Abstract
This paper attempts to discuss how the Singapore Education System is shifting towards student-centred designs and pedagogies, yet retaining a unique Singaporean orientation. It complements the McKinsey report by analysing directives and efforts to understand trade-offs, consequences, and insights for moving forward. The paper uses an ecological view to acknowledge that education systems are complex—historical, contextual, and cultural dimensions shape Singapore’s trajectory. Building on understandings of high-performing systems, Singapore’s trajectory, and informed by education research, the paper distils three shifts (from a systems level of analyses) which are currently on course: (1) hybridising pedagogies; (2) levelling up the base of lower achieving students; and (3) recognising diverse talents. The paper postulates a gradual, evolutionary stance and for continuing dialogue and alignments in the change process. The paper draws implications by proposing mitigating approaches in Singapore’s continuing journey of balancing high academic achievements and twenty first century, inquiry-oriented learning.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aho, E., Pitkänen, K., & Sahlberg, P. (2006). Policy development and reform principles of basic and secondary education in Finland since 1986 (Education Working Paper Series No. 2). Washington, DC: World Bank.
Baeten, M., Kyndt, E., Struyven, K., & Dochy, F. (2010). Using student-centred learning environments to stimulate deep approaches to learning: Factors encouraging or discouraging their effectiveness. Educational Review, 5(3), 243–260.
Barber, M., & Mourshed, M. (2009). Shaping the future: How good education systems can become great in the decade ahead. London: McKinsey & Company.
Bielaczyc, K. (2006). Designing social infrastructure: Critical issues in creating learning environments with technology. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 15(3), 301–329.
Bottge, B. A. (2001). Reconceptualising Mathematics problem solving for low-achieving students. Remedial and Special Education, 22(2), 102–112.
Bray, M., & Kwok, P. (2003). Demand for private supplementary tutoring: Conceptual considerations and socio-economic patterns in Hong Kong. Economics of Education Review, 22(6), 611–620.
Bray, M. (2006). Private supplementary tutoring: Comparative perspectives on patterns and implications. Compare, 36(4), 515–530.
Breathing a Second Life into Geography teaching. (2011). ReEd (Research in Education), 2, 8. http://www.nie.edu.sg/files/oer/OER-NIE-ReEd2_Final%20for%20Web.pdf.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Chua, P. (2014). Centralized-decentralization emerging in Singapore. http://internationalednews.com/2014/03/25/centralized-decentralization-emerging-in-singapore/. Accessed 25 Mar 2014.
Crawford, L. E. D. (2002). Towards an ability-driven education system in Singapore: Problems and opportunities. REACT, 21(1), 1–12.
Darling-Hammond, L., & Rothman, R. (2011). Teacher and leader effectiveness in high-performing education systems. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
Davie, S. (2013). More JC students switch to polytechnics. The Straits Times. http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/news/files/2013/06/20130605-st-more-jc-students-switch-to-polytechnics.pdf. Accessed 5 June 2013.
Dawson, W. (2010). Private tutoring and mass schooling in East Asia: Reflections of inequality in Japan, South Korea, and Cambodia. Asia Pacific Education Review, 11(1), 14–24.
Department of Statistics, Singapore (2010). Yearbook of statistics Singapore, 2011. http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/reference/yos11/statsT-education.pdf.
Department of Statistics, Singapore. (1983). Economics and social statistics, Singapore, 1960–1982. Singapore: Department of Statistics.
Dimmock, C. (2010). Leadership and its relationship with teaching and learning. SingTech, 23. http://repository.nie.edu.sg/jspui/bitstream/10497/4381/1/SingTeach-2010-23-DimmockClive.pdf.
Fang, Y., & Lee, C. K. (2010). Lesson study and instructional improvement in Singapore. Singapore: National Institution of Singapore. (Research Brief No. 10–001).
Goh, K. S. (1979). Report on the ministry of education 1978. Singapore: Singapore National Printers.
Goh, C. B., & Gopinathan, S. (2008). The development of education in Singapore since 1965. In S. K. Lee, C. B. Goh, B. Fredriksen, & J. P. Tan (Eds.), Toward a better future: Education and training for economic development in Singapore since 1965 (pp. 12–38). Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Goh, C. B., & Ten, L. W. H. (2008). Education and training for economic development in Singapore since 1965. In S. K. Lee, C. B. Goh, B. Fredriksen, & J. P. Tan (Eds.), Toward a better future. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Gopinathan, S. (1985). Education in Singapore: Progress and prospect. In J. S. T. Quah, H. C. Chan, & C. M. Seah (Eds.), Government and politics of Singapore (pp. 197–232). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
Govinda, R., & Buch, M. B. (1990). Evolution of educational excellence: 2 years of education in the Republic of Singapore. In J. S. K. Yip & W. K. Sim (Eds.), Ministry of education annual report. Singapore: Longman Singapore.
Hallinger, P. (2005). Instructional leadership and the school principal: A passing fancy that refuses to fade away. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 4(3), 221–239.
Heng, S. K. (2011). Opening Address by Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education, at the Ministry of Education (MOE) Work plan Seminar at Ngee Ann Polytechnic Convention Centre. http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2011/09/22/work-plan-seminar-2011.php. Accessed 22 Sep 2011.
Heng, S. K. (2013). Exams and streaming: Recalibrating our education system. http://www.todayonline.com/commentary/exams-and-streaming-recalibrating-our-education-system. Accessed 13 Mar 2013.
Hogan, D. (2014). Why is Singapore’s school system so successful, and is it a model for the west?. http://theconversation.com/why-is-singapores-school-system-so-successful-and-is-it-a-model-for-the-west-22917. Accessed 12 Feb 2014.
Hung, D., Lee, S. S., & Lim, K. Y. (2012). Authenticity in learning for the twenty-first century: Bridging the formal and the informal. Educational Technology Research and Development, 60(6), 1071–1091.
Hung, D., Lee, S. S., & Lim, K. Y. (2014). Adaptivities in the Singapore Education System: From great to excellent. In D. Hung, K. Y. T. Lim, & S. S. Lee (Eds.), Adaptivity as a transformative disposition: For learning in the 21st Century (pp. 247–265). Singapore: Springer.
Jorgensen, M. A., & Hoffmann, J. (2003). History of the no child left behind act of 2001 (NCLB). San Antonio, TX: Pearson Education.
Kapur, M. (2008). Productive failure. Cognition and Instruction, 26(3), 379–424.
Kaur, B. (2010). In-depth analysis of Singapore’s TIMSS 2007 data. National Institute of Education, Singapore, Centre for International Comparative Studies. http://www.nie.edu.sg/files/cics/OER_0210_BK.pdf. Accessed 10 May 2015.
Kim, Y., & Cho, Y. H. (2014). The second leap toward “world class” education in Korea. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 23(4), 783–794.
Learning Physics by inquiry. (2011). ReEd (Research in Education), Vol. 2, 7. http://www.nie.edu.sg/files/oer/OER-NIE-ReEd2_Final%20for%20Web.pdf.
Lee, J. (2010). Students’ academic and non-academic outcomes: An international perspective from PISA 2009 study. National Institute of Education, Singapore, Centre for International Comparative Studies. http://www.nie.edu.sg/files/cics/OER%201410%20JYL_01.pdf. Accessed 10 May 2015.
Lee, D., & Lee, W. O. (2013). A professional learning community for the new teacher professionalism: The case of a state-led initiative in Singapore schools. British Journal of Educational Studies, 61(4), 435–451.
Lee, S. K., Goh, C. B., Fredriksen, B., & Tan, J. P. (Eds.). (2008). Toward a better future: Education and training for economic development in Singapore since 1965. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Lee, S. S., Hung, D., & Teh, L. W. (2013). Moving Singapore from great to excellent: How educational research informs this shift. KEDI Journal of Educational Policy, 10(2), 267–291.
Lee, W. O., & Manzon, M. (2014). The issue of equity and quality of education in Hong Kong. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 23(4), 823–833.
Leithwood, K., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2008). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership. School Leadership and Management, 28(1), 27–42.
Lim, S. M., Wong, M. E., & Cohen, L. (2011). Exploring the emerging identities of special needs officers in Singapore primary and secondary schools (Research Brief No. 11–003). http://www.nie.edu.sg/files/oer/NIE_research_brief_11-003.pdf. Accessed 10 May 2015.
Marks, H. M., & Printy, S. M. (2003). Principal leadership and school performance: An integration of transformational and instructional leadership. Educational Administration Quarterly, 39(3), 370–397.
McKinsey & Company (2007). How the world’s best-performing school systems come out on top. http://www.mckinsey.com/App_Media/Reports/SSO/Worlds_School_Systems_Final.pdf.
Ministry of Education, Singapore (2003). Essential statistics digest, 2004. http://www.moe.gov.tt/media_pdfs/publications/Statistical%20Digest.pdf.
Ministry of Education, Singapore (2009). Opening address by Mr S Iswaran, Senior Minister for Trade and Industry and Education at the SIM University Public Forum: “Crossing cultures, bridging minds: A role for Singapore’s languages and literatures”. http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2009/08/15/opening-address-by-mr-s-iswara.php. Accessed 15 Aug 2009.
Ministry of Education, Singapore (2013a). Every school a good school. http://www.moe.gov.sg/initiatives/every-school-good-school/.
Ministry of Education, Singapore. (2000). Performance by ethnic group. http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2000/pr30082000.htm.
Ministry of Education, Singapore. (2010). Essential statistics digest, 2010. http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/education-statistics-digest/files/esd-2010.pdf.
Ministry of Education, Singapore. (2013b). Helping every student succeed. http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2013/03/helping-every-student-succeed.php.
Mok, I. A. C. (2006). Shedding light on the East Asian learner paradox: Reconstructing student-centredness in a Shanghai classroom. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 26(2), 131–142.
Mok, M. M. C., Kennedy, K. J., Moore, P. J., Shan, P. W., & Leung, S. O. (2008). The use of help-seeking by Chinese secondary school students: Challenging the myth of ‘the Chinese Learner’. Evaluation & Research in Education, 21(3), 188–213.
Mourshed, M., Chijioke, C., & Barber, M. (2010). Education: How the world’s most improved school systems keep getting better. London: McKinsey & Company.
Networking in the classroom. (2011). ReEd (Research in Education), 2, 4. http://www.nie.edu.sg/files/oer/OER-NIE-ReEd2_Final%20for%20Web.pdf.
Ng, P. T. (2010). The evolution and nature of school accountability in the Singapore education system. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 22(4), 275–292.
Ng, P. T. (2013). An examination of school accountability from the perspective of Singapore school leaders. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 12(2), 1–11.
Nisbett, R. E. (2011). The achievement gap: Past, present & future. Daedalus. Journal of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, 140(2), 90–100.
Noddings, N. (1992). The challenge to care in schools: An alternative approach to education. New York: Teachers College Press.
OECD. (2010). Education at a glance 2010. Paris: OECD.
OECD (2012). PISA 2012 results: What students know and can do: Student Performance in Mathematics, Reading, and Science (volume 1). http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results-volume-I.pdf.
Owston, R. (2007). Contextual factors that sustain innovative pedagogical practice using technology: An international study. Journal of Educational Change, 8(1), 61–77.
Productive failure in Math (2011). ReEd (Research in Education), 2, 3. http://www.nie.edu.sg/files/oer/OER-NIE-ReEd2_Final%20for%20Web.pdf.
Reigeluth, C. M., & Karnopp, J. R. (2013). Reinventing schools: It’s time to break the mold. Lanham, MD: R&L Education.
Sahlberg, P. (2007). Education policies for raising student learning: The Finnish approach. Journal of Education Policy, 22(2), 147–171.
Sahlberg, P. (2014). A model lesson: Finland shows us what equal opportunity looks like. American Educator, 36(1), 20–40.
Silver, R. E. (2011). Curriculum implementation in early primary schooling in Singapore. Singapore: National Institute of Singapore. (Research Brief No. 11–004).
Tan, C. (2006). Creating thinking schools through ‘knowledge inquiry’: The curriculum challenges for Singapore. Curriculum Journal, 17(1), 89–105.
Tan, C., & Ng, P. T. (2007). Dynamics of change: Decentralised centralism of education in Singapore. Journal of Educational Change, 8(2), 155–168.
Tan, L. S., & Ponnusamy, L. D. (2014). Adaptivity and creativity in the Arts: The nexus and affordances. In D. Hung, K. Y. T. Lim, & S. S. Lee (Eds.), Adaptivity as a transformative disposition: For learning in the 21st Century (pp. 157–175). Singapore: Springer.
Teh, L. W. (2014). Singapore’s performance in PISA: Levelling up the long Tail. In S. K. Lee, W. O. Lee, & E. L. Low (Eds.), Educational policy innovations-levelling up and sustaining educational achievement (pp. 71–83). Singapore: Springer.
Toh, Y., Jamaludin, A., Hung, D., & Chua, P. (2014). Ecological leadership: Going beyond system leadership for diffusing school-based innovations in the crucible of change for 21st century learning. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 23(4), 835–850. doi:10.1007/s40299-014-0211-4.
Valijarvi, J. (2003). The system and how does it work: Some curricular and pedagogical characteristics of the Finnish comprehensive school. Education Journal, 31(1), 31–55.
Wang, L. Y., Teng, S. S., & Tan, C. S. (2014). Working paper on levelling up academically low progress students in Singapore. Unpublished manuscript. Office of Education Research, National institute of Education, Singapore.
When kids’ ideas come first. (2011). ReEd (Research in Education), 2, 5. http://www.nie.edu.sg/files/oer/OER-NIE-ReEd2_Final%20for%20Web.pdf.
Yip, J. S. K. & Sim, W. K. (Eds.). (1990). Evolution of educational excellence: 2 years of education in the Republic of Singapore. Singapore: Longman Singapore.
Zeng, K. (1996). Prayer, luck, and spiritual strength: The desecularisation of entrance examination systems in East Asia. Comparative Education Review, 40(3), 264–279.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lee, SS., Hung, D. & Teh, L.W. An ecological view of conceptualising change in the Singapore Education System. Educ Res Policy Prac 15, 55–70 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-015-9176-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-015-9176-1