Singapore Secondary School Research Articles

What is school like? Perspectives of Singaporean youth with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders

This study sought to understand the perspectives of four youth with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFA) regarding their experiences in Singapore secondary schools. Qualitative analyses of in-depth interviews revealed that youth with HFA actively construct their experience of being a person with HFA. The extent to which the youth were engaged or disengaged in school appears to be related to the support provided by the environment. Implications of the findings for practice are discussed. The role of the phenomenological approach to providing insights into the lives of persons with HFA is also discussed.

Assessing students’ information literacy skills in two secondary schools in Singapore

Appropriately measuring information literacy skills is essential to understand their educational impact as well as exploring pedagogies to improve teaching of these skills. This paper reports findings of a baseline study to understand the information literacy level of secondary school students in Singapore. A comprehensive instrument encompassing a new dimension of ethical usage of information as well as major IL principles and guidelines was developed for data collection. A total of 298 responses were gathered through the online survey. The findings indicate that overall there was a scope to improve students’ IL skills. That stated, higher order IL skills (such as information use, synthesis, and evaluation) demand more attention, as comparatively lower levels of proficiency were observed in this study.

Educational virtual environments as a lens for understanding both precise repeatability and specific variation in learning ecologies

AbstractAs a global cyberinfrastructure, the Internet makes authentic digital problem spaces like educational virtual environments (EVEs) available to a wide range of classrooms, schools and education systems operating under different circumstantial, practical, social and cultural conditions. And yet, if the makers and users of EVEs both have a hand in what can be initially achieved and subsequently repeated, then replication is not only a matter of precise repeatability but also specific variation. In this light, the study enlists one EVE in order to examine both classroom learning and educational research methodology. Two Singapore secondary school enactments of the Quest Atlantis Taiga curriculum are compared with one another and with previously published US enactments. Statistically significant learning gains precisely repeat Barab and colleagues' findings while classroom practices specifically vary from its design narratives. Descriptions of the progressive development of Singapore enactments illustrate a methodological tack for understanding continuity and change within Singapore classrooms and between Singapore and US classrooms as necessary functions of diversity. The juxtaposition of these analyses characterize tensions between replication and implementation fidelity and, in turn, frame EVEs as a tool for understanding and leveraging precise repeatability and specific variability of curricula.Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic Evidence suggests that some educational virtual environments (EVEs) can support learning. However, the processes through which EVEs operate remain underspecified. At the same time, it is undesirable to control in every way how teachers and students use EVEs and therefore more difficult to characterize these technologies in terms of causal mechanisms. What this paper adds EVEs can more systematically illuminate both a process of learning and a diverse repertoire of supporting strategies. With such a perspective, this paper describes how two Singapore classrooms make use of the same EVE differently while also documenting statistically significant learning gains. The paper also enlists the EVE as a frame for juxtaposing differences within and between education systems. Implications for practice and/or policy Documenting productive learning experiences across a range of unique locales and attendant facilitation strategies underscores that some curricula can be flexible. Several successful strategies that teachers employed departed from the EVE design and highlight ways that local adaptations can improve designs in ways that designers simply cannot anticipate. EVEs can be a useful tool for understanding strategic adaptations and enhancing the implicit partnerships that designers and teachers forge via curricula.

Enriching the space of learning through weaving: how a teacher builds her students' understanding of (a) genre over time

This article draws its data from a collaborative intervention project Expanding Textual Repertoires, which sought to help English teachers develop their students' higher-order work with language and texts in Singapore secondary schools. The focus is on the strategy of weaving, a form of connection-making which involves the deliberate shifting between levels and kinds of knowledge across instructional episodes, lessons and units and which facilitates students' progressively deeper exploration of concepts and skills over time. Drawing on relevant theoretical and conceptual discussions in educational linguistics and the learning sciences, the article first unpacks what makes explicit attention to relationships between different dimensions of knowledge an important factor in promoting intellectually challenging, engaging and coherent learning experiences. It then shows through the detailed analysis of the overall architecture of a curriculum unit on the news story genre and two episodes from its lessons what weaving looks like in an enacted curriculum which is intended to support students in their understanding of both the particular genre in focus and, more broadly, socially valued ways of exploring genre in the context of their school subject.

Impulsivity, Self-Regulation,and Pathological Video Gaming Among Youth

Given the potential negative mental health consequences of pathological video gaming, understanding its etiology may lead to useful treatment developments. The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of impulsive and regulatory processes on pathological video gaming. Study 1 involved 2154 students from 6 primary and 4 secondary schools in Singapore. Study 2 involved 191 students from 2 secondary schools. The results of study 1 and study 2 supported the hypothesis that self-regulation is a mediator between impulsivity and pathological video gaming. Specifically, higher levels of impulsivity was related to lower levels of self-regulation, which in turn was related to higher levels of pathological video gaming. The use of impulsivity and self-regulation in predicting pathological video gaming supports the dual-system model of incorporating both impulsive and reflective systems in the prediction of self-control outcomes. The study highlights the development of self-regulatory resources as a possible avenue for future prevention and treatment research.

The changing role of school/media resource libraries in secondary schools in Singapore and the need to implement mandatory standards, 1946–2010: Issues, challenges and opportunities

The aim of this paper is to study the development and evolution of secondary school libraries into Media Resource Libraries (MRLs) in Singapore after the Second World War and the rationale to have mandatory school library standards. It is an historical survey analysing published data about the linkages of libraries and librarianship, school library standards, education and school reforms in Singapore. It analyses historical and current documents on the roles played by stakeholders like the Library Association of Singapore (LAS) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) in the introduction and development of school library standards. The need for school libraries standards was first discussed when the Malayan Library Group (MLG) organised the first course on librarianship for school teachers in 1955, but, with no follow through. The need for school libraries standards was also mentioned by the LAS in 1962 in a memorandum to the Commission of Enquiry into Education to train teacher librarians and adopt school library standards. However, this was left out in the final report of the Commission published in 1964. The need for school library standards was discussed in a school library seminar for 150 teacher librarians in 1970. The first Recommended Minimum Standards for Secondary School Libraries was published two years later by the Standing Committee on Libraries set up by the MOE, but it was not mandatory for schools to adopt the standards. In 1997 the MOE launched its “Thinking School Learning Nation” vision to teach thinking skills. Students were expected to do multidisciplinary project work and be independent users of information. The MOE began to convert school libraries into Media Resource Libraries (MRLs) with print and non-print materials. However, a survey conducted in 2001 on the roles and competencies of 112 Library Coordinators (LCs) or teacher librarians revealed that they lack the skills and knowledge to manage MRLs effectively. This is because subsequent school library standards published in 1983 and 2002 did not require trained and full-time teacher librarians to manage the MRLs. Furthermore, it is essential for the standards to be periodically updated with regards to professional staff, collection development, facilities, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and school library programs. Otherwise, MRLs risk being “hollow shells still considered on the periphery of core educational requirements, and are run by teachers not professionally prepared to do the work” (Hart, 2001, p. 25). The national standards published in the United States from 1918 to 2008 are well researched and provide substantive guidelines to develop school libraries. Therefore, it is essential for the MOE to formulate MRL standards by doing comparative studies of school library standards in other countries. These standards have to be mandatory and fully adopted by the schools. It provides opportunities for stakeholders like the LAS, National Library Board (NLB), the National Institute of Education (NIE), and the Singapore Teachers’ Union, to collaborate in the formulation of these standards and take collective ownership to implement them.

The changing role of school/media resource libraries in secondary schools in Singapore and the need to implement mandatory standards, 1946–2010: Issues, challenges and opportunities

The aim of this paper is to study the development and evolution of secondary school libraries into Media Resource Libraries (MRLs) in Singapore after the Second World War and the rationale to have mandatory school library standards. It is an historical survey analysing published data about the linkages of libraries and librarianship, school library standards, education and school reforms in Singapore. It analyses historical and current documents on the roles played by stakeholders like the Library Association of Singapore (LAS) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) in the introduction and development of school library standards. The need for school libraries standards was first discussed when the Malayan Library Group (MLG) organised the first course on librarianship for school teachers in 1955, but, with no follow through. The need for school libraries standards was also mentioned by the LAS in 1962 in a memorandum to the Commission of Enquiry into Education to train teacher librarians and adopt school library standards. However, this was left out in the final report of the Commission published in 1964. The need for school library standards was discussed in a school library seminar for 150 teacher librarians in 1970. The first Recommended Minimum Standards for Secondary School Libraries was published two years later by the Standing Committee on Libraries set up by the MOE, but it was not mandatory for schools to adopt the standards. In 1997 the MOE launched its “Thinking School Learning Nation” vision to teach thinking skills. Students were expected to do multidisciplinary project work and be independent users of information. The MOE began to convert school libraries into Media Resource Libraries (MRLs) with print and non-print materials. However, a survey conducted in 2001 on the roles and competencies of 112 Library Coordinators (LCs) or teacher librarians revealed that they lack the skills and knowledge to manage MRLs effectively. This is because subsequent school library standards published in 1983 and 2002 did not require trained and full-time teacher librarians to manage the MRLs. Furthermore, it is essential for the standards to be periodically updated with regards to professional staff, collection development, facilities, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and school library programs. Otherwise, MRLs risk being “hollow shells still considered on the periphery of core educational requirements, and are run by teachers not professionally prepared to do the work” ( Hart, 2001, p. 25). The national standards published in the United States from 1918 to 2008 are well researched and provide substantive guidelines to develop school libraries. Therefore, it is essential for the MOE to formulate MRL standards by doing comparative studies of school library standards in other countries. These standards have to be mandatory and fully adopted by the schools. It provides opportunities for stakeholders like the LAS, National Library Board (NLB), the National Institute of Education (NIE), and the Singapore Teachers’ Union, to collaborate in the formulation of these standards and take collective ownership to implement them.

Using an advanced graphing calculator in the teaching and learning of calculus

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the use of TI-Nspire™ could enhance the teaching and learning of calculus. A conceptual framework for the use of TI-Nspire™ for learning calculus in a mathematics classroom is proposed that describes the interactions among the students, TI-Nspire™, and the learning tasks, and how they lead to the learning of calculus. A design experiment was conducted in a class of 35 students from a secondary school in Singapore. Use of TI-Nspire™ was integrated into the teaching and learning of calculus concepts in the classroom with the aid of TI-Nspire™ Navigator, a wireless classroom network system that enables instant and active interaction between students and teachers. It was found that the appropriate use of graphical, numerical and algebraic representations of calculus concepts using TI-Nspire™ enabled students to better visualize the concepts and make generalizations about relevant mathematical properties. In addition, the students were able to link multiple representations, especially algebraic and graphical representations, to improve their conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills. Six roles of TI-Nspire™ in classroom mathematical practice were identified from the findings of the experiment; TI-Nspire™ was used as an exploratory tool, graphing tool, confirmatory tool, problem-solving tool, visualization tool and calculation tool. This suggests that TI-Nspire™ is a multi-dimensional tool that supports mathematics learning. Overall, the findings of the study indicate that TI-Nspire™ is an effective tool to develop mathematical concepts and promote learning and problem solving.

Using language ideology and positioning to broaden the SLA learner beliefs landscape: The case of an ESL learner from China

Departing from the view that learner beliefs are mental traits and in keeping with the discursive turn in SLA ( Kalaja, 1995 , Kalaja, 2003 , Young, 2009 ), I argue that SLA learner beliefs research can be advanced through the use of two constructs – language ideology and positioning – that originate from linguistic anthropology and discursive psychology, respectively. Applying these two constructs to a year-long ethnographic case study based in a Singapore secondary school, I investigate how the language ideologies and positioning of a 16-year old immigrant ESL learner from China ultimately impacted her language learning outcomes. To illustrate this, I draw on audio-taped interview and video-taped interaction data involving her. This study supports the view that a contextual approach to examining learner beliefs affords a refined understanding of beliefs through an emic perspective. ► Adopting a discursive approach, I depart from the view that SLA learner beliefs are mental traits. ► I argue that language ideology and positioning can advance SLA learner beliefs research. ► These constructs are used in a year-long ethnographic case study in a Singapore school. ► Language ideologies and positioning impacted the learning outcomes of an ESL learner from China. ► To illustrate this, I draw on audio-taped interview and video-taped interaction data.

Soul Behind the Skill, Heart Behind the Technique

Case studies of students enrolled in a specialized secondary school in Singapore describe the experiences of flow among 14 teacher-nominated adolescents talented both in the arts and in academics. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with the respondents to discern whether they experience flow as they each engage in their respective art forms (visual arts, dance, music, and theater). Qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts reveals elements of the flow state (clear goals, intense concentration, enjoyment, loss of self-consciousness, transformation of time) highly evident among the talented teenagers. Environmental supports that enable expressions of artistic inclinations and identities within the Singapore context were likewise in conjunction with implications for arts-educators and artist-practitioners.

More than just story‐telling: cultural–historical activity theory as an under‐utilized methodology for educational change research

Sociocultural theory is increasingly popular as a paradigm for research in education. A recent member in this family of theories is introduced—cultural–historical activity theory (CHAT)—that shows much promise to complement and invigorate the field of educational change, a large, multi‐faceted, and persistent problematic. In particular, CHAT‐based research can address five areas where educational change research experiences weaknesses and shortcomings: (1) the failure to fully analyse the context; (2) a tendency towards reductionism rather than embracing complexity; (3) low sensitivity to the effects of power and politics; (4) lack of concern with emotions and identity; and (5) the rapidity at which new innovations are often introduced. These arguments are exemplified with a case study of a secondary school in Singapore that had devised a new inquiry‐based science curriculum. The paper concludes with some implications for promoting CHAT‐based research in educational change.

The nature of Chinese Language classroom learning environments in Singapore secondary schools

This article reports findings from a classroom environment study which was designed to investigate the nature of Chinese Language classroom environments in Singapore secondary schools. We used a perceptual instrument, the Chinese Language Classroom Environment Inventory, to investigate teachers’ and students’ perceptions towards their Chinese Language classroom learning environments using six dimensions, namely, Student Cohesiveness, Teacher Support, Involvement, Cooperation, Task Orientation and Equity. The investigation was carried out using a sample of 1,460 secondary three (Grade 9) students from 50 Chinese Language classes in 25 Singapore government secondary schools. The nature of the Chinese Language classroom learning environments was interpreted from analyses of the perception scores obtained, as well as from various comparisons of the perception scores between different groups. Although both the Chinese Language teachers and students perceived their present classroom learning environments positively, they would like improvements in all the six dimensions of the classroom learning environments under investigation. Also teachers perceived a more positive classroom learning environment than their students in the same class. In addition, female students perceived their actual and preferred classroom environments more positively than their male counterparts.

Developing a Guided Reading and Multi Literacy Programme for the Academically-Challenged Students

The purpose of this study is to promote interest and motivation in reading through a group guidance programme among the academically-challenged students. The objectives were to stimulate reading interest and enhance the multi literacy skills of students in a secondary school in Singapore. Random samples of 65 students from three academic streams were selected to participate in this programme called Striving for Total Achievement and Responsibility (STAR). It was found that although students’ interest in reading has increased, sustaining it has proven to be a daunting task

Playful Mindfulness: How Singapore Adolescent Students Embody Meaning with School Art

Drawn from Merleau-Ponty’s embodiment theory and Vygotsky’s sociocultural learning theory as conceptual framework, this research investigated how Singapore adolescent students accrued and embodied meaning with school art. Combining the methods of microethnographic observations and phenomenological interviews to document the process of artistic schooling in situ, the author uncovered playful mindfulness among students while they completed the required skill acquisition in Singapore secondary schools. The seemingly paradoxical nature of playfulness and mindfulness merged to demonstrate students’ mindset as well as the characteristics of their learning. For the purpose of expansive sociocultural interpretation, three metaphorical themes emerged: a stretch of adolescent artistry, a leap in advancing artful disposition, and a bow to schooling and enculturation.

Pathological Video-Gaming among Singaporean Youth

Increase in internet use and video-gaming contributes to public concern on pathological or obsessive play of video games among children and adolescents worldwide. Nevertheless, little is known about the prevalence of pathological symptoms in video-gaming among Singaporean youth and the psychometric properties of instruments measuring pathological symptoms in video-gaming. A total of 2998 children and adolescents from 6 primary and 6 secondary schools in Singapore responded to a comprehensive survey questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics, video-gaming habits, school performance, somatic symptoms, various psychological traits, social functioning and pathological symptoms of video-gaming. After weighting, the survey data were analysed to determine the prevalence of pathological video-gaming among Singaporean youth and gender differences in the prevalence. The construct validity of instrument used to measure pathological symptoms of video-gaming was tested. Of all the study participants, 8.7% were classified as pathological players with more boys reporting more pathological symptoms than girls. All variables, including impulse control problem, social competence, hostility, academic performance, and damages to social functioning, tested for construct validity, were significantly associated with pathological status, providing good evidence for the construct validity of the instrument used. The prevalence rate of pathological video-gaming among Singaporean youth is comparable with that from other countries studied thus far, and gender differences are also consistent with the findings of prior research. The positive evidence of construct validity supports the potential use of the instrument for future research and clinical screening on Singapore children and adolescents' pathological video-gaming.

Secondary school socio-cultural context influencing ICT integration: A case study approach

<blockquote>This paper proposes the use of activity theory and multi-level activity systems as a framework to analyse the effectiveness of ICT integration in Singapore secondary school classrooms. Three levels of activity systems are developed to study the effectiveness of ICT integration at the classroom: the classroom activity system, the department activity system and the school activity system. A multiple case study approach with three secondary schools in Singapore was adopted to provide in depth understanding of the socio-cultural factors that affect ICT integration in the classrooms. The findings show that schools need to function as learning organisations to be adaptable to changes, especially rapid changes brought about by technology integration in curriculum. To be successful learning organisations, schools need a curriculum focused, over-arching ICT goal to provide clear direction to the key players - teachers, HOD/ICT and instructional program HODs in the school. The management approach to ICT integration in the school should be through distributed leadership. While the school principal sets the tone for the school vis-à-vis modelling curriculum focused integration, providing encouragement to teachers and support for the HODs plans, the role of the HOD/ICT should be to ensure the relevant ICT-enabled infrastructure and implementation procedures are in place.</blockquote><p> </p>

A literature‐driven English Programme’s effectiveness in improving the writing skills of Grade 7 Singaporean students

A Literature‐Driven English Programme (LDEP) was designed and tested in naturalistic conditions in four diverse secondary schools in Singapore over a span of five to six weeks during 2004. These schools included single‐sex and co‐educational schools. The sample provided, within and across the schools, different levels of performance in a graded situation; multiple teachers and classes; and control and experimental conditions for the curriculum implementation. In the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the findings, it was found that the LDEP was effective in enhancing the narrative writing skills of many of the students in the experimental group.

Improving Students' Revision of Physics Concepts through ICT‐Based Co‐construction and Prescriptive Tutoring

In this paper, we describe and discuss an information and communication technology (ICT)‐based intervention designed to improve secondary school students' revision (in contrast to learning) of physics concepts. We show that students' engagement in joint activities via our ICT‐based intervention can provide them (and their teachers) with insights into their knowledge base and thought processes, thereby aiding a remedial process we call prescriptive tutoring. Utilising a design‐based research methodology, our intervention is currently being implemented and evaluated in a public secondary school in Singapore. Statistical analysis of pre‐ and post‐intervention test scores from the first iteration of our design experiment show that students in the experimental group significantly out‐performed students in both the control and alternate intervention groups. In addition, qualitative data obtained from the students from a focus group session, individual interviews and responses to our survey questions reveal that they became more comfortable with the intervention only after they appreciated how the intervention was designed to help them.

PBL-GIS in Secondary Geography Education: Does It Result in Higher-Order Learning Outcomes?

This article presents research on evaluating problem-based learning using GIS technology in a Singapore secondary school. A quasi-experimental research design was carried to test the PBL pedagogy (PBL-GIS) with an experimental group of students and compare their learning outcomes with a control group who were exposed to PBL but not GIS. The results show significant differences in the learning outcomes between the two groups. Specifically, students in the control group show more memorization skill while students in the experimental group demonstrate more analytical and evaluation skills. The conclusion is that learning with PBL-GIS pedagogy can result in higher-order learning outcomes.

Investigating students’ critical thinking in weblogs: an exploratory study in a Singapore secondary school

Critical thinking is an essential competency in the new information age. But research shows that students commonly lack critical thinking skills and hence promoting students’ critical thinking becomes crucial. This exploratory study investigated the extent to which secondary school students’ critical thinking could be promoted by writing reflections in the weblog. Students’ critical thinking was measured by using the Newman’s model. Results showed that writing reflections in the weblog could help promote students’ critical thinking and according to the Newman’s model, three categories of critical thinking were promoted the most, they were bringing outside knowledge or experience (O+), relevance (R+), and justification (J+). In addition, the study also found that the types of interaction with peers and the teacher had a more positive effect on the extent of critical thinking. Implications for other research are discussed.