The Theatrical Ties That Bind: An Examination of the Hidden Curriculum of Theater Education

• In Event: 35.082 - Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: 35.082-20 - Teaching Critically

Abstract

Educational theorists have long determined that the formal curriculum does not serve as the only means of education within social institutions (Jackson, 1968; Apple, 1980; Eisner, 2002; Snyder, 1970; Tyler, 1969). What happens when these social institutions propagate inequality and marginalization? For most, the hidden curriculum comprises the tacit messages with which teachers communicate the values, norms, and beliefs of dominant society. The purpose of this study is to examine how the hidden curriculum manifests in theatre education programs at the secondary education level. This study will determine what themes emerge from the data collected, and will analyze the data through a neo-Marxist perspective to provide an alternate view to the socialization process of theatre.

Author

• Angela Rose Hines, Arizona State University