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Lee, Yew-Jin
- PublicationEmbargoLogic of internship learning in hybrid engineering workplace settings: A sociomaterial assemble of digital tools, humans and activitiesDuring the recent pandemic, established modes of organising internships in engineering were disrupted; Internships often transitioned into hybrid formats with extensive online activity. But, empirical research on the quality of learning in engineering during these exceptional circumstances is limited. This study therefore examines internship experiences among engineering undergraduates (N = 39) in Singapore through semi-structured interviews conducted at two different time points. Thematic analysis revealed four challenges encountered by interns when access to engineering sites was disrupted. These included changes to processes of learning through the reorganisation of work routines requiring interns to adeptly utilise diverse technological tools and digital platforms for remote collaboration. Interns faced difficulties in gaining insights into the logic of engineering work through disrupted workflow. This was not helped when their learning experiences were also contingent upon the availability of meaningful work tasks. Finally, interns had to adapt to virtual and on-demand networking as a means of integrating into the engineering practice. Thus, the shift presented both challenges and opportunities for interns to learn about engineering in unprecedented ways. This research sheds light on how interns adapt during severe disruptions to engineering work environments, emphasising the importance of considering the sociomaterial context for supporting interns in hybrid workplaces.
59 61 - PublicationOpen AccessLower secondary science integrative activities: Fostering scientific practices in Singapore [Models: Atomic models](National Institute of Education, Singapore, 2024)
; ; 205 2563 - PublicationOpen Access
49 160 - PublicationMetadata onlyDevelopment of a self-reflection scale for observers of mathematics lesson during lesson study(Emerald, 2024)
; ; Hiroaki, OzawaPurpose
This study aims to develop a self-reflection scale useful for teachers to improve their skills and to clarify the Japanese teachers’ characteristics during mathematics lesson observation (MLO). In MLO, it is important to understand the lesson plan in advance to clarify observation points, and we aim to develop a scale including these points.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the pre-questionnaire survey, nine perspectives and two situations for MLO were extracted. From these, a questionnaire for MLO was created. The results obtained from 161 teachers were examined, and exploratory factor analysis was conducted. ANOVA was conducted to analyze the effect of differences across the duration of teaching experience on the identified factors.
Findings
We developed a self-reflection scale consisting of 14 items with three factors: [B1] focus on instructional techniques and evaluation, [B2] focus on proactive problem-solving lesson development and [B3] focus on the mathematical background of the learning content. While duration of teaching experience showed no effect, three factors of the self-reflection scale for MLO showed a significant effect. Further multiple comparisons revealed the degree of focus was [B2]>[B1]>[B3].
Originality/value
Teachers who use this developed scale may grasp the strengths and weaknesses of their own MLO, which leads to self-improvement. The perspectives emphasized in lesson observation are the same when creating lesson plans and implementing lessons, leading to lesson improvement. Furthermore, based on the characteristics of teachers revealed, new training programs regarding MLO can lead to higher-quality lesson studies.56 - PublicationMetadata onlyWhat does STEM education offer and how is it relevant? A content analysis of secondary school websites in SingaporeScience, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) form the basis of many educational programmes around the world. In Singapore, school-based STEM education appears within STEM Applied Learning Programmes (ALP) offered by some primary and secondary schools. In this chapter, we present an in-depth survey of the diverse offerings and benefits of STEM education here; specifically, we examine STEM learning/activities from the websites of 15 secondary schools (Grades 7–10/11). Using a theoretical model of relevance for science education from the literature, we identified the benefits and pathways that STEM education has been reported to afford its participants, that is, how STEM education can be made relevant for students through ALP. Relevance is defined in terms of fulfilment of intrinsic or extrinsic needs in the present or future, and along the three dimensions of individual, societal, and vocational needs in this model. Our main findings indicate that this sample of STEM ALP websites did not sufficiently yield statements that supported the present or future aspects of intrinsic relevance within the societal and vocational dimensions. On the other hand, multiple descriptions in relation to the extrinsic and future aspects across the individual, societal, and vocational dimensions of relevance were provided. Three implications of these findings for STEM education in Singapore are highlighted: (i) greater consideration of student choices, identities, and agency, (ii) greater awareness and discussion of undesirable/negative impacts of STEM solutions on society, and (iii) greater emphasis on the epistemic aspects of STEM.
Scopus© Citations 1 110 - PublicationOpen AccessInvestigating teachers' work in Singapore from interviews: An analysis based on discursive psychologyNumerous challenges associated with the work of teaching have been reported around the globe, including from Singapore. Being a multi-dimensional problem, teachers' work has been investigated by diverse research methods especially through interviewing. However, educational studies that adopt constructionist approaches have been scarce in Singapore, and none have used it to investigate teachers' work here. This study based on Discursive Psychology, thus, analyzes interview data from school teachers in Singapore talking about their work. Specifically, interviewing is taken as a "topic," which prioritizes how talk is co-constructed, rhetorically motivated, and likely with contradictions over the disclosure of information (i.e., taking interviewing as "resource"); various discursive strategies perform diverse rhetorical functions for speakers. There are two interrelated contributions from this study: (i) an increased appreciation of a constructionist approach like Discursive Psychology during interviewing, and (ii) the opening of different perspectives and generative research questions about teachers' work in Singapore.
WOS© Citations 2Scopus© Citations 2 83 136 - PublicationOpen AccessMultimodality of high school’s students’ interview for explanation of addition reaction(2006)
; The paper presents a case study report of two high school students’ explanation of addition reaction during an interview. It aims to characterise students’ discourse dealing with the concepts of reaction mechanism from a multimodal communication perspective. The research addresses the following questions: (1) What roles do the different communicative modes play within students’ discourse? (2) What are the relationships among communicative modes used by the students? A theoretical framework based on multimodal communication and social semiotics which guided the analysis of the students’ discourse and the results of the analysis are presented in the paper. Implications for teaching and learning of science are also drawn from the study.65 87 - PublicationOpen AccessA learning journey in problem-based learning in a physics classroomMost educational theorists now promote activity in context and authentic activities to engender more meaningful forms of learning. Problem-based learning (PBL) is one of such pedagogy whereby students work in groups to solve "real world" problems. However, when these practices from the real world are introduced into classrooms, school teachers could encounter many challenges, such as curricula and individual constraints. In this ethnographie study, we describe what happened when a high school physics teacher adopted PBL in his classroom in an attempt to move toward inquiry-based instruction. Using cultural-historical activity theory, we compared his instruetional activities with a referent PBL model derived from literature, so as to surface the tensions and contradictions in the activity system as he introduced new practices into his classroom. We found that the challenges he faced arose from disparities between the motives driving everyday practices and schooling, which we attribute to differences between academics and the lived-realities of practitioners. We suggest that researchers work collaboratively with teachers towards an equilibrium point. This joint reflective practice could potentially enable authentic pedagogy such as PBL to be implemented meaningfully and realistically in an Asian society that has long placed a premium on academic achievement.
521 929 - PublicationOpen AccessIlluminating mental representations-use of gestures in teaching and assessing understanding of college biology(2009)
177 278 - PublicationOpen AccessOrganizational socialization strategies of interns transitioning to telecommuting work in uncertain times
Purpose
The study aims to examine how organizational socialization occurs for interns transitioning from onsite to telecommuting work, particularly in a context where traditional supports have been reduced due to the pandemic.Design/methodology/approach
Drawing from interviews (n = 22) of undergraduates interning at advertorial and marketing firms, the study conducted a thematic analysis of workplace learning experiences of undergraduate interns─newcomers at the workplace when disruption of traditional ways of performing work activities occurred. In particular, the enforced telecommuting work-from-home arrangements due to the pandemic provided a unique setting for this study of internship learning in changing contexts. The analyses reveal differences in undergraduate interns’ experiences of organizational socialization when they were at the physical workplace as compared to when they had to work remotely.Findings
Interns reported benefitting from structured onboarding, supportive peer systems, and regular face-to-face meetings with supervisors, which facilitated their socialization and understanding of workplace culture before the pandemic. However, as telecommuting became the norm during the pandemic, these experiences shifted. Interns adapted by engaging in digital interactions to mirror office dynamics, extending work hours due to blurred work-life boundaries, and independently seeking information in the absence of direct guidance. When adapting to digital communication and independent learning, interns faced challenges like longer working hours and reduced spontaneous interactions, indicating a preference for the traditional, in-person socialization methods of the pre-pandemic workplace.Originality/value
This study provides insight into interns’ experiences during the global shift to hybrid work as a result of the pandemic, contributing fresh insights into organizational socialization processes amidst workplace disruptions. The conclusions offer valuable implications for future adaptive onboarding practices in educational and professional settings.53 437