National Institute of Education
National Institute of Education, Singapore: NIE Digital RepositoryNot a member yet
19917 research outputs found
Sort by
Grandparental care and early childhood development: A decade’s worth of insight from three Singaporean cohorts
No full textSingapore’s aging population and the geographical proximity of Singaporean families may contribute to comparatively high rates of grandparental caregiving. This study describes the prevalence of grandparental caregiving and investigates concurrent and longitudinal effects of grandparental care on infant and preschool-aged children’s preacademic, executive function, and socioemotional outcomes for the first time in Singapore. In the present study, grandparental caregiving was operationalized as time spent and as children’s preferences for their grandparents. Data from three longitudinal studies conducted over the past decade were used (259 from Growing Up in Singapore Toward Healthy Outcomes [GUSTO], 122 Singapore Preconception Study of Long-Term Maternal and Child Outcomes [S-PRESTO], and 39 from Singapore Parenting and Cognition in Early Childhood [SPACE]). Results suggested that grandparental care may be on the decline in recent years and most of the grandparental care–child outcome associations were not significant. Still, when effects were observed, the majority were negative when time spent was considered and positive when preference was considered. Furthermore, maternal sensitivity significantly moderated the association between grandparental care and child outcomes, exemplifying the importance of considering children’s larger caregiving network when examining the effects of grandparental care. A greater understanding of how to support grandparental caregiving for optimal child outcomes will be beneficial.Accepted versio
Conflict in peer interaction during collaborative writing
No full textWhile collaborative writing (CW) has been widely studied in form-based and meaning-based tasks, conflict dynamics in project-based CW remain underexplored. This case study examined how cognitive, socio-emotional, and process conflicts interact with interaction patterns in a four-member L2 group and influence the writing process and outcome. Drawing on multiple data sources, including audio and video recordings of the collaboration process, screen recording of the writing process, and interviews, this study yielded four key findings. Firstly, high-conflict patterns (Dominant dyad / Responsive, Expert / Novice, and Dominant triad / Withdrawn) and low-conflict patterns (Collaborative triad / Withdrawn, Collaborative, Cooperative) were found in the peer interactions. These patterns were grounded in the roles taken by group members and how they approached the task, regarding the extent of equality and mutuality in their interactions. Secondly, the co-occurrence of cognitive and socio-emotional conflicts tended to trigger shifts in interaction patterns - e.g., from Dominant triad / Withdrawn to Cooperative. Thirdly, cognitive conflict generally had a positive influence, leading to a clearer understanding of the task or a more effective co-constructed text. But in the Dominant triad / Withdrawn pattern, where socio-emotional conflicts frequently co-occurred, the positive effect was disrupted, and cognitive conflict did not contribute positively to the writing process and outcome. Fourthly, process conflicts within the Expert / Novice and Collaborative patterns had the potential to result in effective task management, while process conflicts in the Dominant dyad / Responsive pattern tended to lead to ineffective task management or had no effect on task outcomes. This study, by highlighting the dynamic interplay between conflict types and interaction patterns, addressed a gap in understanding four-member group interactions during the project-based collaborative writing. The findings offered pedagogical implications for implementing collaborative writing in L2 classrooms
Investigating common spelling errors in Primary Six pupils' essays
No full textThis paper aims to examine common spelling and character-writing errors among Primary Six students in Singapore. By analysing these errors in their essays, the study seeks to identify specific types of mistakes and offer targeted recommendations to improve students' Chinese writing skills
The influencing factors of integrating artificial intelligence in teaching for STEAM teachers in primary and secondary schools: A qualitative study
No full textThe deep integration of artificial intelligence and education stands as a crucial pathway for educational reform and innovation. Within the realm of STEAM education, the utilization and fusion of AI technologies have injected fresh impetus into teaching methodologies. Nonetheless, amidst the amalgamation of diverse AI tools and intricate educational components, STEAM educators encounter a myriad of challenges. This research employs a qualitative analysis grounded in theory to delve into comprehensive interviews with 18 STEAM instructors across primary and secondary educational institutions. Through processes like open coding, main coding, and selective coding on the interview data, the study synthesizes the perspectives, obstacles, and influential factors faced by STEAM educators in integrating intelligent technologies into their teaching practices. It emerges that while most STEAM teachers exhibit a positive stance, practical hurdles persist, including insufficient digital literacy among educators, inadequate teacher team cohesion, and limited backing and investment from school administrators. Furthermore, the research identifies three pivotal factors—teaching environment, social context, and educator proficiency—as critical influencers shaping the integration and utilization of intelligent technologies within STEAM instruction. Drawing from these findings, the study forwards several recommendations to underpin the cultivation of high-caliber AI-driven STEAM education
Exploring the implementation and theory of a school-based diet and active lifestyle intervention among primary school children
No full textThe open access publication is available at https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1708767Background: Guided by Kincaid’s ideation metatheory, the Promoting hEalthy Diet and Active Lifestyle (PEDAL), a school-based intervention, was developed. The central tenets of ideation consist of three psychosocial domains (cognitive, emotional, and social) that are assumed to influence behavior cumulatively. This study explored the implementation of two components of PEDAL and how ideation factors influenced diet and active lifestyle behaviors.Methods: Following the conduct of two out of four intervention components (a series of interactive in-class lessons and actionable home activities), six focus group discussions were conducted with students (n = 16) and teachers (n = 7). Audio-recorded data were extracted as expanded notes and analyzed using the applied thematic analysis, with theme generation framed by the ideation metatheory.Results: While students enjoyed the lessons and home activities, they hoped that lessons could be more physically active. Teachers found lessons easy to
implement but struggled with time constraints. Students reported gaining a better understanding of sedentary behaviors and habit formation through the lessons. However, they faced barriers, such as COVID-19 movement restrictions and the lack of autonomy at home, which impeded their opportunities to engage in more physical activity and healthier eating. Regarding ideation, students discussed cognitive factors that motivated behavior change, such as attitudes toward healthier behaviors and image concerns. Emotional factors, including the enjoyment of activities, influenced students’ motivation to engage in healthy eating and physical activity. Some students also reported resistance to further changes when they felt they were already “doing too much.” Social factors, such as family involvement, were critical but often limited.Conclusion: The findings have illuminated several crucial aspects of enhancing intervention implementation, supported the use of the ideation metatheory to underpin the PEDAL intervention, and guided the subsequent evaluation of the whole intervention. This study was retrospectively registered with the ISRCTN registry [ISRCTN16114046]DEV 02/21 MCF
Teachers’ pedagogical reasoning and actions in customising curriculum resources
No full textThis study identifies how teachers customise curriculum resources during inquiry activities in primary science lessons with different classroom contexts. We specifically focused on teachers’ pedagogical reasoning and actions in selecting and organising resources from the perspective of the Refined Consensus Model of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (RCM-PCK). Based on a total of 15 lessons taught by five teachers, several types of data were collected, including lesson plans, classroom observations, and pre-lesson and post-lesson interviews. The data collected were analysed for the types, usage, and pedagogical functions of resources. The results highlighted five main science practices supported by curriculum resources. Focusing on these practices, three ways of contextualising resources were identified: (1) posing questions within context-specific stories, (2) collecting and analysing student-generated data as evidence, and (3) accounting for students’ differing perspectives in constructing explanations. Educational implications were discussed in terms of curriculum enactment and teacher education.OER 33/22 TA
Quantization of nonlinear non-Hamiltonian systems
No full textSeveral important dynamical systems are in ℝ2, defined by the pair of differential equations (′,′)=((,),(,)). A question of fundamental importance is how such systems might behave quantum mechanically. In developing quantum theory, Dirac and others realized that classical Hamiltonian systems can be mapped to their quantum counterparts via canonical quantization. The resulting quantum dynamics is always physical, characterized by completely positive and trace-preserving evolutions in the Schrödinger picture. However, whether non-Hamiltonian systems can be quantized systematically while respecting the same physical requirements has remained a long-standing problem. Here, we resolve this question when (,) and (,) are arbitrary polynomials. By leveraging open-systems theory, we prove constructively that every polynomial system admits a physical generator of time evolution in the form of a Lindbladian. We call our method cascade quantization, and demonstrate its power by analyzing several paradigmatic examples of nonlinear dynamics such as bifurcations, noise-activated spiking, and Liénard systems. In effect, our method can quantize any classical system whose (,) and (,) are analytic with arbitrary precision. More importantly, cascade quantization is exact. This means restrictive system properties usually assumed in the literature to facilitate quantization, such as weak nonlinearity, rotational symmetry, or semiclassical dynamics, can all be dispensed with by cascade quantization. We also highlight the advantages of cascade quantization over existing proposals, by weighing it against examples from the variational paradigm using Lagrangians, as well as nonvariational approaches.Published versio
Investigating learner emotional engagement in synchronous online learning
No full textThe open access version is available at https://nlt.gcsce.net/ojs/index.php/GCCCE/article/view/568Emotional engagement is highly important in synchronous online learning (SOL). However, few studies have investigated what learning activities can emotionally engage online learners. This study was conducted in a course with 16 learners. The instructor designed some learning activities/events. The study aimed to investigate if these activities/events could emotionally engage the learners. Morphcast was used to analyze the learners’ emotions in the final Zoom session. Results showed that a well-designed introduction, artifact sharing, taking a break, and giving peer feedback could emotionally engaged online learners. However, the learners showed negative emotions in the ending period. The findings and implications for teachers to design engaging lessons are discussed