CULTURAL SENSITIVITIES: RESEARCH ISSUES

1. CULTURAL SENSITIVITIES: RESEARCH ISSUES DIVISION FORUM AUGUST 2006 Professor Marjory Ebbeck & Dr Sharon Russo School of Education

2. Singapore

4. What does internationalisation of the curriculum mean? Haigh (2002: 49) proposes that it’s the process of designing a curriculum that meets the needs of an international student body but more importantly it is about “fair play”. That is it provides equably for the learning ambitions of all students, irrespective of their national, ethnic, cultural, social class/caste or gender identities. Such a curriculum values social inclusion, cultural pluralism and “world citizenship”. These views are endorsed by De Wit (1999) and McBurnie (2000).

5. Internationalisation of the curriculum is a long term undertaking and to do the work properly requires major investments of time, energy resources and goodwill. He also cites some barriers to progress:

6. Short term funding and planning that cannot sustain longer term initiatives • Conflicting tension in strategic developments • Conflicting pressures on staff and limitations in staff time and resources • Conflicting tensions in resource flow and reward system that encourage internal competition and individualism and that discourage teamwork and collaboration • Lack of quantitative research to inform curriculum development • Lack of coordination between marketing, outreach and course teams • Lack of communication between schools (or faculties ) and departments • Lack of specialised staff development programmes • Marginalisation activities that are not seen as relevant to the mainstream of academic activity. Source OUCPG, (2000 pp 4-5)

8. The development of inter-cultural understandings and related teaching practices must begin with the teacher’s attitude and the scaffolds created to support student learning… it must be a shared responsibility of both teachers and students (Bodycott & Walker, 2000: 79)

9. What do we hope the outcomes of offering research in our program will be? • Demonstrated abilities to plan, implement and evaluate some small scale research undertaking which in some way increased their understanding of elements of internationalisation. • Increased understanding and tolerance of differences and similarities by interacting, sharing information, learning about other cultures in the context of research endeavours. • Increased understanding of the importance of research in order to have a deeper understanding of internationalisation. • Increased understanding of the research process, policies and practices of curriculum. to be continued…

10. Increased empathy for others particularly in an area of choice including: curriculum development, policy development, social justice and advocacy including the rights of children and families in their respective societies. • Increased understanding of intercultural issues relevant to their own culture as a result of studying identified social issues which have an international application. • Increased appreciation of intercultural issues as these relate to their role as an early childhood educator. • Increased awareness of the implications of local decisions and actions for international communities and of international decisions and actions for local communities.

12. Table 1: Population and Area (2004) Website: http://www.singstat.gov.sg/keystats/annual/indicators.html#Population%20Indicators

13. Table 2: Total Live-Births and Crude Birth Rate (2004) Website: http://www.singstat.gov.sg/keystats/annual/indicators.html#Population%20Indicators

14. By 2006, all pre-school principals are required to obtain a Diploma in Pre-school Education - Leadership (DPE-L). By 2008, all pre-school teachers are to be trained to at least the Certificate in Pre-school Teaching (CPT) level 1 in 4 teachers are to be trained to the Diploma in Pre-school Education - Teaching (DPE-T) level. 

15. Pre-school Teacher Training Route

16. Cultural Sensitivity Looking more specifically at the early childhood students in Singapore it is obvious that each student has developed their own constructs according to their cultural upbringing and experiences (Deans & Brown, 1998). This includes a ‘culture’ of study and accompanying values related to high achievement which are reinforced by family, friends and the workplace. A side effect of such values is that they tend to produce students who are very anxious about their achievements and who need reassurance and feedback about their progress. University staff are aware of the stress levels that the students operate under and put in place as many strategies as possible to keep the student’s moral high. For instance they ensure that they answer formally and promptly with a maximum 3 day turnaround and the email traffic is continually monitored by the program director. Staff try to avoid overcorrecting repeated grammatical errors while at the same time drawing the student’s attention to the problem.

18. In multi-cultural societies such as Singapore, there are many other specific overt and covert sensitivities to be aware of when working with research students. These include the hierarchical relationship between the student – teacher and their principal. This can follow a very formal structure which supervisors need to be aware of and interact with in an appropriate way. For instance students may be restricted to the parents that they can talk with, the children they can access or the findings that they may report. It is also essential that no situations arise in which a “loss of face” occurs with student/teacher/principal or centre. This means that considerable diplomacy is needed on the part of the supervisor to ensure that the student can manage the research successfully and that the findings are unlikely to show the teacher of the centre in a negative light. This is a particular concern when the student researcher may also be the principal of a centre.

20. It is also essential for researchers and supervisors to be sensitive to Government expressed views through publications, speeches, policies and regulations. Students are encouraged to be familiar with the Government policies on issues relating to education. The students are also monitored by their University supervisors to undertake research topics that are directly related to research that generates studies on improving the well being of the child rather than on studies that may be critical of Government Policy. Some of the research topics mentioned may appear to Australian eyes to be restricted; however it is necessary to place such confines into the cultural context.

21. Singapore is a city state comprising many races, cultures and political tensions. It has relatively recent memories of racial riots, political dissent and perceives itself as an iconic target for terrorists. The Government has achieved economic success and racial harmony by encouraging and rewarding a strong work ethic and spirit of co-existence amongst its citizens. The courses offered by “foreign” universities are tolerated by the Government providing that they adhere to strict standards and guidelines. It is therefore both a courtesy and a socio-political necessity to ensure that research conducted in the name of the University is culturally acceptable.

22. Research topics selected include the following: • Implementing an Inclusive curriculum • Race awareness in young children • Third culture children • Attachment – issues in relation to child rearing in Singapore • Developing cultural sensitivity in pre-schoolers • Implementation and evaluation of an anti bias curriculum • Staff development – coping with change in a multiracial society • Supporting the culture of the home – challenges and aspirations • Use of computers • Attitudes of children of expatriate parents to friendship • Behaviour management of children from Sri Lanka who are immigrant to Singapore • Portfolio assessment • Impact of television and video games • Play-based curriculum – can it work in centre in Singapore? • Project approach to learning and its implementation - Ministry requirements • Design and use of play equipment

23. Conclusion The opportunity to work with students off-shore and to assist in the development of an international perspective is challenging but many of the early childhood students see the need to develop more tolerance and racial acceptance in a world which today is beset by horrific problems. Some of these teachers, Muslim women in particular are very keen to be proactive at the grassroots level – undertaking research is one way of beginning.

24. Thank You