Master of Arts (Educational Management)
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Browsing Master of Arts (Educational Management) by Subject "Education, Preschool--Singapore"
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- PublicationRestrictedPreschool quality and staff characteristics in Singapore(1998)Suhaila RetasThe objectives of this research are (1) to describe the quality indicators and staffing characteristics of preschool centres in Singapore and (2) to investigate the relationship between these two variables. A total of 88 staff comprising principals/supervisors, senior teachers, teachers and assistant teachers from 5 kindergarten and 5 childcare centres participated in this study.
Quality of preschools was measured using the revised version of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) on data on staff characteristics were collected through structured questionnaires.
The findings showed a mediocre level of global quality in the average Singapore preschool centre (total mean ECERS score = 3.97). Greatest variations in quality were found in areas of personal care and routine, language and reasoning, activities and program structure.
Significant differences were found in the qualifications, training and income of staff by quality of centres. The staff turnover rate was found to be associated with wages though not related to quality of centres.
Regardless of quality of centres, most preschool staff enjoy several work benefits and financial incentives. However, higher quality centres were found to provide staff with more opportunities to participate in professional development activities.642 104 - PublicationRestrictedStrategic marketing management of pre-schools(1999)Poon, Chong LiangThe purpose of this study was to explore how strategic marketing management concepts might be introduced to kindergartens and childcare centres. Fifty respondents that included parents, teachers, supervisors and experts (lecturers, preschool franchise managers, childcare officers, and school inspectors) participated in a survey that examined three key areas, namely, the product mix, the strategic educational management mix, and the ethics of using business/marketing concepts in educational management. Causal comparative studies were carried out, using SPSS (Version 9) for data analyses. From amongst a list of 15 preschool activities in the product mix, thinking skills, reading moral education and outdoor play were the top four most important activities in the product mix rate and ranked by the respondents. Similarly, homework and computer lessons were rated and ranked as the least important. The concept of a strategic educational management mix comprising 14 strategies/objectives was proposed. Significant differences were found between how deeply respondents valued the strategies/objectives and the extent of their beliefs that pre-schools in Singapore have actually achieved in each. When faced with dichotomous decision making situations with respect to the ethical adoption of business/marketing concepts in educational management, the respondents' positions were found to be consistently in favour of not adopting business marketing concepts.
143 28 - PublicationRestrictedTeachers' perceptions of leadership qualities : a case of a Singapore preschool principal(2001)Tang, CindyThis study examined the perceptions of preschool teachers in Singapore concerning leadership qualities they associated with preschool principals and characteristics of servant leaders. It explored the extent to which preschool teachers identified characteristics of an effective preschool principal that are consistent with the characteristics of servant leadership. A theoretical model, which used a definition of servant leadership that had been adapted by Spears, 1998 from the works of Robert Greenleaf, was used for analysis. The key elements of servant leadership were listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualisation, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of others and building community.
The methodology for this qualitative study consisted of in-depth, semi-structured and open-ended focus group interviews with 15 preschool teachers employed at a selected preschool centre in Singapore. The perceptions of these participants were inductively analysed and described.
Preschool teachers who participated in this study identified effective principals with the six servant leadership elements of listening, empathy, persuasion, healing, awareness and stewardship. They preferred a leader who is caring, compassionate, confident, and ethical, has integrity, empathetic, honest, motivating, self-aware, and is willing to trust them. The effective leader is a good communicator and leads through role modelling. Overall, the qualities that preschool teachers in this study perceive as essential and important leadership qualities of effective preschool principals match most qualities of servant leaders used in Spears (1998) framework. The leader who preschool leaders could count on appears to be a servant leader.293 78