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Citizenship education is essential for the continued existence of a society. The purposes of and approach towards citizenship education vary from country to country. In Singapore, social studies is an important school subject used for citizenship education. This article traces the development of social studies in Singapore and shows how, for many years, social studies was conservative, aimed at cultural transmission and preservation of the status quo. The goal was the development of moral, law-abiding and patriotic citizens. With the challenges of globalization, rapid technological advancements and changing demands of the economy, there is recognition of the need to develop citizens who are more informed, thinking and capable of social reformation. Towards the end of the millennium, citizenship education through social studies began to shift towards a more progressive orientation. We question the extent and nature of this shift and highlight the tensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article begins with a review and analysis of the literature on Character and Citizenship Education in Singapore in grades -, with particular reference to values in education. The understanding of values in terms of Marwin Berkowitz, Fritz Oser and Wiel Veugelers is the theoretical basis of the article. The analysis of curriculum began with a review of the literature on values in education. The next stage was to analyse the curriculum along with its Core Values (Respect, Responsibility, Resilience, Integrity, Care and Harmony), embodied in the five domains, its three Big Ideas (Identity, Relationship, Choices) and its guiding principles in grades -. Education here comes across as an interaction between various sets of teachers' values and the ongoing construction of students' values. The key part of the study is to analyse the Singaporean Character and Citizenship Education, principally its parts which involve the Core Values. Key Understandings and Key Questions make it possible for students to become involved in the variance of values in a constructive and critical manner. Documents concerning the subject of the analysis were studied by means of a problem method, which is based on an educational phenomenon examining various consistent factors related to time and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the concept of stories of peoplehood to examine how the Singapore government has constructed a story of harmony and to consider how this story has influenced two important school subjects focused on civic education: Social Studies and Character and Citizenship Education. Stories of peoplehood, including constitutive, economic and political power stories, play a central role in the political project of people-making which involves defining the nature of membership in a political community and promoting a collective political identity. This study provides an alternative way of conceptualizing the goals and curriculum content of civic education and it also offers an example of how a nation state with a strong Confucian tradition has chosen to address the educational goal of living together through the promotion of values such as social cohesion and community relationships within a story of harmony. The study also shows how Singapore political leaders construct a narrow and limited discourse of harmony within the curricula and use it to legitimize policies that privilege particular groups, limit political freedoms, marginalize groups with less power or status, and circumscribe the kinds of actions a citizen can legitimately take. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article explores the role of education, in particular citizenship education, in shaping the Singapore electorate. An understanding of the history of citizenship education helps to shed light on the contemporary political culture in Singapore. The extent to which democratic citizenship education has been taught in schools since 1958 is explored. Singapore’s citizenship education has consistently stressed the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, patriotism, national identity and moral values—with the goal of nation-building and legitimising the People’s Action Party state. This reflective historical piece on Singapore’s educational history adds a relatively unexplored facet to the discussions on the general election 2015 results as well as Singapore’s subsequent political development. The results of the 2015 general election in Singapore, seen in this light, are not so surprising, as they reflect the success of the state’s citizenship education in shaping the current political culture. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article provides a comparative analysis of citizenship education in the Philippines and Singapore. Through an analysis of historical contexts, citizenship education policy and curriculum, it examinesMakabayanin the Philippines andNational Educationin Singapore. It identifies particular policy and curriculum trajectories as responses to national and global imperatives to demonstrate how countries are redefining the kinds of knowledge, skills and values deemed necessary for national citizenship in global contexts. This comparative case study illustrates some of the tensions and contradictions facing citizenship education in new global contexts and highlights the different ways countries try to manage these tensions through citizenship education policies and curricula. Findings point to different factors that shape and constrain the implementation of citizenship education programmes in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 1965 Singapore became independent after a two-year merger with Malaysia and over 100 years of British colonization. Since then, the government has been inculcating patriotism in its citizens through educational policies such as the introduction of Social Studies at secondary school. This process of education for patriotism is interesting in the case of Singapore in two respects: how teachers understand the link between patriotism and loyalty to the government; and whether teachers dare to cross boundaries to engage students in discussions that may challenge pro-government views. This study explores the perceptions and practices of three Social Studies teachers to address two issues. First, how do Social Studies teachers understand 'patriotism'? Second, how do they teach it within or beyond boundaries? The findings show that teachers did not think that patriotism meant loyalty to the government; instead it meant loyalty to one another as Singapore citizens. Though the translation of teachers' understandings of patriotism into the classroom differed from teacher to teacher, in terms of helping students think critically, there were elements of crossing the boundaries set by the ruling party. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, there are seven main citizenship concepts in general - namely, classical citizenship (Athen's citizenship as office-bearer), liberal citizenship (human right to be citizens), social citizenship (citizens' right for social welfare), national citizenship (citizens in nation states), multiple citizenship, post-national citizenship and global citizenship. What is reflected in the development of these concepts is the historical progress from seeing citizenship as a privilege to regarding it as a political and social right, and from citizenship restricted to nations to one that is global. What is also shown is that the concept of citizenship is rather fluid and dynamic. Thus, it is sometimes understood as flexible citizenship today. Despite these different names and conceptualizations, the understanding of citizenship education is still confined to the socialization framework. That is, the purpose of citizenship education is to teach young people about the 'here and now' and about how they can participate properly in the localities of various citizenship contexts. However, as we move into the twenty first century, citizens are facing a highly mobile and changing society. A particularly urgent and important task for twenty first-century education is to equip people with twenty first-century competence, which they need to survive and thrive in the uncertain and unpredicatable world. Therefore, educating citizens for the future becomes an essential issue. In this regard some important questions need to be answered, such as 'Is it possible to socialize for the future unknown world that is full of uncertainty?' 'What would be the unique features of citizenship education that focuses on becoming rather than being?' 'What would be the future modes of interactions between the government and citizens while they are both unsure about the future?' Rather than trying to find definite answers for these questions, this article would like to provide some observations starting from the Singapore context, which is attempting to prepare citizens for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a historical overview of civic educational policy and political discourse in Singapore from 1959 to 2011, focusing on changes in the role attributed to students in the education process. A review of educational programmes and analysis of political speeches reveals that an earlier transmissionist approach that focused on value inculcation and factual knowledge has been supplemented recently by policy and discourse emphasizing student engagement. The authors link their analysis to larger political changes that have been taking place in Singapore. They argue that the push for more participatory forms of civics education parallels an ongoing shift in the ruling party's political ideology from economic pragmatism to a communitarian ideology that emphasizes citizens' responsibility. From the point of view of political rationality, promoting active student engagement in civics education can be seen as governmental efforts to build a strong civil society through early socialization into civic responsibility and voluntarism. Viewed as a technology of power, engagement is also seen as a new biopolitical intervention aimed at regulating political participation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Numerous studies have highlighted a clear civic achievement gap between students from different ethnic and economic backgrounds in countries such as Singapore and the United States. Concurrently, researchers from both countries have noted that access to government and civics classes and curricula differs considerably across and within schools and school districts. Drawing on research studies conducted in both countries, this article compares the provision of citizenship education in two very different education systems: the United States and Singapore. The article also analyzes some of the explicit and implicit arguments that have been used in support of these policies and examines the potential implications of these policies for the education of young citizens. In both countries, studies strongly indicate that the formal and de facto differentiated access to citizenship education as a result of sorting students into different education tracks implicates students’ ability to be full and equal citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Character and citizenship education are part of the vision of many countries, including Singapore. Ensuring they are implemented in academic environments, service learning has been shown to be a natural bridge between the two. Research has shown that service learning, when done well, produces outcomes related to character development and citizenship education. As a modern educational movement, its early founders described it as a pedagogy to engage individuals in service activities dictated by the community, whereby the learning applies academic subject matter to the service. It is also a philosophy where the service is developed in collaboration with the community, where the goal is empowering those most affected by social and economic challenges. It is often delivered through academic course connections, but is effectively developed through constructivist approaches to curriculum, where the community prescribed needs define the subjects required for study and service. Service learning and character education are mutually connected constructs where service learning becomes the vehicle for delivery of character development. Individuals learn good character by applying those character traits in social settings through service. Good learning is assured when the nature of the service and character are intertwined, and the knowledge and skills gained connect directly to the actions of the people involved. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A growing body of research suggests that traditional assessments of democratic participation overlook students' present realities, and fail to capture the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to resolve public issues in the twenty-first century. Addressing these concerns, we employed an interpretive perspective in examining students' perceptions of civic competence in one Singaporean school. Analyses of qualitative data reveal students' perceived lack of civic competence to effect systemic change within their school environment and in the larger political arena. This perceived lack of civic competence can be attributed largely to rigid and hierarchical classroom, school and political structures, and the pragmatic focus of Singapore society. We discuss findings in light of civic education research, policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

History education has often been associated with the inculcation of citizenship values, especially in the forging of national identity. In instilling a sense of pride in the common past, the teaching of a nation's history contributes to the creation and strengthening of nationalism and national identity. This article examines the politics and policies concerning the formulation, implementation and changes regarding the teaching of Singapore's history between 1984 and 2001, focusing on the lower secondary history curriculum. The Singapore state initially regarded the teaching of the recent national past to be divisive, which resulted in a near neglect and de-emphasis of Singapore's past in the first decade or so following its independence. However, the state did an about face and started to emphasize history education in the 1980s. This intensified towards the end of the 1990s with the introduction of the 'National Education' programme in schools. With that, the role of history in nation building and citizenship education in Singapore found its fullest expression. Thus, the Singapore case is unique compared to the newly independent states after World War II in that history education was used for nation building much later - two decades after its independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent world events such as the threat of terrorism and the global economic crises have rekindled an interest in ethics and values education. This study, conducted in Singapore, combines a Kohlbergian approach to the assessment of moral judgement with a framework based on the self-determination theory to assess the motivational regulations of adolescent students towards civics and moral education (CME). The findings show that the Singaporean students' development of moral reasoning follows the trend prescribed for their age groups in Kohlberg's theory. With regard to their motivation in CME, students showed a moderate degree of autonomous motivation, although the correlations between moral development stage and motivation in CME were low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term ‘Asian values’ became popular in the political discourse in the 1980s and 1990s. The most vocal proponents of Asian values are Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew and Malaysia's Mahathir and their deputies and government officials, as well as post-Tiananmen Chinese leaders. Most notable of all these three strands of the Asian values debate is the ‘Singapore School’, which ‘comprises leaders who have articulated a defence of the Singapore regime, either in their personal or official capacities’. This article discusses the origins and philosophical underpinnings of ‘Asian values’ in the Singapore context and its relationship to civics education. First, it provides the historical context for the interest in Confucianism and Asian Values. It then looks at the role and use of Confucianism and Asian Values in Asia, before discussing the case of Singapore and Asian values. I explore the interconnections between changes in history, civics and social studies curricula, and the politics of the ‘Asian Values’ discourse in Singapore which underpins these curricula. At the heart of the issue was the state's attempt to forge and articulate a Singaporean identity, and the role of citizenship/moral education in attaining this elusive nation building goal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Drawing on individual interviews with 62 students from three secondary schools, the authors of this study investigate how Singapore students from different educational tracks understand their role as citizens in a democracy. In contrast to most countries, the constitutionally democratic state of Singapore explicitly assigns separate citizenship roles to students from different education tracks. Premised on the principle of meritocracy, the Singapore state has also developed separate citizenship education programs incorporating different values, skills, and knowledge for students from the academic and vocational tracks. The study illustrates sharp disparities in how citizenship and democracy is conceptualized by students from the different education tracks. The differences in civic efficacy, learning outcomes, knowledge, and skills also closely parallel the different goals of the social studies and citizenship education programs for students from the academic and vocational tracks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative case study examined the place that historical empathy, as both a subjective and an objective endeavor, occupied in one teacher's instruction and her students' response. Data--collected over five months--include 29 hours of classroom observations in an Advanced Placement European History course, instructional artifacts, and interviews with the instructor and four of her 10th grade students. Findings indicate that the participating teacher promotes historical empathy as both perspective recognition and care through lecture, secondary source work, primary source work, and discussion. Each of the participating students demonstrated perspective recognition and care in the particular ways that their teacher sought to encourage; however, all of the students also exhibited failures of empathy at times. This study illustrates how various instructional practices might be used to promote historical empathy. It also sheds light on the complex interplay between the subjective and objective components of historical empathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moral education in Singapore is underpinned by a communitarian ideology that emphasises the centrality of the community and the importance of social harmony. We explain how this communitarian philosophy is promoted through the subjects "Civics and Moral Education" (in primary and secondary schools) and "Civics" (in pre-university institutions), and show that this emphasis has inadvertently resulted in a neglect of the personal moral development of young people in Singapore. We maintain that more needs to be done to encourage young people to critically reflect on, construct, internalise and apply their own moral values both in and beyond the classroom. In the final section of the article, we explore the prospects for doing this in a way that is consistent with a communitarian outlook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

States commonly employ education policy to build a strong sense of citizenship within young people and to create types of citizens appropriate to the country. In Singapore the government created a policy to build citizenship through both policy statements and social studies in the school curriculum. In the context of a tightly controlled state regulating schooling through a highly controlled educational system, the government expected teachers to obey these policy documents, political statements and the prescribed curriculum. What do teachers understand about citizenship in this context? In schools do teachers demonstrate independence of thought on citizenship education or do they acquiesce to government policy? This article reports on a small group of social studies teachers’ understandings of citizenship, and explores the nature of these understandings in the context of government policy. The study showed an unexpected diversity of conceptualization amongst Singaporean teachers with their understandings of citizenship located in four themes, namely a sense of identity, rights and responsibilities, participation, and national history. This response was unintended by government and reflects an independence of citizenship education landscape in schools, despite the tight policy and bureaucratic controls over teachers by the Singapore state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on an account of how two classes of primary five students in Singapore engage in the learning of English, Mathematics and Science by playing the role of global citizens, the paper suggests an alternative but realistic approach to teaching global citizenship education. Set against the back story of Atlantis facing ecological, social and cultural decay due to the blind pursuit of prosperity and modernisation by its rulers, each student became a quester called on to save Atlantis. Throughout the mission they were presented with different problems in Atlantis (similar to existing global issues) and were expected to research and suggest solutions to the problems by alone or with fellow questers. These problems were tied to the primary five English, Mathematics and Science curriculum. Through documenting and making sense of these activities via observations, interviews and pre-post questionnaire surveys, the paper shows how the new approach may enhance the learning engagement, academic motivation and social commitments among the students. We also explore the sustainability and scalability of such an approach in the school system and highlight constraints. The paper then draws implications for global citizenship education in schools that include designing a meaningful context for engaged learning in schools with components of global citizenship, developing a research culture in schools as a stepping stone for global citizenship education and building capacity of teachers and school leaders in global citizenship. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]