Pedagogical leadership, and conflict of motives in commercial ECEC environments

This chapter applies Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) in order to explore the complexities of pedagogical leadership within Singapore’s commercialised early childhood education and care ECEC environment, an environment which in Singapore’s early childhood care and education sector is in its nascent phases of development as it moves towards becoming a knowledge-based profession. The authors present findings from a study of principals and directors of early childhood settings who consider ways in which pedagogical leadership could be enacted within a marketised educational system. The study reveals that pedagogical concerns should be central to an educational leader’s work, but oftentimes, leaders are pulled in many different directions towards managerial and administrative tasks. There appears to be a struggle between two conflicting motives: engaging in pedagogical work and/or performing administrative tasks.Peer reviewe

Critical Reflections of Early Childhood Care and Education in Singapore to Build an Inclusive Society

The early childhood years are pivotal as they mark the beginning of a young child’s life journey into education. This paper offers critical reflections of the early childhood care and education landscape in Singapore as it has evolved over the last decade. The discussion will draw on findings of the study Vital Voices for Vital Years 2 (2019) to explicate the issues, debates and challenges facing the early childhood care and education sector. It argues that recent developments in the sector with stepped increases in government funding and strategic policy development, augmented by the establishment of national agencies committed to improving the quality of care and education, have achieved significant milestones in the country. However, a more critical perspective of the role of early childhood in policy and practice to meet the diverse needs of young children and families is necessary for envisioning education as a pathway to inclusion and social equality, and for building a truly inclusive society.Peer reviewe

Title Creating polyphony with exploratory web documentation in Singapore

A u s t r a l a s i a n J o u r n a l o f E a r l y C h i

Vital Voices for Vital Years 2 : Perspectives on Early Childhood Development in Singapore

Non peer reviewe

Workforce diversity and quality improvement policies in early childhood education in East Asia

This paper explores the relationship between workforce competence, migration, and quality improvement in the Asia-Pacific through analysis of Early Childhood Education (ECE) policy texts from three East Asia Summit countries. Content (word level) analysis of salient policy texts was undertaken to address two questions: How are culture and diversity conceptualized in these texts? How are diverse educators positioned in these texts? We show that, despite differing historical trajectories of ECE, policy frameworks in all three countries fail to sufficiently acknowledge the potential contribution of migrant educators to quality improvement initiatives. We conclude by calling for greater attention to workforce mobility and diversity in ECE policies, and for further research into the untapped competence of migrant educators

Towards inclusive education in Singapore

The inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream education has been prioritized in many education systems around the world as a requirement for social inclusion and cohesion. In this chapter, we describe the policies and practices that are currently in place to support the education of students with disabilities in mainstream schools in Singapore as well as those that need to be further developed or established to enhance the quality of education of these students. In particular, we review research studies and other scholarly work with regard to the attitudes of Singaporean teachers on inclusive education, the role and responsibilities of allied educators who provide learning and behaviour support (AED-LBS) to students with disabilities in mainstream schools, and other types of support that are currently provided within schools. This chapter will conclude with using the lens of inclusive education to view Singapore’s current educational landscape in order to provide a commentary on prospects for the inclusion of students with disabilities within mainstream education