Hidden Curriculum: an Apparent Challenge or an Unexplored Opportunity?

Hidden curriculum concerns implicit teachings and the factors affecting the emergence of the said teachings which students experience as a result of attending school. The essence of the present paper is the systematic review of those scientific-investigative articles carrying the title of hidden curriculum and which are products of Iranian researchers ' endeavors within the last two decades (1991-2012). 19 papers in this regard, made available through domestic and international data bases and profiled domestic magazines were included in this investigation for an examination of their full texts (no sampling applied). The present review study aims at determining the most important educational influences raised from hidden curricula and providing applicable solutions towards optimal employment of positive consequences and avoidance from negative ones. Findings indicate the dominance of negative consequences over positive educational outcomes in various dimensions of hidden curriculum (school structure, school's social atmosphere and teacher-student interaction) in Iranian schools. This implies the necessity of serious consideration of solutions presented herein in order to prevent the replacement of the opportunity raised by the hidden curriculum with the challenges resulted from it within the school