Purpose: Leadership for the implementation of an educational innovation in Singapore was examined by integrating distributed leadership with an ecological perspective of leadership and analysed using the third generation of cultural-historical activity theory. Research Method: The study adopted the naturalistic inquiry approach of a case study of…

The quantity and quality of talented individuals in STEM (science/S, technology/T, engineering/E and mathematics/M) fields contribute to a nation's overall competitiveness. Taiwan and many countries around the world are vigorously promoting the training of STEM professionals and the enhancement of STEM literacy for all as one of the key education…

Purpose: The authors aim to determine the effects of Global Lesson Study (GLS) -- a two-year, one-cycle program defined as "international cooperative lesson study through international exchange among teachers using ICT" -- on intercultural competence for lesson study based on pre- and post-survey conducted for Japanese teachers.…

Effects of reward pedagogy (competitive, cooperative, individualistic, cooperative-competitive, and cooperative-individualistic) on spelling scores and prosocial behavior in Singapore students were examined alongside its interplay with ability level. A total of 1005 Primary 3 and 4 students were randomly assigned to one of the five reward…

Home-based learning (HBL) can promote self-directed learning. However, teachers and parents must nurture and equip children with the necessary skills to be independent, self-directed learners. This article explores the challenges that students, parents, and teachers faced in HBL during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and it examines the types of…

In this article, we describe and reflect on a collaborative, school-based professional development project (an "intervention") intended to encourage innovation in classroom teaching. Specifically, the intervention included a collaboration between university-based researchers/mentors and primary school teachers in Singapore who were…

Many education professionals are looking to Environmental and Sustainability Education as a guide to incorporate curricular lessons and activities into school classrooms and other learning environments. Building upon the framework of Jickling and Wals (2008) of identifying how to teach about environmental education in transformative ways, this…

Successful transition from preschool to primary school is believed to have long-term positive effects on a child's academic performance and social competence. In this study, data were gathered from preschool teachers, primary schoolteachers and parents through the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, on their perceptions and…

Learning environment research provides a well-established approach for describing and understanding what goes on in classrooms and has attracted considerable interest in Singapore. This article reports the first study of science classroom environments in Singapore primary schools. Ten scales from the What Is Happening In this Class?,…

This paper shares the theoretical and methodological frameworks that are deployed in a 3-year study to examine how Singapore primary school students leverage on mobile technology for seamless learning. This notion of seamless learning refers to the integrated and synergistic effects of learning in both formal and informal settings, which is…

This paper reports data obtained from the use of a bespoke video game--"The Rise of Li' Ttledot"--in promoting a sense of participatory citizenship among young learners. The game was developed through funding awarded by the Ministry of Education in Singapore, and was piloted in a primary school. Citizenship education illustrates well the…

In this paper we examine the complex relationship between dynamics of group talk and students' ideologies of learning. Through an interactional analysis and thematic coding of group talk, this study details barriers to collaboration in a digital storytelling workshop with primary-aged youth in Singapore. Drawing on 25 h of video-recorded data, we…

This case study research attempts to examine the pedagogical approaches for the teaching of English and mathematics with information communication technology (ICT) in a primary school in Singapore. The study uses the learning "with" and learning "from" ICT framework in reporting and analysing how ICT has been used in the…

This paper presents case studies of two teachers at Crescent Girl's School (an all-girls high school in Singapore) who implemented strategies learned through a teacher professional development program called 21st Century Learning Design (21CLD). Policymakers often state requirements for teachers to focus on 21st century (21C) competencies without…

This paper attempts a comparative analysis of classification and framing relationships as they are exemplified in the four papers presented in this Special Issue. In particular, it interrogates Bernstein's assertion that education is simply a relay for power relations external to it and examines approaches to educational leadership and…