Singapore Primary Schools Research Articles

Gaming in a 3D multiuser virtual environment: engaging students in Science lessons

AbstractBased on the exploratory study of a 3D multiuser virtual environment (3D MUVE), known as Quest Atlantis (QA), in a series of Primary Four (10‐ to 11‐year‐olds) Science lessons at Orchard Primary School in Singapore, this paper examines the issues of learning engagement and describes the socio‐cultural context of QA's implementation. The students and teacher were observed during the lessons, interviewed after, and the completed quests were analysed to determine the level of engagement achieved. A pre‐ and posttest on the Science concepts covered was also administered. A seven‐level taxonomy of engagement was used to provide the study with a more holistic perspective of engagement, together with the attempt to concretise the element of engagement into observable traits. Although there was a significant improvement of the posttest over the pretest, the level of engagement of the students was low (between 3 and 4). The lack of engagement might be a result of the distractions in the 3D MUVE, the students’ difficulty with language used in the QA, their lack of computer competency for QA tasks, and/or their inability to complete the quests’ section on reflections. The biggest challenges to the integration of QA into the Science curriculum were the interdependent issues of time (or lack of it) and ‘buy‐in’ by the school and parents.

The New Textbooks of Art and Crafts for Primary Schools in Singapore

The New Textbooks of Art and Crafts for Primary Schools in Singapore

The Educational Reform and the New Syllabus of Art and Crafts for Primary Schools in Singapore

The Educational Reform and the New Syllabus of Art and Crafts for Primary Schools in Singapore

Authentic Assessment to Enhance Student Learning in Primary School Physical Education

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in English; abstract also in Chinese.There has been an effort to introduce the notion of authentic assessment to physical education teachers as part of the current reform movement within physical education. However, the marginalized status of physical education has not helped the move towards authentic assessment modes that authenticate both students' learning and achievement. Traditional assessment practices, when used in Singapore primary schools, are limited predominantly to measuring students' attributes such as physical fitness and sport and movement competency, and much less their cognitive and affective abilities. The problems of traditional assessment modes across different learning domains are discussed in this paper. A variety of authentic assessment options available to physical education teachers are also highlighted, together with some concerns and challenges with the implementation of these strategies effectively.向體育敎師介紹真實性評價的理念已成為體育學科目前正在進行的改革運動中的一項內容。然而，體育課的副課性阻礙了體育課向真實性評價模式的靠攏。新加坡小學一貫採用的傳統評估模式大多局限於測量學生的身體機能，例如體能和運動能力，而很少測量學生的認知和情感能力。本文對傳統評價模式在不同學習領域中存在的問題進行了討論。在著重介紹各種適用於體育敎學的真實性評價方法的同時，本文也提出了有效實施這些方法可能面臨的問題和挑戰。

Snoring and atopic disease: a strong association.

The prevalence and factors associated with snoring and habitual snoring in Asian children are largely unknown. Our objectives were to evaluate the prevalence and factors associated with snoring and habitual snoring in preschool and primary school children in Singapore. A self-response questionnaire on snoring was administered to parents of children aged 4-7 years in randomly selected preschools and primary schools in Singapore. The overall response rate was 91.3% (nt = 11,114). Snoring and habitual snoring were reported in 28.1% and in 6.0% of the children, respectively. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, snoring was significantly associated with male gender, race, atopy (asthma, allergic rhinitis, or atopic dermatitis), maternal atopy (allergic rhinitis or atopic dermatitis), maternal smoking, and breastfeeding. Habitual snoring was significantly associated with obesity (odds ratio (OR), 3.75; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.67-8.42), allergic rhinitis (OR, 2.90; 95% CI, 2.06-4.08), atopic dermatitis (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.28-2.54), maternal smoking (OR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.09-4.53), and breastfeeding (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.11-1.98). Atopy was the strongest risk factor for habitual snoring, and the effect was cumulative. The odds ratio of a child with all three atopic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis) to have habitual snoring was 7.45 (95% CI, 3.48-15.97). In conclusion, snoring and habitual snoring are common in Asian children. Atopy is strongly associated with snoring and habitual snoring. We suggest that children who are significantly atopic receive additional attention during screening for snoring, habitual snoring, and other features of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

An activity-theoretical approach to research of ICT integration in Singapore schools: Orienting activities and learner autonomy

This paper discusses the findings of two case studies (two primary schools in Singapore), which are part of a larger research study, that aims to examine and analyze where and how information and communication technologies (ICTs) are integrated in Singapore schools to engage students in higher order thinking activities. For students to engage in higher order thinking, they first need to have autonomy over their learning processes. The focus of the paper is on how orienting activities support learner autonomy in the ICT-based learning environment. Taking the activity system as a unit of analysis, the study documents the actual processes by which orienting activities are planned and organized to support learner autonomy in their contexts. By employing methods such as observations, focus group discussions with students, and face-to-face interviews with teachers, an account of how the activity systems within and between classrooms, and the schools are generated. The account identifies and describes five categories of orienting activities: introductory sessions to ICT tools, advance organizers and instructional objectives, worksheets and checklists, dialogues among participants, and tools for post-instructional reflection. It also highlights the constraints of time and lack of knowledge and experience in the contexts that the teachers are working under, and how these constraints are addressed.

Transition from Preschool to Primary School: An Overview of the Personal Experiences of Children and their Parents in Singapore

SUMMARYStudies in the US, UK and Australia in particular have researched aspects of school readiness and children s transition from pre to primary school. Although there are now many examples in the literature ofgood practices that should help to ease this process the topic has only received attention quite recently in Singapore. This paper reports on the perceptions of 500 families prior to school entry and 270 families on follow up six months later: part of the findings of two research projects that studied different aspects of transition from pre-school to primary school in Singapore. The first research project studied the effects of a parent involvement project on children s academic and language skill acquisition in pre-school and later into their coping skills in primary school. The second project investigated young children's abilities to adjust to some of the cognitive, language, social and emotional demands of primary schools. Both studies were conducted during the final six months in pre-school andfollow-ups were conducted during their first year in primary school.

Dialogue's Impact on the Quality of Relationships

This paper presents the findings of an action research that examines teachers' perception of the quality of dialogue and how it impacts on the quality of relationships in a primary school in Singapore. The paper explores how school leaders can facilitate dialogue and also discusses the issues and factors that affect teachers' perception of dialogue. Analysis of the data obtained through a questionnaire and face-to-face interviews shows that the more favourable the perception of dialogue amongst teachers, the more favourable is their perception of the quality of relationships in the school. The implication for school leaders is that by developing a higher quality of dialogue, a better school climate is fostered.

A Big‐Five Personality Profile of the Adaptor and Innovator

This study explored the relationship between two creative styles (adaptor and innovator) and the Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience). 164 teachers from 3 secondary and 2 primary schools in Singapore completed a self‐report questionnaire, which consisted of the Kirton Adaption‐Innovation Inventory and the NEO‐Five Factor Inventory. It was found that adaptors were significantly more conscientious than innovators, while innovators were significantly more extraverted and open to experience than adaptors. No significant differences were found between adaptors and innovators in neuroticism and agreeableness. The study also revealed a meaningful pattern of relationships between the Big Five personality traits and the three facet scales of the KAI. Specifically, Sufficiency of Originality was negatively correlated with Openness to Experience and Extraversion; Rule Governance was positively correlated with conscientiousness but negatively correlated with openness to experience; Efficiency was positively correlated with conscientiousness. The overall findings supported the fundamental contention that different creative styles were due to different combinations of personality traits, with adaptors being more conscientious, while innovators being more extraverted and open to experience. These personality‐based differences in creative styles between adaptors and innovators had resulted in much social conflict between them. One way of resolving it is to make known the nature and value of different creative styles to these two different types of creators.

Preparing for Primary School in Singapore - Aspects of Adjustment to the more Formal Demands of the Primary One Mathematics Syllabus

This paper reports some findings from the project: A study of children in transition from pre to primary school: cognitive, language, and socio-emotional adjustments. The longitudinal study focuses on children's transition to primary one. It is noted that although attempts are made by selected pre-schools to ease the entry to primary school by preparing children and their parents to bridge the gap, many find the differences they encounter daunting. Expectations of primary schools are high, and parents are anxious about preparation. Furthermore, many studies have highlighted the strong support networks which Asian parents provide for their children and the implications for later learning in school, especially in mathematics. This paper will identify the nature of this support for numeracy development as far as a group of parents in Singapore is concerned. It will be evident that Singaporean parents invest much time and effort in preparing children for primary school. They see this as essential for accessing entry to a meritocratic education system geared towards raising global economic competitiveness through an ability-driven curriculum. They are resourceful and competitive in securing a sure start in pre-school, where parental involvement is not always encouraged (Sharpe, 1991). Hence, it is concluded that Singaporean parents' numeracy support strategies result in a special kind of agenda for their children.

Singapore's primary schools

In this paper from Singapore, the authors first provide some background to their country's success in the recent TIMSS study, including the manner in which the system of initial teacher training is organised. They then go on to point out some of the key determinants of this high achievement, including the investment made by many parents in private tuition because of the ‘high stakes’ element in examination success.

On Learning Materials of English Language Education for Primary School in Singapore

On Learning Materials of English Language Education for Primary School in Singapore

The professional development needs of learning support coordinators in Singapore primary schools May Ling Quah and Kevin Jones

ABSTRACT ‘Support for learning’ can be conceptualized in many different ways. This paper examines the role of the learning support coordinator in relation to the breadth of factors which cause pupils to experience learning difficulties in primary classrooms. It is against this background that the professional development needs of learning support coordinators is considered. The paper focuses, in particular, upon the needs of learning support teachers who work in primary schools in Singapore. The shortcomings of traditional inservice courses which focus upon curriculum development and pedagogy are discussed in relation to the wide ranging roles which learning support coordinators are expected to fulfil. The assumption that pupil achievement can be enhanced when teachers are ‘trained’ to employ certain teaching methods is questioned and the relevance of an ecological or interpretive model of staff development is discussed. Finally, the particular professional development needs of learning support coordinato...

The Physical Activity of Singapore Primary School Children as Estimated by Heart Rate Monitoring

Physical activity patterns of Singapore school children aged 9–10 years were assessed by continuous heart rate monitoring. Fifty boys and 64 girls were monitored for three 14-hour periods during normal school days. In addition, 43 boys and 53 girls were monitored for 14 hours on a Saturday. Only 13 children (11.4%) experienced a daily 10-min period of continuous activity at a heart rate ≥140 bpm. Twenty percent of the boys and more than 50% of the girls never achieved a single 10-minute period ≥140 bpm. Boys achieved more periods of moderately intense activity (p < .01) than girls on weekdays. Lean girls were more active (p < .05) than the obese girls during weekdays. No differences were detected between activity levels on weekdays or on Saturday. The results indicate that Singapore school children in general rarely experience the quantity or quality of physical activity needed for maintenance and development of cardiovascular health and cardiopulmonary fitness.

Chinese and English: primary school cultures in Singapore

Abstract The culture of a school informs every aspect of its operations. The shortest and most common definition of culture is ‘the way we do things around here’. The methodology to depict the culture of a school has been debated, especially as to whether questionnaires can be used. This study examined the cultures of two primary schools in Singapore using a variety of means, incuding a questionnaire. One school has a history and is popularly perceived today as ‘Chinese'; the other is seen as ‘English’. Differences in teacher culture were found between the two schools and to a lesser extent between the English‐medium and Chinese‐medium teachers within a school. Overall a process of national homogenisation was found, driven largely by frequent examinations common to all schools. The questionnaire used provided a wealth of impressionistic data but needs to be modified to address leadership style directly.

The Pattern of Tamil Language Use among Primary School Tamil Pupils in Singapore

ABSTRACT The specific objective of this study is to identify the patterns of language use among primary school Tamil pupils in Singapore. This study examined the socio-cultural and socio-economic factors which contribute to this pattern of language use. It investigated the use of Tamil in eight domains and the patterns of maintenance and shift among the younger Tamil population in Singapore. The sample of this study was 1000 pupils randomly selected from 12 primary schools in Singapore, representing the cross section of the population. The instrument used for this study was questionnaire. Analysis of data shows that three variables, age, socio-economic level and education affect the use of Tamil language. Most of them use Tamil when they converse with their grandparents and to a certain extent with their parents. But when they interact with their siblings and friends they use English. Analysis of data clearly indicates that Tamil is losing its grip among younger generation.

Gender representation in English language textbooks used in the Singapore primary schools

Abstract Two basal reader series used in the Singapore primary schools were analysed for discrepancies in the treatment of male and female characters. Imbalances were found in the female: male ratio, in the amount of speech given to characters, and in role‐representation. In both series, the importance of male characters becomes greater as the level of reader rises. The implications of this discrepancy are of some concern for Singapore's education system, where textbooks have long been seen as a major means of socialisation.

A Study of Four Attitudes and Reading Comprehension of Primary Six Students in Singapore

Scores of 645 Chinese and Malay students from the Normal Stream* of six Primary Schools in Singapore in relation to pupils' attitude toward (1) teachers, (2) learning processes, (3) language arts and (4) mathematics and their (5) reading comprehension are com pared and contrasted to find answers to the following questions: 1. What are the correlations between the five variables for the two student groups? 2. Are there significant differences between the same variable across groups? 3. Would "clustering" of Malay students in some schools affect their performance scores? The obtained statistics indicate that, except in one case, there is a positive correlation between all the variables for the two groups. There is a significant difference between three of the attitudes across groups with the Chinese doing better in the reading and comprehen sion test. Clustering does not seem to affect the reading ability of the Malays. It is concluded that for the Malays the home environment is a much more important factor than the school environment in their attempt to master the English language.

The prevalence of obesity in singapore primary school children.

The purpose of this study is to survey the prevalence of obesity in Singapore primary school children from 1976 to 1980. The number of children screened comprised of 221,988 in primary I and 218,104 in primary VI. The male to female ratio was 1.04:1. Obesity is defined as body weight above 120% of Harvard standard weight for height. The overall prevalence rate was 3.51% with a significantly higher rate in boys (3.95%) than in girls (3.06%), p less than 0.0001. This sex difference prevailed in both the primary I and primary VI group. Furthermore, primary VI students had a higher prevalence rate (4.29%) compared to the primary I students (2.75%) p less than 0.0001. The prevalence rates were rising over the years with a rate of 5.33% in 1980 compared to that in 1976 (1.80%). Our observations suggest that the problem of obesity is an increasing one. The tendency to become obese increases with age and boys are more prone to obesity.