The Eager Conformist, the Well-Rounded Collaborator, and the Independent Innovator: A Qualitative Exploration of Teachers’ Conceptions of the Ideal Student, the Hidden Curriculum, and Social Class

ABSTRACT

This paper explores teachers’ conceptions of the ideal student, aspects of the hidden curriculum, and how each varies by neighborhood-level social class. I used a thematic analysis to analyze 30 semi-structured interviews with public elementary school teachers in the United States. Emergent themes indicate the creation of archetypes regarding the ideal student, their connection to social class, and their effect on the hidden curriculum. Most notably, teachers teaching in lower-class neighborhoods idealized the eager conformist; teachers teaching in middle-class neighborhoods idealized the well-rounded collaborator; and teachers teaching in upper-class neighborhoods idealized the independent innovator. Findings suggest that teachers’ conceptions of the ideal student reflect the social conditions of the neighborhood where they teach, which impacts aspects of their teaching pedagogy and classroom-management techniques.

KEYWORDS:

• Bourdieusian theory
• habitus
• hidden curriculum
• ideal student
• social class

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

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Zachary R. Simoni

Zachary R. Simoni is an assistant professor of sociology with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. His research interests lie primarily in the sociology of health and social class. In particular, he studies the social determinants of health, the medicalization of society, and the doctor-patient interaction.