Educational change in Singapore and its ‘tinkering’ around the edges: A critical realist perspective

This article re-examines the contents of Singapore’s Thinking Schools Learning Nation (TSLN) and Teach Less Learn More (TLLM) educational initiatives, introduced and implemented to promote change and to prepare Singaporeans for a twenty-first century knowledge-based economy. Adopting a critical realist perspective that enables investigations into complex social systems, the paper highlights the concepts, change process and possible outcomes of change proposed by realist social theory. An explanatory critique responding to the question, ‘What social structural changes were implemented by the TSLN and TLLM initiatives, and why?’ is developed, tracing the programmes of change in TSLN and TLLM. Findings reported in 2013, by a local large-scale research project, has made claims about the ineffectiveness of the initiatives in bringing about desired changes in classroom instructional practices. The critique questions—given Singapore’s recent and consistent successful performances in international benchmarking tests—whether it is only in the classroom that educational change that matters, counts. It suggests that despite making strong statements about the limited effectiveness of the TSLN and TLLM initiatives, many programs introduced and adopted by primary, secondary and post-secondary institutions, especially under TLLM, were left unexamined by the research project. The explanatory critique theorises that two kinds of changes have taken place—the reorientation of pedagogical practices in post-secondary institutions and extensions of what already exists in the primary and secondary sections. The paper concludes by highlighting some implications the explanatory critique have for research into educational change in general, and for educational change in Singapore.     

A single session of treadmill running has no effect on plasma total ghrelin concentrations

Abstract

Ghrelin is a hormone that stimulates hunger. Intense exercise has been shown to temporarily suppress hunger after exercise. In the present study, we investigated whether post-exercise hunger suppression is mediated by reduced plasma total ghrelin concentrations. Nine men and nine women participated in the study. Their mean physical characteristics were as follows: age 24.8 (s _x  = 0.9) years, body mass index 22.9 (s _x  = 0.6) kg · m^?2, maximal oxygen uptake ([Vdot]O_2max) 57.7 (s _x  = 2.2) ml · kg^?1 · min^?1. The participants completed two 3-h trials (exercise and control) on separate days in a randomized balanced design after overnight fasts. The exercise trial involved a 1-h treadmill run at 73.5% of [Vdot]O_2max followed by 2 h of rest. The control trial consisted of 3 h of rest. Blood samples were collected at 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 3 h. Total ghrelin concentrations were determined from plasma. Hunger was assessed following blood sampling using a 15-point scale. The data were analysed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Hunger scores were lower in the exercise trial than in the control trial (trial, P = 0.009; time, P < 0.001; trial × time, P < 0.001). Plasma total ghrelin concentrations did not differ between trials. These findings indicate that treadmill running suppresses hunger but this effect is not mediated by changes in plasma total ghrelin concentration.     

Computer usage and cognitive capability of older adults: Analysis of data from the Health and Retirement Study

As America’s older population continues to grow, more individuals are experiencing cognitive decline in the United States. At the same time, we live in an age where technology has increasingly become an integral part of our daily lives. Although numerous studies have examined cognitive functions of older adults from a diverse range of perspectives, research on the relationship between the technology adoption and adult cognitive capacity has been limited. Using nationally representative data (n = 5,259) from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this study analyzed the effect of computer usage on the cognitive capabilities of individuals aged 50 and older in the United States. Findings show that computer use in older adults declines with age but rises for those with higher levels of education. Results also indicate that an increased use of computers is significantly associated with improved cognitive capability, when controlling for age, gender, and years of education. Further research is needed to better understand the patterns of technology adoption among older adults and assess its effects on their cognitive abilities.     

Effects of Different Instructional Approaches on Young Children's Achievement and Motivation

Children in child-centered preschools and kindergartens were compared to children in didactic, highly academic programs in terms of their basic skills achievement and a set of motivation variables. The study included 227 poor, minority, and middle-class children between the ages of 4 and 6 years. Children in didactic programs that stressed basic skills had significantly higher scores on a letters/reading achievement test but not on a numbers achievement test. Being enrolled in a didactic early childhood education program was associated with relatively negative outcomes on most of the motivation measures. Compared to children in child-centered programs, children in didactic programs rated their abilities significantly lower, had lower expectations for success on academic tasks, showed more dependency on adults for permission and approval, evidenced less pride in their accomplishments, and claimed to worry more about school. Program effects were the same for economically disadvantaged and middle-class children, and for preschoolers and kindergartners.     

Unpacking the New Deal for Young People: Promise and problems

After two years of operation on a national scale, the New Deal Welfare to Work (WtW) programme for young people aged 18-24 (New Deal for Young People, NDYP), a flagship scheme and key element in New Labour's general lifelong learning policy for post-compulsory education and training, has been extensively evaluated both by official government and independent researchers. This research is analysed within the framework of policy analyses of the key aims of the New Deal and associated lifelong learning objectives and the main findings are examined against the background of a case study of the operation of the NDYP by Coventry Employment Services. By way of a conclusion, a contrast between the (generally favourable) quantitative outcomes of WtW and the (partly unfavourable) qualitative studies is drawn in terms of short-term and long-term aims for unemployment relief and the reform of vocational education and training in the post-school sector. Suggestions for the improvement of NDYP programmes are made in the light of the key findings.     

Benefits of assistive reading software for students with attention disorders

This study investigated how assistive reading software affected the reading performance of a group of 20 post-secondary students who had a primary diagnosis of attention disorder. These students used assistive reading software for most of a semester to read assignments for an English class and in testing sessions in which comparisons were made between normal, unassisted reading, and reading assisted by the soft ware. This software provides a synchronized visual and auditory presentation of text, and incorporates study skills tools for highlighting and note taking. Attention measures, reading speed, comprehension scores, and attitude questionnaire responses were obtained during these sessions. The principal findings were that the assistive software allowed the students to attend better to their reading, to reduce their distractibility, to read with less stress and fatigue, and to read for longer periods of time. It helped them to read faster and, thereby, to complete reading assignments in less time. It did not have a significant effect on comprehension, but it helped some students whose comprehension was very poor. The study results indicate that assistive reading software should be considered as a significant intervention to assist students who have attention disorders and as an accommodation to help them compensate for their disabilities.     

EMPIRICAL SYNTHESIS OF THE EFFECT OF STANDARD ERROR OF MEASUREMENT ON DECISIONS MADE WITHIN BRIEF EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSES OF READING FLUENCY

Intervention researchers often use curriculum‐based measurement of reading fluency (CBM‐R) with a brief experimental analysis (BEA) to identify an effective intervention for individual students. The current study synthesized data from 22 studies that used CBM‐R data within a BEA by computing the standard error of measure (SEM) for the median data point from the baseline and intervention data. The median CBM‐R score from the intervention that the authors of each study identified as most effective fell within the SEM (68% confidence interval) of the baseline data approximately 30% of the time, but the ranges for the two author‐identified most effective interventions overlapped over 75% of the time. Extended analyses were consistent with the BEA results for approximately three‐fourths of the instances after considering the SEM of the baseline and intervention phases. Using matched passages did not improve the overlap of the ranges, but there was less overlap when the study used three data points per condition. Results emphasize the importance of considering SEM of CBM‐R data when comparing interventions within a BEA. Further implications for practice and future research are included.     

Self‐report objective measures of personality for children: A review of psychometric properties for RQC

Knoff (1995) indicated that Referral Question Consultation (RQC) can be applied to personality assessment and suggested several self‐report objective measures that could be consistent with this approach. The current article reviews the tools mentioned by Knoff, including the Children's Personality Questionnaire, The Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory, The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–Adolescents, The Personality Inventory for Youth, and The Self Report of Personality (SRP) from the Behavior Assessment System for Children. Each review addressed the reliability of the scales and composite scores, validity, usefulness of results for planning interventions, the empirical basis for analyses of individual items, and whether each measure accounted for response biases. The appropriateness of each for use with RQC, and individual strengths and weaknesses varied considerably. Therefore, practitioners should keep each test's limitations in mind when using it for intervention planning, and future research is needed to validate the tools for this purpose. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Banners for Books: “Mighty-Hearted” Kindergartners Take Action through Arts-Based Service Learning

Teaching about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, is one way to support students’ learning about issues of fairness. However, learning about this document is not enough. Students need to have experiences where they explore issues of justice and equity in order to learn about respect and dignity for others. The present study explored an arts-based project in a kindergarten classroom about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 26—The Right to Education. Over the course of several months, nineteen kindergarten students learned about educational inequities around the world and specifically about an under-resourced partner school in El Salvador. Children’s literature about human rights became the catalyst for critical conversations, written responses, and drawings inspiring action. Students worked to address injustice by screen printing images they drew about their beliefs regarding a child’s right to education on fabric banners to raise awareness about school inequity. These banners were then displayed in their school and in the partner school. Overall findings from students’ discussions, writing, illustrations, and interviews indicated that the kindergartners were able to recognize their own rights and educational privilege. Through the project they demonstrated active citizenship centered on care and sought further connections with children at the partner school. In using arts-based service learning, educators involved in the study discovered how art can be used as a creative process and a teaching method to support young learners raising awareness about global inequities.