The Power of Positive Thinking: A Hidden Curriculum for Precarious Times

Autor/inn/en	McLean, Scott; Dixit, Jaya
Titel	The Power of Positive Thinking: A Hidden Curriculum for Precarious Times
Quelle	In: Adult Education Quarterly: A Journal of Research and Theory, 68 (2018) 4, S.280-296 (17 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0741-7136
DOI	10.1177/0741713618777817
Schlagwörter	Adult Education; Socioeconomic Status; Hidden Curriculum; Learning Experience; Self Help Programs; Books; Positive Attitudes; Self Concept; Adults; Foreign Countries; Attitude Change; Canada (Calgary); Canada (Vancouver); Canada (Edmonton); Canada (Winnipeg) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Adult; Adults; Education; Adult basic education; Adult training; Erwachsenenbildung; Socio-economic status; Sozioökonomischer Status; Heimlicher Lehrplan; Lernerfahrung; Self help programmes; Selbsthilfebewegung; Book; Buch; Monographie; Monografie; Selbstkonzept; Ausland; Attitudinal change; Einstellungsänderung
Abstract	In this article, we explore the relationship between adult education and socioeconomic precariousness, through extending existing scholarship regarding the concept of the hidden curriculum. We analyze transcripts of 134 qualitative interviews undertaken to explore the learning experiences associated with reading self-help books in the domains of career and financial success, health and well-being, and interpersonal relationships. We find that, in addition to facilitating learning connected to the reasons for which people seek out books, self-help reading encourages people to be positive, optimistic, and confident; to stop thinking negatively; and to change their interpretation of themselves and their lives. We argue that the hidden curriculum of positive thinking both reflects and reproduces the cultural logic of precariousness that characterizes contemporary labor markets and domestic relationships, and we encourage adult educators to apply the concept of hidden curriculum to the critical study of other forms of educational practice. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01