A Survey of Relation between Elements of Hidden Curriculum and Scientific Spirit of Students

The main purpose of this research was to investigate the relation between elements of hidden curriculum and scientific spirit of students in the Kashan University at academic year (2008-2009).. In this research seven factors were considered as elements of hidden curriculum in higher education that consists architect and physical structure of university, interaction between faculty members and students, rules and regulations, teaching methods, content, evaluation procedures and social climate. Descriptive – correlative method was used for data analysis. Statistical population consisted of all male and female students of engineering, basic, and human sciences of Kashan University. A total of 250 students (149 males and 101 females) were selected by using cluster random sample method. Data was collected by using researcher made questionnaire. Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient of .82 was calculated. Pearson correlation, one way analysis of variance, independent t test, and Toki test were used for data analysis. The results indicated that there were relations between all elements of hidden curriculum with the scientific spirit of students. There was only a significant difference between male and female students in interaction between faculty members and students (t=2.57, p,0.05).