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A comparative analysis of the difficulty levels in Chinese character recognition and writing in Singapore primary school textbooks: A case study of "好儿童华文"and "欢乐伙伴"
No full textThis study analyses the difficulty level of character required for writing in the primary Chinese textbooks" 好儿童华文 "and " 欢乐伙伴 "The evaluation is based on stroke count, component complexity, and the alignment of selected characters with the commonly used character levels outlined in the HSK "Chinese Proficiency Character Level Outline". The results indicate that " 欢乐伙伴 "selects characters that align with the writing needs of second-language learners. The lower primary textbooks prioritize commonly used characters with simple strokes and structures, while complexity gradually increases across grades, facilitating learners' acquisition of writing skills. This study provides insights for optimizing teaching materials and improving Chinese language instruction, thereby enhancing character acquisition for second-language learners
A cognitive-based investigation of P3 students’ learning of Chinese grammar in Singapore bilingual context: The case of compound sentences
No full textThis study conducts a cognitive-based investigation of P3 students’ learning of Chinese grammar in Singapore bilingual context. We observe the current teaching approach, identifies the gap between the learning outcomes and teaching goals, and conducts the pedagogical experiment to fill in the gap by incorporating the cognitive-based practices. The experimental findings confirm the hypothesis that aligning cognitive-based practices with the cognitive processes of the human brain leads to more effective classroom instruction and learning activities, fostering the development of students’ proficiency in Chinese
Mas Gift Agreement Event 2025 (5 Aug 2025)
No full textAssoc Prof Mukhlis Abu Bakar, Head of ALC, giving his welcome speech
Exploring students’ perceptions of generative AI-generated feedback in learning programming
No full textGenerative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has gained popularity in various sectors including the education sector, becoming more advanced and widespread. While teachers and institutions may be keen to employ this new technology, whether students share this enthusiasm ultimately determines its success in facilitating learning. Therefore, this paper seeks to understand 15–16-year-old computing students’ perception of using a GenAI Chatbot through the theoretical lens of an adapted Technology Acceptance Model. Singapore secondary school students were surveyed on their perceptions on completing a computing task with a GenAI Chatbot. The findings revealed that students perceived the ease of use and usefulness of GenAI positively, which were predicted by their enjoyment and preparation to use GenAI, and their perceived ease of use respectively. Students’ intentions to use GenAI were also predicted by subjective norms endorsing its use and their perceived usefulness of the chatbot. Implications for AI in education are discussed.Accepted versionRP 7/22 K
Self-assembled zinc polyethylenimine shield for long-lasting zinc anodes
No full textThe zinc (Zn) anode of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) faces significant challenges, including dendritic growth, hydrogen evolution reactions, and corrosion, which impede their commercial application. Here, we present a strategy for creating an artificial surface coating layer, Zn-polyethylenimine (Zn-PEI) coordination polymer, formed on the Zn anode surface. The robust Zn-PEI protective layer, rich in amine groups, accelerates ion transport and provides a uniform electric field, thereby suppressing dendrite formation. Additionally, this layer prevents direct contact between the Zn surface and the electrolyte, reducing other side reactions such as hydrogen evolution, surface corrosion, and passivation. The charged amine groups in PEI preferentially expose the Zn (101) crystal plane, which has weak thermodynamic stability, to achieve ordered and densely packed Zn (101) deposition. Consequently, Zn-PEI@Zn//Zn-PEI@Zn symmetric cells exhibit a remarkable cycling life of over 2000 h under the conditions of 1 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2, and Zn-PEI@Zn//Cu asymmetric cells maintain an average coulombic efficiency of 99.7 % after 1000 stable cycles. This strategy effectively addresses the inherent issues of dendrite growth and hydrogen evolution in Zn anodes, laying a solid foundation for the development of high-performance AZIBs.Accepted versionRI 1/21 EAHRI 3/23 EA
Cityscape and memoryscape: The Cold War and monuments of commemoration in Singapore
No full textFrom the 1940s to the 1960s, Singapore’s cityscape was dotted with military bases which had accompanying deathscapes devoted to the war dead from both WWII and the Cold War. First there was the establish ment of the Kranji War Cemetery and Memorial to the military war dead of WWII. At the same time in Singapore there were other cemeteries that were created as memoryscapes to the fallen in the Cold War—the Pasir Panjang and Ulu Pandan military cemeteries. With the end of empire and the exiting of the British from their Singapore military bases in the 1970s, the newly independent city-state of Singapore started to contest the use of these spaces by military cemeteries
Formation and influence of epistemic norms in integrated stem problem- solving: A study of Singapore secondary students’ STEM inquiry
No full textGuiding students’ STEM problem solving entails dynamic processes driven by changes in real-world contexts. To understand these processes, we aimed to identify the formation and influence of ‘norms’ as shared behaviour patterns desirable in STEM problem-solving. To this end, 10 sessions of STEM lessons for secondary students were carried out, and we collected data comprising lesson observation videos, fieldnotes, interviews, and photographs of students’ artifacts. The data were analysed based on three features of norms: justifiability, sharing, and behaviours. The results report three epistemic norms in STEM problem-solving. First, the norm of ‘defining a real-world problem that is useful and accessible’ was found. While the students searched for useful problems in their everyday lives, they also needed to ensure that these problems were scoped such that they had the capacity to manage them. The second norm was ‘designing creative and concrete prototypes’. Students’ prototypes were expected to be creative in addressing the established problems and to be developed in a concrete manner. The last norm identified was ‘testing and revising in more iterative and feasible ways’. The students tested their models repeatedly in a manner aligning with their skills and the materials provided. Based on the findings, educational implications are discussed in terms of understanding and facilitating STEM problem-solving
Time course of indirect reply processing in native and non-native Mandarin speakers: An ERP study
No full textThe open access publication is available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/s1366728924000695To communicate successfully, listeners must decode both the literal and intended meanings of a speaker’s message. This ability is especially crucial when processing indirect replies as intended meanings can differ significantly from what was said. How native and non-native speakers differ in this ability is an open question. The present study investigated differences in the time course of indirect reply processing in native and non-native Mandarin speakers. EEG signals were recorded while participants were presented with conversations that differed in their directness. For indirect replies, native speakers exhibited a larger left anterior N400 and posterior late positive component (LPC). Conversely, non-native speakers exhibited a larger left-distributed LPC and delayed LPC. Findings support that non-native speakers exhibit delayed processing of indirect replies, potentially because of cognitive resource limitations. Findings from the present study have implications for a broad range of investigations on human communication and second language processing
AI‐powered vocabulary learning for lower primary school students
No full textIn this exploratory mixed-methods study, we introduce and test our AI-powered vocabulary learning system—ARCHe, which embeds four AI functions: (1) automatic feedback towards for pronunciation, (2) automatic feedback for towards handwriting, (3) automatic scoring for student-generated sentences and (4) automatic recommendations. Specifically, our study of 140 students taught by six teachers in three primary schools in Singapore explores the links between these AI functions and students' learning engagement and outcomes via the analysis of their pre- and post-tests, post-surveys, focus group discussions and artefacts created via ARCHe. Results show improved Chinese character and vocabulary test scores after using ARCHe. Students' perceptions of ARCHe automatic recommendations and feedback towards pronunciation positively influence their emotional engagement. Also, students who perceived ARCHe automatic recommendations and feedback on handwriting more favourably than others reported greater cognitive engagement. Meanwhile, students whose groups created more sentences in classroom-based collaborative learning than others were more likely to show learning gains. This study provides insights for learning designers and educators on AI's potential in language learning, with recommendations for future research directions