Sport in Syonan (Singapore) 1942–1945: Centralisation and Nipponisation

When Singapore surrendered to the Japanese, it was ironic that they promoted the British culture of sport. Sport became centralised and the political priority placed on sport by the Japanese government provided it with greater resources to develop than other cultural institutions. The direction and form of its development became more and more dictated by the state. Political function became the predetermining social force compared with such functions as class orcultural distinction. The increase in bureaucracy and complexity in the organisation of the institution of sport widened the network of interdependencies between the state and its subjects but, more significantly, the Japanese government also demonstrated the emotional quality of sport in facilitating political aggrandisement. Paradoxically, during this period of oppression the Japanese embraced the affective quality of sport in nationalising disparate social groups in Singapore. This article, embracing an Eliasian approach, investigates this critical phase in the development of sport in Singapore and reflects upon the notion the shifts in the governmental view of sport, physical education and physical fitness that emerged during the Japanese occupation were major preconditions and influences in the later development of the more centralised control of sport that emerged in independent Singapore.     

Book reviews

José Limón maintains that Professor Aguirre’s account may be construed as fundamentally a story of California, albeit one told from a Chicano perspective. It is based less on any red‐blooded forms of racism and more on the Roycean, Protestant, individualistic, comedic Anglo California that, in its relentless optimisms and perpetual newness, simply cannot bear witness to any traditions of tragedy or anything and anyone that would wish to speak of such.     

Development of pre-service teachers’ information and communication technology (ICT) in education competencies in a mainland Chinese university

This paper examines how the design and implementation of a core teacher education course develops pre-service teachers’ information communication technology (ICT) in education competencies in a mainland Chinese university. This course adopted a four-component instructional design system to develop its curriculum, incorporated an inquiry-based learning approach to develop pre-service teachers’ pedagogical competencies, and used an online learning platform to facilitate the sharing of experiences of using ICT for teaching and learning. This case study demonstrates that innovative pedagogies together with more relevant course content supported by an online learning platform may enhance the effectiveness of a core ICT in education course.     

Critical thinking,social education and the curriculum: foregrounding a social and relational epistemology

In this article, I examine the extent to which, given how critical thinking has been most commonly conceptualised and taught in schools, the subject indeed develops modes of thinking, relating and reasoning that allow individuals to collectively work towards the appreciation and solution of social problems. In the first section, I outline a number of perspectives among social studies researchers and educators that demonstrate the importance of developing critical thinking capacities in students. This is followed by, in the next section, a close examination of two widely popular approaches through which critical thinking is taught – one in the general school curriculum and the other within social studies lessons. I argue that in their current forms and for a number of reasons these understandings of critical thinking fall short of developing the social and relational dimensions of thinking that are more than a little necessary in fulfilling the raison d’être of the subject. Towards this end, the final section presents a social epistemological framework for the teaching of critical thinking in the school curriculum, highlights a number of principles of its application and provides some examples of its use in classrooms.     

Las ideas de los alumnos sobre la ciencia como teorías implícitas

Resumen

Durante los últimos años, los trabajos sobre el aprendizaje de las ciencias han estado dominados por dos enfoques contrapuestos: la teoría piagetiana de las operaciones formales y el enfoque de las ideas previas o concepciones alternativas. Frente a estos dos enfoques los autores proponen una alternativa intermedia basada en el concepto de «teorías implícitas». Estas teorías serían teorías personales que, como las teorías científicas, sirven para organizar y predecir el mundo circundante. No obstante, presentan también características muy diferentes de las teorías científicas tanto en lo referente a su contenido como a su organización. Estas diferentes características tienen, como se expone en el artículo, importantes consecuencias tanto para la investigación como para la práctica educativa.     

Aportaciones de la psicología cognitiva y de la instrucción a la enseñanza de la Historia y las Ciencias sociales

Resumen

Este artículo presenta una visión general de las aportaciones de la investigación cognitiva e instruccional al estudio de la enseñanza de la Historia y las Ciencias Sociales. En primer lugar se indican algunas de las relaciones entre Psicología y Didáctica. Posteriormente se incluye un panorama general de la investigación sobre la comprensión y aprendizaje de las Ciencias Sociales y la Historia. Se comentan algunos trabajos pioneros de Dewey y Piaget y se discuten las críticas que han recibido los trabajos piagetianos de los años sesenta y setenta sobre este tema. Por último, se discuten los principales problemas de esta área de investigación. Es decir, lo concerniente a. la comprensión y aprendizaje de los conceptos, tiempo y casualidad histórica y al relativismo cognitivo. Las implicaciones instruccionales de este tipo de investigaciones son discutidas en relación con algunos de los más importantes problemas epistemológicos de la Historia en la actualidad.     

Improving self-regulation, learning strategy use, and achievement with metacognitive feedback

Comprehension of science topics occurs when learners meaningfully generate relationships and conceptions about what they read. In this generation process, learners’ cognitive and metacognitive regulation is one of the most critical factors influencing learning. However, learners are not always successful in regulating their own learning, especially in computer-based learning environments (CBLEs) where they are alone. Based on this rationale, the present study was designed to examine the effects of two scaffolding strategies—generative learning strategy prompts and metacognitive feedback—on learners’ comprehension and self-regulation while learning the human heart system in a CBLE. Participants were 223 undergraduate student volunteers. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to conceptualize and empirically test a model that explains mediating processes among variables. Results revealed that the combination of generative learning strategy prompts with metacognitive feedback improved learners’ recall and comprehension by enhancing learners’ self-regulation and better use of highlighting and summarizing as generative learning strategies.     

Teacher identity construction in school–university partnerships: Discourse and practice

This article reports on a qualitative case study that explored the experiences of two groups of secondary school English language teachers as they participated in school–university partnerships in Hong Kong. Drawing upon theories of identity construction and using in-depth interviews, the case studies highlight how teacher identity formation shaped and was shaped by participation in a school–university partnership. Implications for developing a critical perspective on school–university partnerships and for future research are discussed.     

Young children's number sense in Finland,Hong Kong and Singapore

This study examines young children's number sense in subjects from Finland (n=254), Hong Kong (n=246), and Singapore (n=130). Chinese, English and Finnish versions of the Early Numeracy Test (ENT; Van Luit et al., 1994) were used. Two highly correlated aspects of number sense were measured, one reflecting children's abilities to organize and compare quantities (i.e. relational skills), and the other pertaining to their ability to operate with number-word sequence (i.e. counting skills). The results showed significant age-related gain on the relational and counting scales. No gender or language differences were found. The children in Hong Kong and Singapore outperformed those in Finland in relational and counting tasks starting at the age of four years. The children in Singapore also had better relational and counting skills than those in Hong Kong. Differences in teaching were assumed to explain the findings.