A comparative study of socialization by hidden curricula in higher education with a focus on Apple and King's viewpoint: a case study of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and Arizona State University

The purpose of this study was to comparatively evaluate the process of socialization of doctoral students by hidden curricula in Iran and US higher education via phenomenological method. To achieve this goal، via snowball sampling، the experiences of thirty-six doctoral students in colleges of education in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and Arizona State University were explored. Data was gathered via unstructured interviews. For analyzing the gathered data Apple and Kings (1977) framework was used-because the distinction between weak and strong forms of hidden curricula that presented by them provides a useful heuristic for analyzing the hidden curricula in graduate programs. The results revealed that the hidden curricula in colleges studied have made doctoral students socialized almost in a similar way.