Rethinking Hidden Curriculum for Student Emotional Intelligence Development: A Bloom’s Taxonomy Cognitive Levels Analysis

Document Type : Scientific - Research

Authors

1 Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Educational Science, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

4 Faculty of Entrepreneurship, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

5 Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

10.48308/mpes.2026.241930.1664

Abstract

Objectives
In contemporary higher education, enhancing students’ emotional intelligence (EI) is no longer regarded as an optional advantage but rather as a strategic necessity for improving academic success, professional development, and lifelong learning. Learning is not solely a cognitive process; it also encompasses emotional and social dimensions. Accordingly, universities in the twenty-first century are expected not only to transmit specialized knowledge but also to cultivate soft skills, including emotional, social, and ethical competencies. Nevertheless, a review of educational policies and curricula in Iranian universities indicates that formal academic programs pay limited attention to the development of soft skills, particularly emotional competencies and emotion regulation. Instead, instructional efforts remain largely focused on the transmission and assessment of theoretical knowledge. As a result, one of the key challenges facing higher education is the lack of systematic curricular planning for the development of emotional intelligence. This situation underscores the need for research that adopts an analytical and context-sensitive perspective to identify and propose practical strategies for fostering EI within university education.
Materials and Methods
The present study aimed to identify and analyze effective strategies for enhancing the emotional intelligence of Iranian university students, with particular emphasis on the capacities of the hidden curriculum. This applied study employed a qualitative design using a phenomenological approach, chosen to capture the lived experiences of experts in education and psychology. The research population consisted of specialists in educational sciences and psychology with academic or professional experience in emotional intelligence and higher education. Using purposive, criterion-based sampling, twelve experts were selected. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data analysis was conducted using MAXQDA software and followed Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase thematic analysis procedure. To ensure the trustworthiness of the findings, multiple validation strategies were applied, including repeated researcher self-review at different time intervals, peer review of codes and categories by the research team, external auditing to enhance analytical rigor and consistency, and participant feedback to clarify interpretations and reduce ambiguity.
Discussion and Conclusion
Analysis of the interview data resulted in the identification of eleven main categories representing the most effective strategies for developing students’ emotional intelligence. Based on participants’ perspectives, these strategies were elaborated in detail and were found to operate primarily within the domain of the hidden (implicit) curriculum, indicating that emotional intelligence can be fostered indirectly through everyday educational practices. The identified strategies included: (1) raising awareness of emotions and their functions, (2) expanding students’ emotional vocabulary, (3) enhancing the ability to use appropriate methods of emotional expression, (4) increasing familiarity with strategies for emotion regulation and management, (5) strengthening beliefs in the possibility of managing emotions and in human changeability, (6) engaging in reflective role-taking, (7) creating spaces for sharing emotions and validating them, (8) modeling emotionally competent behaviors for students, (9) encouraging writing about emotions, (10) employing group-based instructional methods such as peer-assisted learning, and (11) identifying the gap between students’ current emotional state and their ideal emotional condition.
These eleven strategies were subsequently classified according to the revised Bloom’s taxonomy of learning objectives. The findings indicated that the majority of the strategies corresponded to lower-order cognitive levels. The reasons for and implications of this limitation were examined, highlighting the necessity of greater attention to strategies targeting higher-order cognitive processes. Furthermore, the identified strategies were aligned with the Knowledge–Skills–Attitudes (KSA) competency model, demonstrating that all three dimensions of competence—knowledge, skills, and attitudes—were addressed by the proposed approaches. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the development of emotional intelligence be integrated into existing higher education structures rather than implemented through separate and formal training programs. Accordingly, faculty members and educational planners should reconsider instructional design, classroom management practices, and patterns of pedagogical interaction in order to create sustainable, implicit opportunities for enhancing students’ emotional and social competencies. Finally, suggestions are offered for future research.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Management and Planning In Educational System
Volume 18, Issue 2 - Serial Number 35
September 2025
Pages 175-200

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