Steering Debate and Initiating Dialogue: A Review of the Singapore Preschool Curriculum

Abstract

This article presents a discussion of the new kindergarten framework in Singapore. The recent launch of the framework indicates a step forward in the field of early years, with a clear recognition of the importance of the early childhood experience. However, it also raises pertinent issues about the social, cultural, and political maxims that surround the curriculum. Looking closely at the preschool context in Singapore, this article considers the conflicting paradigms that underpin the curriculum: the idealised aspirations of policy makers and early years professionals in creating a childcentred, interactional curriculum; the ideology of a Chinese, Confucian culture which extols scholastic achievements and the pursuit of academic, moral and cultural attainments; parental expectations; and the demands of a meritocratic, economically driven society which perceives education as a commodity to be obtained for financial success and social mobility. In seeking to initiate dialogue and steer debate, this article therefore forces readers to consider some of the tensions and conflicts that underpin the new kindergarten curriculum, and questions the ways in which the curriculum can be conceptualised by practitioners amidst these competing maxims.

Pakistani Teachers’ Perceptions of Kindergarten Children’s Learning: An Exploration of Understanding and Practice

“…Their classroom practice also appeared to be more formal and didactic than child-centered. This understanding of young children's learning amongst teachers seems to be congruent with findings from other Asian contexts where teacher-directed, formal methods are valued (Hedge & Cassidy, 2009;Li, 2004;Ling-Yin, 2006). Their views and practice within this traditional learning framework seemed to also be influenced by the school's emphasis on a formal, academic curriculum in the kindergarten years and pressure from their colleagues teaching at higher class levels to prepare children for writing and academic work in Class 1.…”

“…However, early childhood educators have diverse understandings of academic and non-academic early learning. Researchers, particularly in Asian contexts, have found that teachers believe in a teacher-centered approach which emphasizes paper and pencil work and the transmission of knowledge of reading, writing, and mathematics (Hedge & Cassidy, 2009;Li, 2004;Ling-Yin, 2006). As Farrell (2004) noted, in northern 6 The High/Scope Perry Preschool project, initiated in the 1960s by David Weikart as a research and curriculum development early intervention project, was aimed to help "at risk" young children from poor neighborhoods in Ypsilanti, Michigan.…”

A scoping review of research on play‐based pedagogies in kindergarten education

“…Kindergarten education has been the focus of significant curricular change across educational systems in Canada, the UK and elsewhere (e.g. Gananathan, ; Ling‐Yin, ; Pan & Li, ). Most notably, curricular reforms have increased academic standards for young learners and have mandated a play‐based pedagogical approach across contexts [Ontario Ministry of Education (OME), 2011; Synodi, ].…”

Supporting early oral language skills for preschool ELL in an EFL context, Mauritius: possibilities and challenges

“…English is thus an important mediator of educational development and educational success. Like other children in similar contexts such as India (Gupta, 2013), Singapore (Lim & Torr, 2008;Ling-Yin, 2006) and South Africa (Du Plessis & Louw, 2008), for most Mauritian children, English has the status of a foreign language (EFL); hence, they are EFL language and literacy learners from the moment they enter primary school. The preschool thus acts as a bridge between the home and the school, with the added responsibility of preparing the children linguistically for the language and literacy challenges they will face in primary school.…”

“…The introduction of a nationally endorsed preschool curriculum reveals the will of the Mauritian state to provide a framework to regulate and standardise preschool practices (cf. Ling-Yin, 2006). For this article, we will refer to the 2003 curriculum, since this curriculum was in use at the time of data collection.…”