Chinese Language Instruction in Singapore Primary School Classrooms: A Comparative Study

Abstract

In this article, we describe Chinese language instruction in Singapore primary school classrooms and discuss its relationship with the official discourse in Chinese education. We use a classroom coding approach to examine whether there are similarities and differences between the classroom instructional practices in 2 streams and to explore whether the goals and principles of the official discourse are achieved at the level of implementation. Specifically, we examine how Chinese classrooms of the 2 different streams are organised socially, what pedagogical activities are carried out, what knowledge or capabilities are emphasised and how they are classified. Based on the findings, we discuss the major features of Chinese language instructional practices in the 2 streams in relation to the goals and principles of the official discourse and highlight some implications for curricular and pedagogic reform in Singapore and internationally.

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