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Shadow education in Singapore : bridging public demands and private needs
Author
Koh, Dorothy Yunning
Supervisor
Teo, Peter
Abstract
The term “shadow education” alludes to the private tuition industry which mimics, supplements and enhances the curriculum of mainstream schooling (Bray & Lykins, 2012). As demands on students to not just cope with but excel in school increase, students, and often their parents, feel the need to engage supplementary coaching through private tutors who operate out of the formal school system. It is this need, perceived or real, which has fuelled the proliferation of shadow education institutions (SEIs) especially in East Asia, where educational success is often equated with economic success and social mobility. Adopting an instrumental case study approach, this study examines one particular SEI in Singapore through the analytic lens of Shulman’s (1987) Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework. It aims to delve into and illuminate the hitherto unexplored and little known workings of an SEI to understand how its teachers translate the formal curricular requirements and examination demands of public schools to effective classroom strategies that meet the needs of students in a private school setting. Through the analysis of classroom observation and interview data, the study shows that SEIs go beyond remediating students’ academic deficiencies and preparing them for examinations, to feeding their curiosity, providing opportunities for critical thinking and, overall, enriching students’ learning experience in an interactive, non-stressful environment. These findings suggest a need for Singapore, and other societies with a thriving SEI industry, to cross boundaries to engage more actively and synergistically with SEIs, which have long been relegated to the shadows of its educational system.
Date Issued
2016
Call Number
LC41 Koh
Date Submitted
2016