Citizenship attributes for the 21st Century: A study of Singapore teachers’ perceptions in comparative perspectives

Abstract

The Ministry of Education (MoE) in Singapore has recently implemented the Curriculum 2015 (C2015) which focuses on the Desired Outcomes of Education (DoE), embodied in the “Confident Person”, “Self-directed Learner”, “Active Contributor”, and “Concerned Citizen”. A new curricular initiative, Citizenship and Character Education (CCE), emphasizes the integrative nature of citizenship and 21st century competencies to bring about the DoEs, was implemented in schools in 2011. A fundamental assumption exists amongst policy makers that education policy will, when translated to school contexts, be implemented faithfully by teachers. But teachers at the institutional levels are not mere passive receivers and implementers of policy decisions. Citizenship is value-laden, and its meanings are varied and contested. Invariably, citizens in the same state will understand citizenship differently. This mixed methods study investigates (a) teachers’ conception of good citizenship, and (b) conditions that will have implications for good citizenship pedagogies.