A Study on University Students' Experiences and Perceptions of the Hidden Curriculum

The purpose of this study was to explore university students' experiences and perceptions of the hidden curriculum. This study collected data using a qualitative research method, reflective journaling, and analyzed the collected data based on the substructure and components of a hidden curriculum. As a result, students' experiences within the hidden curriculum included: a university atmosphere emphasizing qualifications and competition; curriculum content connected to daily life but also at times disorganized; teaching methods that were both student-participatory and knowledge-delivery-focused; professors' attitudes that were exemplary and respectful, as well as occasionally unfair and dismissive; peers' cooperative and sometimes individualistic attitudes; and motivation stemming from university rewards. Furthermore, students were found to perceive the hidden curriculum as providing direction for university education, offering opportunities for self-exploration, encompassing curriculum content based on free and diverse experiences, utilizing practice-based and self-directed learning methods, reflecting professors' expertise and values, integrating student interaction and considering students' learning abilities, and establishing a reward system within a face-to-face learning environment.