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Foucault’s history of the present: The birth of the games concept approach in Singapore’s Physical Education curriculum
Citation
Sheikh Omar Mohamad & Chung, H. J. (2018). Foucault’s history of the present: The birth of the games concept approach in Singapore’s Physical Education curriculum. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 35(12-13), 1325-1334. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2019.1593151
Abstract
The year 1999 saw a major shift in Singapore’s Physical Education curriculum when the traditional teaching approach in primary schools was replaced by a more game-like one, aptly known as the Games Concept Approach (GCA). Based on Foucault’s ‘History of the Present’ which intended to distinguish the kind of historical projects that brought this change, the focus is on tracing the forces that gave birth to the present-day practices and identifying the historical conditions which caused this shift towards GCA. Inspired by Foucault’s distinct elements of status, institutional sites and situation, the perspective of revealing a ‘history of the present’ on the birth of GCA in Singapore creates a better understanding of why it is still being taught in the PE curriculum.
Date Issued
2018
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Journal
The International Journal of the History of Sport