Revealing the hidden curriculum activities in primary schools

The object of this study is to specify the hidden curriculum formed by the teacher intentionally or unintentionally about the behaviours of the teachers inside and outside the classroom, school?s physical arrangements, the relationship between school administrators and students based on students? opinions. In the study, through the review of national and international literature , the information regarding the hidden curriculum?s theoretical base, dimensions, levels and the works on hidden curriulum are provided. The environment of the research is the fifth grade students studying in the state and private primary schools in Malatya Center and Malatya boroughs and villages. Choosing the sample to represent the environment, the method of ?stratified sampling? is used. A questionnaire developed by the researcher is applied to fifth grade students aiming to clarify the hidden curriculum formed by the teacher intentionally or unintentionally about the behaviours of the teachers inside and outside the classroom, school?s physical arrangements, the relationship between school administrators based on students? opinions considered within the sampling. The students? level of acquisition of the skills as ?being able to act democratic?, ?being able to gain autonomy?, ?being able to take responsibility? , ?being able to act fair?, ?being able to be tidy?, ?being able to be punctual?, ?being able to dress according to the school rules?, ?being able to complete the task?, ?being able to act ethical?, ?being able to obey the orders?, ?being able to obey the school and society rules?, ?being able to have national feelings?, ?being able to compete? is determined with the aid of the questionnaire. The analysis of data acquired at the end of the application is held using SPSS 15.00 package program. The features of distribution are inspected , data are analyzed using proper statistical techniques.As a result of this resarch, activities of teachers? outside the formal curriculum in the school and outside school are implicitly effective in students? gaining such skills as ?being able to act democratic?, ? being able to gain autonomy?, ?being able to take responsibility? , ?being able to act fair?, ?being able to be tidy?, ?being able to be punctual?, ?being able to dress according to the school rules?, ?being able to complete the task?, ?being able to act ethical?, ?being able to obey the orders?, ?being able to obey the school and society rules?, ?being able to have national feelings?, ?being able to compete?. Skills gained as a result of teachers' implicit(hidden) activities varies according to social status. For example, both teachers of primary schools which most have the middle class students and rural area primary schools implicitly bring the students the skill of ?being able to act democratic? more than the teachers? of primary schools which most working class students. On the other hand, teachers? of primary schools which most have middle class students provide students with more opportunities to gain the skill of ?being able to gain autonomy and take responsibility?. While both the students of rural area primary schools and primary schools which most have working class aren?t treated fair , students of primary schools which most have middle class and private primary schools are treated fair by their teachers. This situation enables the students of middle class primary schools and private primary schools implicitly gain the skill of ?being able to act fair? much more than the students of the working class and rural area primary schools.Teachers? educational activities and behaviours outside the formal curriculum implicitly make the students gain the skill of ?self - esteem?. The students of primary schools which most have middle class and private primary schools get the message of ?I am respectful? more than the students of rural area primary schools and working class primary schools from their teachers? activities and behaviours outside the formal curriculum.Teachers of rural area primary schools, working class and middle class primary schools implicitly give the message of ?being tidy? more than the teachers of private schools by keeping their desks tidy all the time. Activities of teachers? outside the formal curriculum are implicitly effective in students? gaining such skills as ?being able to be tidy?, ?being able to dress according to the rules of school?, ?being able to complete the tasks? and ?being able to be punctual?. However, the degree of these effects might differ depending on the social status. For example, teachers of rural area primary schools and private primary schools give the message of ?being able to be punctual? more than the teachers of working class and middle class primary schools by being on time in the classroom.There are some sides of hidden curriculum which reinforce and contradict the formal curriculum in the classroom. For eaxmple, it is found out that, all the students get positive messages from ? the celebration of Temperance Union Week, the life of Hz. Muhammed in religious lessons, teachers? respectful behaviours to The Turkish National Anthem, swearing in ceremony every morning, commemoration of the tenth November, the historical pictures on the school wall?. As a result of these messages , students gain such skills which overlap with the aims of formal curriculum as keeping away from smoking and harmful narcotic drugs, standing in a respectful manner during The Turkish National Anthem, adopting Hz.Muhammed?s behaviours, respecting Atatürk and Turkish Notables , adopting Atatürk?s principles and reforms and Turkish culture, feel proud of notable people in Turkish history. On the contrary to this, the pictures and bulletin boards of successful students hung on the school walls are effective in gaining ?competing with each other? while they are expected to give the skill of ? being successful?.Rural area primary schools and the schools which most have working class students implicitly think that their teachers give higher marks to the students who do their religious duties. Teachers? hidden behaviours are reflected on students as model behaviours and are effective in their acquisition of some behaviours. However, the degree of effects of the hidden behaviours of teachers on students? acquisition varies depending on social status. For example, it is found out that, the students of rural primary schools and primary schools which most have working class are much more effected with their teachers? dressing style and get more messages of standing in a respectful manner during the Turkish National Anthem and swearing the Turkish National Anthem correctly from their teachers? attending Turkish National Anthem ceremonies and swearing the anthem according to the rules correctly and respectful behaviours than primary school which most have middle class students and private primary school teachers.Teachers? activities and behaviours outside the formal curriculum implicitly effect the assessment and evaulation process. The degree of these effects varies depending on the social status.In rural area primary schools and primary schools which most have working class students , if the students respect their teachers and friends , be quiet during the lesseons, obey the principle?s directions, they can have higher academical grades than they deverve. This results in the acquisition of ?being obedient and obeying the rules? by the students of rural area primary schools and primary schools which most have working class than the students of private primary schools and primary schools which most have middle class.On the other hand, the students of rural area primary schools and primary schools which most have working class implicitly get the message of ?teacher is an authority in the classroom? and ? teachers? authority must exist to maintain discipline in the classroom? more than the students of private primary schools and primary schools which most have middle class.Teachers? activities and behaviours outside the formal curriculum are implicitly effective on the acquisition of such behaviours as ?being obedient?, ?obeying the rules of school and society?, ?to act ethical?. Especially, private primary school teachers? activities and behaviours outside the formal curriculum are effective on the students? acquisition of ?being obedient? .The belief of the students of rural area primary schools and schools which most have the working class students that students who do their religious duties have higher academical grades implicitly results in the behaviour acquisition of ?doing religious duties? in these students.Evaulating and assesssing ways such as tests, written exams based on the product assessment of the students that teachers use in the evaulating and assesssing process hiddenly make students passive.Teachers? activities and behaviours outside the formal curriculum implicitly enable the students develop adaptive techniques (stratagems) and creative styles of studying to be successful.While teachers? unexpected behaviours such as smoking and gossiping are implicitly reflected on the students? aqcuisition of bad behaviours and expected behaviours such as acknowleding students about the good behaviours, useful books, useful television programmes, school rules are implicitly reflected on the students? acquisition of good behaviours.Students show resistance to the teachers with their behaviours such as ?not participating the lesson?and ?disturbing the lesson?. Students , implicitly want to see their teachers quite clean, tidy and fair. School buildings, structures, pictures on the school walls, medals, plaquettes, bulletins of successful students implicitly effect the students? behaviours. The system of giving reward is being used more than the system of giving punishment in the schools.