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The hidden curriculum in nursing education: a scoping study
Author(s) -
Raso Annalisa,
Marchetti Anna,
D'Angelo Daniela,
Albanesi Beatrice,
Garrino Lorenza,
Dimonte Valerio,
Piredda Michela,
De Marinis Maria Grazia
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
medical education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1365-2923
pISSN - 0308-0110
DOI - 10.1111/medu.13911
Subject(s) - curriculum , cinahl , hidden curriculum , nurse education , nursing , scopus , medline , medicine , medical education , psychology , pedagogy , psychological intervention , political science , law
Context The hidden curriculum is a learning dimension made up of culturally acquired, unintended lessons. Although nurse educators are not fully aware of it, through the hidden curriculum students are prepared for adult professional roles, internalising professional values and developing a professional identity. However, academic nursing education has paid relatively scarce attention to it. The objective was to map the nursing education literature about the hidden curriculum and to identify and verify to which of the four areas suggested by Hafferty (institutional policies, resource allocation decisions, institutional slang and evaluation) it refers. Methods A scoping study was conducted. In July 2018, a search was performed in MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO/ Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Cochrane Library databases, without time or language restrictions. Two authors independently performed the selection of studies, which followed the p referred r eporting i tems for s ystematic r eviews and m eta‐analysis (PRISMA) flowchart. Data charting was conducted with both an analytical and a narrative approach. Results The study included 18 articles, 13 of which were published during the last 5 years. A total of 12 were research articles, 10 of which used qualitative methodology. Regarding the area of analysis, all four areas could be identified within nursing education literature. The most widely explored area proved to be institutional policies, mentioned by 15 articles, predominantly to highlight the negative effect of the hidden curriculum. Some relational aspects, attributed to the hidden curriculum within nursing literature, belong to the informal curriculum. Conclusions The hidden curriculum in nursing education remains a largely overlooked topic. It appears to be a broader concept than that theorised by Hafferty, often also encompassing the informal curriculum. Furthermore, the literature reviewed mostly highlights the negative consequences of the hidden curriculum, such as the difficulty of transmitting professional values and ethics. Conversely, future researchers should concentrate on its positive consequences as a way to limit the loss of professional values.