Chapter 14: Education in Ukrainian Orphanages: Hidden Curriculum for Social Reproduction or Transformation?

Situated within a broader political and socioeconomic landscape of a transitioning Ukraine, this chapter examines Ukrainian orphanage teacher and caretaker expectations of orphans’ academic abilities and potential destinations post-institutionalization from an urban and a rural orphanage. In particular, it highlights successful pedagogical strategies applied to address the needs of vulnerable youth, improve their educational achievement, and ultimately help them break away from social inequalities. The chapter draws on the interdisciplinary multi-site case study carried out between November 2010 and August 2011, employing observations; individual and focus group interviews with orphans, teachers, caretakers, and orphanage alumni; and document analysis. This study is guided by a critical theory perspective and informed by the concepts of hidden curriculum and the Pygmalion effect. The findings reveal the interaction between the social reproduction hidden curriculum and the transformative hidden curriculum. By expanding the interpretation of the hidden curriculum traditionally engaged in the social class reproduction, I conceptualize the transformative hidden curriculum enacted through “soft pedagogy,” art therapy, and carrot-and-stick approaches that tap into a child’s soul and inspire orphans to realize their potential. In this chapter, I argue that this transformative hidden curriculum can have the power to equalize educational opportunities for the socioeconomically disadvantaged children.