School and Mental Health of Students

In this study, we tried to understand how students in high school, are experiencing the school environment. Specifically curriculum, power relations and school's overall atmosphere are the topics that have been studied. Our main question was how these experiences affect their socialization. The hidden curriculum is an important part of school culture that shows how a group of people live, think and feel, and a system of values and meanings is shared. These curriculums can be created on purpose but not written in schools. Some are even unintentional and unknowing.

Many studies have explored these programs and have an impact on educational and learning processes, but a small part of the studies have addressed the social impacts of these programs. In this study, using psychological and sociological theories, from a sociological point-of-view, we studied these obvious and hidden curricula from students’ perspective. The purpose of this study is to understand the impact these curricula have on socialization and mental health of students

In this study, using participatory observation, structured interviews, and a variety of visual studies methods, we analyzed one of Tehran's all-female schools over the course of two years. First we studied how the students describe their world and tried to find out the meaning of school and its programs from their standpoint.

We also tried to identify dimensions of the hidden curriculum in schools and the students’ experience of it. We examined its impact on the students' positive and negative mental health. In fact, in this study, school was studied as a social system and the social role of "being a student", with its rights and duties, was a key element of shaping identity and socialization for these students.