The concept of hidden extracurriculum

ABSTRACT

The world of extracurricular learning spaces unjustifiably falls outside the scope of mainstream educational research: resources that focus on researching extracurricula are few and far between. In the arena of extracurricular activities, one continuously encounters phenomena such as dynamic shifts in individual and collective development, sudden bursts of motivation, significant and often unexpected emotional upheavals, transformations in the patterns of in-group communication, and the like, all of which indicate the fulfillment or failure of pedagogical functions as well as the manifest, hidden and latent nature of certain influences. We argue that that when organized in a pedagogical context, especially and mostly outside the school itself, the extracurricula are also characterized by hidden learning objectives and outcomes that can be described by the concept of the hidden extracurriculum, taking the cue from the notion of the hidden curriculum.

KEYWORDS:

• Hidden curriculum
• extrarurriculum
• hidden extracurriculum
• camp pedagogy
• open learning spaces

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

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

Notes

1. Graffiti sometimes encountered on schools walls.

2. In some areas, the person carrying pedagogical authority does not exert direct and exclusive influence on the processes and thus does not fulfill the role of a traditional teacher. In these areas, the theory outlines a paradigm based on voluntary participation and the lack of compulsion, including freedom from abstract forms of compulsion, putting the learning organizer, facilitator, animator, and educator in the role of service provider. And only in some terrains have predetermined content or form, while others have none, only recommended content, which in many cases is created by the participants; to a significant extent, methods also reflect the tradition of laissez-faire pedagogy.

3. The impact mechanisms of extracurricular activities are described by the five authors cited above in terms of five potential models (Marsh, 1992; Marsh & Kleitman, 2002;): According to the zero-sum model, the sum of curricular and extracurricular effects is constant, i.e. the more someone takes part in extracurricular activities, the less they are affected by the school’ system of influences. According to the developmental model, the two effects, curricular and extracurricular, are not negatively, but positively correlated, i.e. extracurricular activities have a positive effect on school activities. According to the commitment model, extracurricular activities also have a positive impact on children, but primarily on their identification with and commitment to the school and its goals. According to the threshold model, extracurricular activities have a positive effect on school activities up to a point, but from there on they gradually decline until this effect disappears. According to the inequality reduction model, the positive effect primarily offers opportunities for those with less favorable socioeconomic status, as the extracurricular activities first and foremost have a greater positive effect in their case. That is, the extracurriculum can reduce the differences in outcomes resulting from social differences. Disadvantaged pupils are more committed to the school as a result of extracurriculum, and the extent of their identification is greater than that of their peers with higher socioeconomic status.

4. The term hidden extracurriculars already exists. In an interpretation different from ours, it refers to skills developed outside the classroom that the child or young person will not necessarily be aware of; for instance, they wouldn’t remember to mention them in an academic interview. See, among others, https://www.cnbc.com/2014/10/17/offbeat-skills-that-make-colleges-take-note.html

5. Chess camps, English language camps, or wall climbing camps have declared pedagogical goals, while an adventure camp, a mystery themed summer camp or a construction workcamp may not have a declared learning-focused goal, although participants are likely to learn bricklaying by time they graduate from the latter.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ádám Nagy

Ádám Nagy gained his six degrees in a wide range of disciplines (technical, economics, politics, teaching, law, health management). He made his PhD and habilitation in Educational Science. Former he was a research professor and a Bolyai scholar of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and president of the National Civil Fund in Hungary. He founded the New Youth Review (Hungary) and the Civil Review periodicals. His research fields are leisure time pedagogy and social pedagogy, youth affaires and youth research.