Writing activities and the hidden curriculum in nursing education

Nursing programs are complex systems that articulate values of relationality and holism, while developing curriculums that privilege metric‐driven competency‐based pedagogies. This study used an interpretive approach to analyze interviews from 20 nursing students at two Canadian Baccalaureate progra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nursing inquiry 2021-07, Vol.28 (3), p.e12407-n/a
Main Authors: Mitchell, Kim M., McMillan, Diana E., Lobchuk, Michelle M., Nickel, Nathan C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Activity theory
Core curriculum
critical pedagogy
Curricula
Flexible learning
hidden curriculum
Holistic approach
Learning environment
Medical education
norm‐criticism
Nursing
nursing education
Penalties
Power
qualitative methods
Social conditions & trends
Student writing
Students
Teachers
Writing
writing as a method of inquiry
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Summary:Nursing programs are complex systems that articulate values of relationality and holism, while developing curriculums that privilege metric‐driven competency‐based pedagogies. This study used an interpretive approach to analyze interviews from 20 nursing students at two Canadian Baccalaureate programs to understand how nursing's educational context, including its hidden curriculums, impacted student writing activities. We viewed this qualitative data through the lens of activity theory. Students spoke about navigating a rigid writing context. This resulted in a hyper‐focus on “figuring out” the teacher with minimal focus on the act of writing. Students used a form of behavioral “code‐switching” to maximize their grade while considering how their “valuing” of the assignment fit within their writing motives. Hidden curriculum messages taught students that academic success was assured whether their writing mirrored instructor preferences. Instructional practices of rigidity reinforced unequal social conditions for some minority students. Faculty can counteract the impact of the hidden curriculum through encouragement of choice and independent thinking about writing activities. Acknowledging power relationships and their influence on how students navigate writing assignments and nursing discourse may relieve pressures on students who fear penalties for countering norms and result in a more flexible learning environment.
ISSN:1320-7881
1440-1800
DOI:10.1111/nin.12407