Singapore Primary Schools Research Articles

How do teachers define the notion of professional development? The case of primary music teachers

While research in teacher professional development (PD) has focused on numerous topics, not much is known about how teachers understand the notion of PD. Studying this topic is important because, for PD to be effective, all parties involved in its design and implementation need to have a common understanding of the scope and purposes of PD. We asked 315 Singapore primary school music teachers to define PD using their own words. Descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, and cross-tabulations were used to analyze the definitions and the extent to which these differed according to certain demographic variables. We found that teachers’ definitions were not entirely consistent with those proposed in the educational literature, as teachers referred to a narrower scope of ideas regarding the content, facilitation type, format, and outcomes of PD. For example, while the ultimate goal of PD according to scholarly definitions is enhancing student learning, teachers seem to primarily understand PD as a means to improving themselves. No differences were identified when teachers’ definitions were compared according to variables such as age, teaching experience, designation, and specialization. Based on our findings, we conclude that it is essential to help teachers develop broader understandings of what PD means and entails.

Implementing self-assessment in Singapore primary schools: effects on students’ perceptions of self-assessment

ABSTRACTStudent academic self-assessment engages the students in deliberate reflection about what they are learning and how they are learning it. This intervention study investigated the effects of self-assessment training on students’ perceptions towards self-assessment in two Singaporean primary schools. The study, which used a pretest–posttest design, involved 146 Primary 4 (aged 10) students with 75 students being taught the use of self-assessment (intervention group) and 71 students who did not receive any training (comparison group). Data was collected using a Self-Assessment Questionnaire, wherein the students reported on the domains of knowledge application, independent learning, communication and motivation. The results revealed an improvement in the intervention students’ perceptions towards self-assessment after the use of self-assessment and there were differences between the intervention students and the comparison students. The findings and the implications for students will be discussed in the article.

Assessing information literacy skills among young information age students in Singapore

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess knowledge of Singapore Grade 5 (11 years old) students’ understanding and proficiency in basic information literacy (IL) skills of defining information tasks, selecting information sources, seeking information from sources and synthesising and using information.Design/methodology/approachA 38-item multiple-choice question assessment instrument was used to assess the students’ IL skills based on the i-Competent IL model. The instrument first developed in 2010 was refined and expanded to increase the robustness and accuracy of assessment for the study. It was administered to 17 primary schools in Singapore in November 2015. The maximum possible score of 54 was scaled up to 100 to report the overall mean score for ease of reference and comparison. A total of 2,399 returns were obtained and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 22.0 to compute the mean scores, IL stage-level scores. The study also investigated for any significant differences in performance between male and female students, and students with or without access to the internet at home.FindingsThe students achieved an overall mean score of 53.39 which is below a recommended acceptable score of 60 or 70 advocated in a number of past studies. The two worst performing areas of IL skills were synthesising and using information and seeking information from sources with mean scores of 45.89 and 48.81, respectively. A review of the highest number of incorrect answers suggests that students had difficulty in identifying key information from an information task narrative, understanding the use of reference sources and role of librarians, distinguishing between a fact and opinion, and adopting the best strategy for searching. Girls outperformed boys with an overall mean score of 55.38 vs 51.50. Students with internet access at home fared better than those without access to it with a score of 53.67 vs 45.81. The overall poor results of the survey suggest an urgent need to review the IL education landscape in the Singapore school system, revisit polices, priorities and assess the relevance and effectiveness of the IL curriculum, practical hands-on classes, and interventions that are currently employed in schools.Practical implicationsThe study helped identify areas of IL skills strengths and weakness among Grade 5 students in Singapore schools. It provides recommendations for follow up actions for education authority and schools to improve the situation.Originality/valueThis study was prompted to provide an assessment after a national IL initiative was launched in 2012 to inculcate IL skills among the school-going children as part of creating a value-driven education system. This is the first reported set of findings for a large-scale survey conducted to measure and ascertain the IL skills level among Grade 5 students.

Improving English language teaching through lesson study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on how a grade level team in a Singapore primary school used lesson study to mediate the implementation of the English language national curriculum. It aims to explore how this process had mobilised different teachers’ knowledge, challenged their beliefs of teaching and student learning, and created impact on their learning and knowledge.Design/methodology/approachAn interpretive qualitative study using a case study methodology was employed. Data collected included participant observations and individual interviews. Transcripts of lesson study discussions were open coded for the content of teacher discourse and the sources of influences on the teachers’ reasoning and action.FindingsThe findings indicate that each stage of the lesson process engaged teachers’ deliberative discourse differently and constituted their building a common inquiry stance into the problem of student learning in reading and writing, moving away from a lesson-based view to embracing a curriculum-based deliberation, and challenging their shared assumptions and enabling their learning to adopt the students’ lens in improving the research lesson.Originality/valueThis study provides an illustrative case on how teachers’ talk about work practices in lesson study mediated teacher learning in a group context. The study established the importance of an interconnected view of teacher interaction in lesson study that factored in the consideration of the influences at the teachers’ level and at the school’s level that enabled and/ or impeded a broader consideration of practice and richer conditions for the mentoring of novice teachers in the team.

Instructional leadership structure in Singapore: a co-existence of hierarchy and heterarchy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the instructional leadership practices and structure in Singapore primary schools.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a qualitative approach. Data were collected from interviews of 30 Singapore primary school principals and 25 working-day observations of five principals. A grounded theory method was utilized to analyze the qualitative data.FindingsThe instructional leadership roles of principals can be categorized into four key themes: vision development and implementation, physical and organizational structure, professional development, and leading and managing instruction. Importantly, the study illuminates a hybrid structure of instructional leadership in which both hierarchical and heterarchical elements exist.Originality/valueThe current study expands the global knowledge base on instructional leadership by providing indigenous knowledge of how instructional leadership is enacted in Singapore schools. Simultaneously, this study suggests an agenda for future research on instructional leadership.

Erratum to: Asking questions of (what) assessment (should do) for learning: the case of bite-sized assessment for learning in Singapore

The recent focus on AfL has shifted from defining its scope and extent to understanding its implementation, and research has revealed AfL implementation to be complex and contested. AfL implementation is especially challenging in national contexts that emphasise high stakes examination performance and grades. One such example is the nation state of Singapore, which recently implemented Assessment for Learning nation-wide in all its primary schools in the form of “bite-sized assessment”. This article examines how bite-sized assessment in Singapore came to be implemented as a form of AfL, and how it was subsequently constructed as policy dictate, as opposed to being recognised as a form of best practice. A study of teachers’ perspectives of bite-sized assessment practices in Singapore primary schools reveals inconsistency between policy intent and school implementation. An inquiry-based approach is recommended for teachers to frame AfL implementation as a practice to be understood, rather than a package of pre-determined practices to be administered.

Using a Skills Development Course to Foster Teacher Professional Growth

In many countries concerns have been raised about the proficiency levels of teachers of English and various proposals have been made to address them. This study explores one possible solution to this problem by integrating language skills development with an awareness of pedagogical approaches. The participants in this study, pre-service teachers who were preparing to teach in Singapore primary schools, attended a short intensive course that helped develop and support their own English language skills while modelling approaches they would be expected to use in their own classrooms. Data were collected using a pre-course survey, reflective tasks during and after the course, and a post-course task based on practical school experience. The findings demonstrate how the participants became more aware of their own language skills and noted improvements. At the same time experiencing and reflecting on the pedagogical approaches used in the course helped shape their perceptions and beliefs, and had potential and real impacts on their subsequent teaching. Clarke and Hollingsworth’s (2002) Interconnected Model of Teacher Professional Growth (IMTPG) was used to analyze the data and highlighted the individuality of the process of teacher professional growth, while at the same time revealing some common patterns.

Primary school music teachers’ professional development motivations, needs, and preferences: Does specialization make a difference?

There is widespread agreement that one-size-fits-all professional development (PD) has limited potential to foster teacher learning and that PD should be ‘responsive’ to the demands of teachers with different profiles. The purpose of this exploratory study was to analyze the PD motivations, needs, and preferences of Singapore primary school music teachers according to their level of specialization in music education. This variable has been relatively unexplored within the field of music-teacher PD. A nationwide survey was run to collect the data. Participants were 286 primary music teachers (about 40% of the entire population), who were split into three groups based on their music education background (Major = 113, Minor = 64, Generalist = 109). Findings indicated that the three groups of teachers had different motivation levels to participate in music-specific PD (e.g., generalists being the least motivated), various needs for further training (e.g., music education majors being the most interested in improving their music content knowledge), and different preferences regarding PD providers and learning formats (e.g., generalists preferring to learn from other fellow colleagues within informal settings). We concluded that the level of specialization in music education plays a major role in determining teachers’ PD motivations, needs, and preferences. This study has the potential to inform the design of more responsive PD initiatives.

Teacher Professional Development for TPACK-21CL

This article explicates the conception and evaluation of an information and communications technologies (ICT) professional development process for developing teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge for 21st century learning. The process emphasizes teachers’ prolonged engagement with peers and researchers in design teams. Supported by technological pedagogical content knowledge rubrics and technological pedagogical content knowledge design heuristics, the process enabled teachers to assess their current ICT lessons, set design goals, redesign, implement, and evaluate student learning outcomes, as well as reflect on their pedagogical practices. A year-long implementation study conducted with 37 teachers from a Singapore primary school who were organized into seven lesson design teams found that the process had positive effects on teachers’ confidence for technological pedagogical content knowledge for 21st century learning and lesson design practices. Five of the seven design teams were able to make pedagogical changes toward 21st century learning, and six of the teams realized improvement in student learning outcomes. The implications for teacher ICT professional development are discussed.

Indoor and outdoor particulate matter in primary school classrooms with fan-assisted natural ventilation in Singapore.

We conducted multiday continuous monitoring of indoor and outdoor particulate matter (PM) in classrooms with fan-assisted natural ventilation (NV) at five primary schools in Singapore. We monitored size-resolved number concentration of PM with diameter 0.3-10μm at all schools and alveolar deposited surface area concentrations of PM with diameter 0.01-1.0μm (SA0.01-1.0) at two schools. Results show that, during the monitoring period, schools closer to expressways and in the downtown area had 2-3 times higher outdoor PM0.3-1.0 number concentrations than schools located in suburban areas. Average indoor SA0.01-1.0 was 115-118μm(2)cm(-3) during periods of occupancy and 72-87μm(2)cm(-3) during unoccupied periods. There were close indoor and outdoor correlations for fine PM during both occupied and unoccupied periods (Pearson's r = 0.84-1.0) while the correlations for coarse PM were weak during the occupied periods (r = 0.13-0.74). Across all the schools, the size-resolved indoor/outdoor PM ratios (I/O ratios) were 0.81 to 1.58 and 0.61 to 0.95 during occupied and unoccupied periods, respectively, and average infiltration factors were 0.64 to 0.94. Average PM net emission rates, calculated during periods of occupancy in the classrooms, were lower than or in the lower range of emission rates reported in the literature. This study also reveals that indoor fine and submicron PM predominantly come from outdoor sources, while indoor sources associated with occupancy may be important for coarse PM even when the classrooms have high air exchange rates.

Successful school leadership: case studies of four Singapore primary schools

Purpose This paper explores the characteristics and practices of principals in four successful Singapore primary schools. Design/methodology/approach Multiple perspective case studies were used which included semi-structured interviews with the principal, teaching and non-teaching staff, students, parents and school board members in each school. Findings The principals were found to have contributed significantly to the success of their schools. Their leadership was underpinned by their personal qualities, beliefs and values, which guided their practices. The four principals were highly successful in improving school capacity through redesigning school structures, particularly those that facilitate improvement in the work of teachers. They enhanced the professional capacity of the teaching and non-teaching staff through professional development programmes and the development of future leaders. The principals also established meaningful partnerships with stakeholders inside and outside the school community. Each of the principals described how their leadership was built upon the legacy of previous principals at their schools. Originality/value As part of a larger project, the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP), this research adds an important Asian context to the literature on successful school leadership. A 6E model - Educate, Envision, Energize, Engage, Enable and Embrace - was developed to describe how principals led their schools to achieve educational excellence.

Leading sustainable pedagogical reform with technology for student-centred learning: A complexity perspective

The literature on school improvement is littered with sombre reports of how ICT-mediated innovations have failed to create impact on teaching and learning. Even when evidence-based successes are palpable, they are sporadic and rarely sustainable. Against the backdrop of the litany of such studies, this paper reports the case of a primary school in Singapore that has a decade-long experience in integrating, growing and sustaining ICT-mediated innovations. By distilling the influences underpinning its integration, the article aims to make a contribution to the theorisation of educational leadership situated in the context of technology-mediated reform for student-centred learning. Using a complexity lens, this paper looks at how school leaders, together with other autonomous actors in its ecological system, foster the favourable conditions for sustainable technology-mediated pedagogical reform. Data of the study are drawn from interviews, observations of lessons, fieldtrips and professional development meetings as well as document analysis. Based on the findings, a complexity-informed model for technology-mediated reform is devised and its implications discussed. They include the need to cultivate the following within and across the subsystems of the school: (a) ecological awareness; (b) collective reflexivity on practices and implementations; (c) creating alignment; and (d) capacity to forge ecological coherence.

Multicultural music education in Singapore primary schools: an analysis of the applications of a specialist professional development in practical music teaching

Multicultural music education is often approached simply through the exposure of students to different world musics. This “cultural supermarket” approach to teaching diversity in the classrooms is re-examined in this study by drawing attention to the need for a broader curriculum reform. Using the Singapore primary school music teachers as cases, this article examines the following: (1) the reported innovative changes brought about by the Advanced Diploma for music generalists that provided the much needed training on incorporating diversity in the music classrooms; (2) the quality of teaching of world music with the aim of assessing what constitutes a successful pedagogical approach in order to achieve an effective multicultural learning in music education; and (3) the teacher perceptions and understandings of multicultural education through the teaching of world music. The study concludes by advocating the importance of teachers in implementing change in the classrooms and the call for policy makers to put in place continual provisions for the necessary training needed, for example, in multi-musical literacy. Through this kind of advocacy a truly multicultural music education can take place inside the classrooms where students are encouraged to be proactive in their communities on issues of equity and justice.

The effects of strategy-based writing instruction in Singapore primary schools

Abstract This study reports on a longitudinal intervention study of writing strategies in Singapore primary schools. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of writing strategy instruction on Singapore primary school students' writing competence. Nine writing strategy-based lessons were taught to 442 primary five students. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed to complement the possible inadequacy of either analytical method and for the purpose of data triangulation. The findings show that the intervention achieved a significant treatment effect on both the participants' writing competence and their strategy use, namely, text-generating, feedback handling, and revising. The qualitative analyses also suggest the experimental students orchestrated their strategy use better than before.

Mapping teachers’ perceptions on technology use using the iTEaCH implementation model: A case study of a Singapore school

AbstractSchools have seen an exponential increase in the range of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) being utilised for learning and teaching over the past decade. What is exciting is not just more technology but that there are more types of technology which teachers can choose from, based on their own pedagogical preferences. Set in the context of a primary school in Singapore, the findings from the survey of the 32 teachers and senior management indicate that there is a discrepancy between the types of technology currently being used and those which the teachers actually want to use. Reasons for this discrepancy could be attributed to the teachers’ positive desire to utilise more constructivist approaches to “Teachnology” use, to acquire more sophisticated “Technogogical” skills and to further grow the Collegiality to support the use and sustained growth of ICT in the school. The study also suggests that a granular examination of the teacher beliefs towards pedagogy, technology and collegia...

Usage of a mobile social learning platform with virtual badges in a primary school

This study presents and examines SamEx, a mobile learning system used by 305 students in formal and informal learning in a primary school in Singapore. Students use SamEx in situ to capture media such as pictures, video clips and audio recordings, comment on them, and share them with their peers. In this paper we report on the experiences of students in using the application throughout a one-year period with a focus on self-directedness, quality of contributions, and answers to contextual question prompts. We examine how the usage of tools such as SamEx predicts students' science examination results, discuss the role of badges as an extrinsic motivational tool, and explore how individual and collaborative learning emerge. Our research shows that the quantity and quality of contributions provided by the students in SamEx predict the end-year assessment score. With respect to specific system features, contextual answers given by the students and the overall likes received by students are also correlated with the end-year assessment score.

Special Education Teachers, Attitudes toward Including Students with SEN in Mainstream Primary Schools in Singapore

Singapore, one of the world’s leaders in education, began including students with special educational needs in mainstream primary schools in 2004. Although teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion are well documented in other parts of the world, there is a paucity of research on inclusion in Singapore. This lack of research limits the ability of teachers and teacher educators in understanding the barriers that exist and how to overcome them. The goal of the present study was to examine special education teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive classrooms in mainstream primary schools in Singapore. Participants were thirty-eight special education teachers with at least one year of experience working with students with special education needs in mainstream classrooms. Data were collected using the Multidimensional Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education Scale. The overall findings indicated that, while additional research needs to be completed, participants’ in this initial study have positive attitudes towards inclusion in mainstream classrooms and are willing to make adaptations to the curriculum to accommodate students with special educational needs in their classrooms.

A literature review on peer assessment

The use of peer assessment as an alternative form of assessment is reported to be helpful in learning and is increasingly being adopted in higher education overseas and even in primary schools in Singapore. People had been talking about peer assessment way back in the 20th century 1980s. Drawing on literature until end January of 2013, we reviewed past empirical research studies and peer–reviewed articles on peer assessment in the educational settings. This review is organised into two topics: the implementation strategies of peer assessment and the problems encountered and potential problems during implementation of peer assessment. The conclusions suggest that peer assessment can be implemented and its benefits are evident. Several limitations of previous literature were discussed. We conclude by providing some recommendations to some of the discussions and also some recommendations for future research related to peer assessment in the educational settings.

I can assess myself: Singaporean primary students' and teachers' perceptions of students' self-assessment ability

Student self-assessment engages the students in purposeful reflection about what they are learning and how they are learning it. This study investigated the perceptions of students and teachers towards the students' self-assessment ability in two Singapore primary schools. A total of 75 students were taught how to use self-assessment. Eighteen students' self-assessments were randomly selected and compared with an independent panel of teachers' assessment. The results revealed both differences as well as similarities between the students' and teachers' perceptions of students' self-assessment ability. The findings and the implications for students are discussed in concluding the article.

TPACK-in-Action: Unpacking the contextual influences of teachers' construction of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK)

In school-based environments, teachers need to consider contextual factors such as the availability of technology and school policies as they apply TPACK to address instructional problems. However, qualitative TPACK studies tend to exemplify the seven TPACK constructs whereas its contextual influences have not been articulated in detail. This study describes TPACK-in-Action, a framework that can be used to visualize the interplay between TPACK and four contextual factors (Physical/Technological, Cultural/Institutional, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal) that influence teachers' design of ICT lessons. This was used to analyze the lesson design discussions of 24 school teachers from a Singapore primary school who were teaching the levels of Primary 1, 4, and 5. Content analysis of the transcribed audio-recordings of teachers' discussions and chi-square analysis of coding frequencies found that when the logistics of lesson implementation as per the Cultural/Institutional category dominated group discussions, it curtailed the emergence of TPACK. When Intrapersonal factors such as beliefs of teaching and students were articulated and its pedagogical implications considered, it facilitated TPACK. Furthermore, the team facilitated by an experienced educational technologist also demonstrated higher occurrences of TPACK. These results suggest that for ICT innovation to be effective, the composition of design teams need to be carefully considered. Teachers also need to develop competencies to facilitate and discourse about design such that contextual concerns can be turned into opportunities to support pedagogical improvement.