies, often in dysconscious and embodied ways. Findings also suggest the habitus of art education has reinforced the notion of the arts as White property. This ideology was part of art education culture, norms, and behaviors embedded in both the formal and informal curriculum and maintained by the teachers’ preservice programs, their colleagues, and district leaders. These findings indicate the need for antiracist art education and mentorship preparing teachers to engage in intentional dialogue about race and identity, critically reflect on their curriculum work, and question the habitus.

Addressing challenges and finding solutions: navigating the informal curriculum of publication training within higher education

ABSTRACT The peer-review process used in most academic journals is critical for curating evidence-based knowledge. Although many graduate programmes expect students to engage in the research process, these programmes often do not mandate formal training for the publication process. With few studies examining the graduate student experience in the publication process, the current study sought to help address this gap. Specifically, we used a reflexive thematic analysis approach to look at 18, hour-long, semi-structured interviews with Education graduate students at the master’s and doctoral level. Using a revised version of Kolb’s experiential learning theory to contextualise the results, we highlight three main areas related to participants’ experiences engaging in the publication process: a) experiences and motivations, b) challenges, and c) pathways to publishing. Based on these findings, we offer implications for higher education to support graduate students’ readiness to engage in the publication process as future scholars.

Exploring the declared and the formal and informal taught curricula at a UK dental school through the lens of pulp management.

Introduction This paper explores the declared and formal and informal taught endodontic curriculum within an undergraduate dental programme in the UK as part of a wider study, which also investigates the learned curriculum. Management of the dental pulp was chosen due to the availability of clear internationally recognised guidelines.Method The declared curriculum was identified through existing course guides and seminar and practical session plans. The formal taught curriculum was identified by cataloguing all lectures, practical teaching sessions, seminars and handouts available to dental students. Questionnaires using clinical vignettes were used to explore the informal taught curriculum.Results Valid responses to the questionnaire were received from 25/40 (62.5%) clinical supervisors. Disparities between national guidelines and the declared and taught curriculum were primarily due to broad learning objectives and disparate information from lectures and supervising clinicians. Although the majority of formal teaching aligned with national guidelines, the main deviation occurred within the informal taught curriculum.Conclusion This study highlights disparities between current evidence-based guidelines and the declared and taught curriculum in relation to pulp management in a UK dental school. Recommendations are that all policies, procedures and protocols are updated and aligned to a contemporaneous evidence base annually, plus engagement with clinical lecturers, to enable more standardised teaching.

Fostering Medical Students’ Commitment to Beneficence in Ethics Education

Fostering Medical Students’ Commitment to Beneficence in Ethics Education

Medical Students' Perceptions and Use of Formal and Informal Curriculum Resources.

Introduction Resource overload describes the feeling medical students experience in choosing formal (faculty-prescribed) and informal study resources (not faculty-prescribed). This study aims to characterize students' use and perceptions of formal and informal study resources to inform their use in medical education. Methods This is a mixed-methods study utilizinga convenience sample of first-year medical students enrolled at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine during the academic year 2020-2021. A 40-question, five-point Likert scale, survey based on Keller's Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction (ARCS) Model of Motivational Design was distributed to medical students during the end of their first year of medical school. Multivariate analysis of variance determined differences between formal and informal resources for each construct. Interviews were also conducted by first-year medical students and analyzed using thematic analysis. Learning logs were completed during the beginning of the medical students' second year to assess daily study habits. Results Fifty-one students completed the survey with a response rate of 42.5%. Informal resources scored higher across all constructs: attention (formal: 3.4±1.2, informal: 4.0±1.1; p<.0125), relevance (formal: 3.8±1.1, informal: 4.3±1.0; p<.0125), confidence (formal: 3.2±1.2, informal: 4.1±1.1; p<.0125), satisfaction (formal: 2.8±1.2, informal: 3.6±1.2; p<.0125) (Likert scale 1-5, Mean±SD). Students found formal resources lacked depth and organization while informal resources allowed for concise understanding with retention cues. Learning log data reported similar use of formal and informal resources during week 1 (88.2% formal vs. 87.8% informal) and week 2 (84.6% formal vs. 82.6% informal). Conclusions Students preferred informal resources based on ARCS constructs. However, the actual usage of formal and informal resources was similar. Formal resources align more with curricular assessments, but informal resources aid student retention and understanding. Therefore, students find both formal and informal resources necessary for success. Faculty should consider integrating informal curriculum resources to optimize student learning.

Integrating education for sustainable development in learning development practice within a university humanities and social sciences faculty

This talk focused on a Learning Development (LD) approach to the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the production and delivery of self-directed and classroom LD resources within a department under a humanities and social sciences faculty. This was partly a response to a recently published framework for ESD in higher education (Advance HE, 2021) which encouraged students and staff, across disciplines and service areas, to identify their potential in advancing sustainability in their institutions and wider communities. ESD as ‘a lens that permits us to look critically at how the world is and to envision how it might be and equips us to deliver that vision’ implements and embeds pedagogies, enabling students to discern their roles in addressing ‘integrity, social justice and economic prosperity’ (Advance HE, 2021). The role of universities in contributing to the United Nation’s Global Sustainable Development Goals (UNDP, 2022) through research, teaching, skills development, and civic engagement, in positioning ESD strategically across the curriculum, and student expectations around ESD and SDG learning opportunities (SOS-UK, 2020) provided additional context for this session. The talk included a succinct overview of ESD in higher education and, informed by the author’s practice, a concise explanation of the distinctive role of LD in contributing to the integration of ESD within the formal and informal curricula. This was illustrated by presenting self-produced materials (or, reflecting participatory practice principles, co-produced with students or colleagues), based on a range of sustainability themes, and focusing on such skills areas as critical reflection, communication, collaborative learning and research. The observed impact on students from different subject areas, working collaboratively to apply academic skills to real-world challenges was addressed. Embedded high-impact ESD in LD fosters students’ green literacy skills, enabling them, when they transition out of higher education, to build, and maintain environmentally and socially just communities and workplaces. A comprehensive resource document, with example material, will be hosted on Learn Higher.

Construction and Application of Education Discourse Analysis for Functional Linguistic Influencing Gender Identity: From the Perspective Educational Cultural Values &amp; Social Context

Educational culture is a community or society's values, conventions, and practices that guide educational systems and institutions. It includes schools, universities, informal learning contexts, pedagogical methodologies, curriculum design, and education attitudes. Gender identity based on male and female teachers and its impact at the empowerment of female teachers in education sector have garnered huge interest from researchers and students across numerous fields of examine. This particular study sought to delve into the connection between gender identity and female teacher empowerment in education sector, with a particular recognition on exploring the moderating function of Linguistic Discourse in education and the mediating role of educational cultural values and educational social context . A sample of 500 women spanning numerous areas and socioeconomic backgrounds inside the China become recruited, encompassing an age range of 18 to sixty five years. To acquire information, an online survey was employed, which integrated standardized measures of gender identity, cultural values, educational social context , and empowerment in education sector. Additionally, a comprehensive evaluation of participants' communication patterns and language usage in education sector was conducted to assess Educational linguistic discourse in education sector. Structured equation modeling was used to conduct statistical analysis. Results indicated that gender identity predicts female teacher empowerment in education sector significantly, and that educational cultural values and educational social context partially mediate this relationship. Women who held more progressive educational cultural values and perceived a more supportive social environment reported greater levels of empowerment. In addition, educational linguistic discourse in education moderated the relationship between gender identity and female teacher empowerment in a substantial way. The relationship between gender identity and empowerment was stronger among women who used more inclusive language and avoided gender stereotypes. These findings shed light on the complexity of female teacher empowerment in education and how gender identity, educational cultural values, educational social context, and language use shape women's experiences. The study emphasizes developing progressive educational cultural values and a supportive social environment in education sector to empower women and reduce gender inequities. The study emphasizes inclusive language and eliminating gender stereotypes to promote gender equality and women's empowerment.

Construction and Application of Education Discourse Analysis for Functional Linguistic Influencing Gender Identity: From the Perspective Educational Cultural Values &amp; Social Context

Educational culture is a community or society's values, conventions, and practices that guide educational systems and institutions. It includes schools, universities, informal learning contexts, pedagogical methodologies, curriculum design, and education attitudes. Gender identity based on male and female teachers and its impact at the empowerment of female teachers in education sector have garnered huge interest from researchers and students across numerous fields of examine. This particular study sought to delve into the connection between gender identity and female teacher empowerment in education sector, with a particular recognition on exploring the moderating function of Linguistic Discourse in education and the mediating role of educational cultural values and educational social context . A sample of 500 women spanning numerous areas and socioeconomic backgrounds inside the China become recruited, encompassing an age range of 18 to sixty five years. To acquire information, an online survey was employed, which integrated standardized measures of gender identity, cultural values, educational social context , and empowerment in education sector. Additionally, a comprehensive evaluation of participants' communication patterns and language usage in education sector was conducted to assess Educational linguistic discourse in education sector. Structured equation modeling was used to conduct statistical analysis. Results indicated that gender identity predicts female teacher empowerment in education sector significantly, and that educational cultural values and educational social context partially mediate this relationship. Women who held more progressive educational cultural values and perceived a more supportive social environment reported greater levels of empowerment. In addition, educational linguistic discourse in education moderated the relationship between gender identity and female teacher empowerment in a substantial way. The relationship between gender identity and empowerment was stronger among women who used more inclusive language and avoided gender stereotypes. These findings shed light on the complexity of female teacher empowerment in education and how gender identity, educational cultural values, educational social context, and language use shape women's experiences. The study emphasizes developing progressive educational cultural values and a supportive social environment in education sector to empower women and reduce gender inequities. The study emphasizes inclusive language and eliminating gender stereotypes to promote gender equality and women's empowerment.

Detour or New Direction: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Professional Identity Formation of Postgraduate Residents.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous disruptions to health professions education training programs. Much attention has been given to the impact of these disruptions on formal learning opportunities in training; however, little attention has been given to the impact on professional socialization and professional identity formation. This study explored the impact of the pandemic and resultant curricular changes on the professional identity of family medicine residents. 23 family medicine residents at the University of Toronto were interviewed between September 2020 and September 2022. Using symbolic interactionism as a theoretical framework, thematic analysis explored the meanings residents attributed to both experiences that were disrupted due to the pandemic, and new experiences that resulted from these disruptions. Participant responses reflected that disruptions in training did not always align with their expectations for family medicine and plans for future practice; however, these new experiences also reinforced their understanding of what it means to be a family physician. While participants felt the pandemic represented a loss of agency and negatively impacted relationships in their training program, it also provided a sense of belonging and membership in their profession. Finally, these new experiences continually blurred the line between professional and personal identities through the impact of the pandemic on participants' sense of well-being and safety. The impact of the pandemic on training experiences extends beyond the loss of formal learning opportunities. Participant responses reflect the collective influence of the formal, informal, and hidden curriculum on the professional socialization and professional identity formation of residents-and how these different curricular influences were disrupted due to the pandemic. These training experiences have important implications for the future practice of residents who completed their training during the pandemic and highlight the role of training programs in supporting the professional identity formation of residents.