An Analysis Of Hidden Curriculum For LGBTQ+ High School Students Through Teen- Centric Shows And Movies
by Umang Dhingra
Category: Humanities and Social Sciences
Abstract – Hidden curriculum has been shown to have direct influences on the perceptions and notions of a variety of different curricula, especially in graduate schools. This study analyzed hidden curriculum in LGBTQ+ centric media that is aimed at teenagers. The purpose of this study was to analyse the underlying themes that are propagated towards queer youth, bearing in mind how influential media can be. Shows and movies were selected via a crowdsourcing method and eight media were chosen to be analyzed. Each of these shows and movies had a high-school aged protagonist, were set in the United States and were released in the last 3 years (2017-2020). After review, the most prominent themes that emerged were conformity to stereotypes and typecasting, lack of representation, out-groups and lack of acceptance as well as mental health and self- esteem issues. It was observed that hidden curriculum is extensively seen in media and can be used as a valuable teaching tool to both promote or discourage certain attitudes and behaviours, an expedient to build communities and a resource to spark conversations about the notions of sexuality and gender.