An introduction to the noble gases and chemical bonding via Lewis theory and the octet rule are common inclusions in secondary school curricula. However, the usual approach may lead to misconceptions and difficulties when valence bond (VB) theory and valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory are taught at a later pre-university stage.…

Using the self-determination theory (SDT), this study sought to understand motivational profiles and their links to psychological learning attributes. Participants were 90 secondary three (grade 9) students, aged 15 to 16 years old, from an elite all-girls school in Singapore. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed three clusters of students with…

Critical patriotism is an ideal in many liberal Western nations. Few studies, however, explore how teachers understand and teach critical patriotism and the possible tensions arising from its adoption, especially in non-Western contexts. This qualitative case study explores the understandings and practices of two Social Studies teachers from an…

This paper is a case study that reports on findings from a design-based research with the purpose of helping secondary school chemistry students in an all-girls school develop the ability to construct scientific explanations--an important literacy skill in learning science. A series of lessons on the topic of chemical bonding was designed to…

This paper describes a global professional development program called 21st Century Learning Design (21CLD), which helps teachers design academic lessons that integrate opportunities for students to develop 21st Century competencies in a variety of dimensions such as collaboration, knowledge construction, and the powerful use of ICT for learning.…

Elder statesman Lee Kuan Yew maintains that a society ruled by elites is necessary to provide for high growth and social progress. Elitism conjures a class divide; an ongoing concern is a disconnection between elite and the citizens it has to represent. In the tradition of political socialization, and using the case study approach, this article…

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 study examined the network of relationships between sport ability beliefs, achievement goals, self-determination and female students' enjoyment in school physical education (PE). Female secondary students (n = 343) from a single-sex secondary school in Singapore participated in the survey. They were assessed on sport ability beliefs, goal…

These proceedings contain the papers of the International Conference on Educational Technologies 2013 (ICEduTech 2013), which has been organised by the International Association for Development of the Information Society and co-organised by the Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur,…

This study employed problem-based learning (PBL) for project work in a Year 9 biology class. The purpose of the study was to investigate (a) how self-generated problems and questions directed students in their learning, (b) how students reacted to this instructional approach, and (c) the problems that they encountered. Students formulated problems…