Researching the hidden curriculum: intentional and unintended messages

In this paper, we examine the concept of the hidden curriculum, its importance to pedagogic research in geography and research methods which might be used to investigate it. We review three case studies of research projects which have explored the hidden curriculum in geographical contexts, and use these to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of different methods. We conclude by suggesting that there is an increasing need for research exploring new elements of the hidden curriculum being created by current changes in the political and economic context affecting geography in higher education in the UK and other countries.