Learning and social change: The formal and the hidden curriculum

This article reviews the learning process and ways in which it can hinder or contribute to intellectual development, the development of critical consciousness (as defined by Paulo Freire), and social change. Interviews with students illustrate that Freire's concepts are applicable to understanding the process students describe as they extrapolate the hidden curriculum, examine the effect on their learning process, and struggle to free themselves from this socialization process. In conclusion, questions are raised about the relationship between alternative educational programs and social change.