IN 1964 SINGAPORE HAD A POPULATION OF 1,844,200. EDUCATION IS FREE FOR THE 6 PRIMARY YEARS. SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS ATTEND AN ACADEMIC SECONDARY, A SECONDARY COMMERCIAL, OR A SECONDARY TECHNICAL SCHOOL. A 2-YEAR PREUNIVERSITY, A POLYTECHNIC, AND A TEACHERS' COLLEGE ARE ALSO AVAILABLE. UNSUCCESSFUL PRIMARY STUDENTS RECEIVE 2 YEARS ADDITIONAL WORK AT A…

Refractive error is a common social issue in every walks of human life, and its prevalence recorded the highest among Chinese population, particularly among people living in southern China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. Refractive error is the simplest disorder to treat and supposed to cost the effective health care intervention.…

This study sought to understand the parental expectations of social attainments in the postschool years. The parents of 20 adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) attending special schools were interviewed. Most expected their children would be working in sheltered workshops or unemployed. All parents indicated that their children would…

Singapore is now one of the fastest aging societies in the world. By 2030 those over 65 years old are expected to number 1.41m strong, 26.8 percent of the country's entire population. Given these numbers, it is not surprising that aging is a key concern in Singapore. This article reports on a qualitative study of 32 individuals over the age of 55…

This discussion focuses on reading problems arising when bilingual children must learn two different scripts, and how the nature of the relationship between the two scripts may influence the child's ability to transfer and develop reading skills. First, models of normal and abnormal reading in English are described. The significance of these…

Recent research reveals that students' interest in school science begins to decline at an early age. As this lack of interest could result in fewer individuals qualified for scientific careers and a population unprepared to engage with scientific societal issues, it is imperative to investigate ways in which interest in school science can be…

The purpose of this study is to examine at-risk students and the reasons they give to explain their poor academic performance, with a view to developing a typology of at-risk students. A case study methodology was used to investigate the total population of at-risk students for Semester 2, 2008 studying at the Singapore campus of an…

Background: The phonological and morphosyntactic structures of English and Mandarin contrast maximally and an increasing number of bilinguals speak these two languages. Speech and language therapists need to understand bilingual development for children speaking these languages in order reliably to assess and provide intervention for this…

Southeast Asia's location as a crossroads between East and South Asia, marks it as a region deeply entrenched in difference, with a history of complex identities. Apart from indigenous cultures that have survived the tides of change, there are several deeply embedded cultural influences from near and far that constitute what is local. Education…

The International Baccalaureate Continuum offers both local elite and the expatriate populations around the world a transferable and transportable education package from pre-Kindergarten to grade 12. IBC full diploma graduates are positioned to be accepted into the best universities in the world. For critics, the IBC is Western elitist and for the…

Background: Singapore is experiencing great demographic change. These demographic trends show fewer young people and declining birth rates, greater longevity for ageing generations and an increase in the number of non-Singaporean residents. Statistics also show that more than half of the total population increase in the last decades was…

Cross-cultural changes were accompanied by the sovereignty transition of Hong Kong during the TIMSS data collection, which triggered migration of intellectual families between Hong Kong and other places. To enhance comparability of the urban setting, this investigation focuses on Singapore and Hong Kong for having similar Chinese majority and…

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) examines what students know in reading, mathematics and science, and what they can do with what they know. It provides the most comprehensive and rigorous international assessment of student learning outcomes to date. Results from PISA indicate the quality and equity of learning…

Cross-cultural changes were accompanied by the sovereignty transition of Hong Kong during the TIMSS data collection, which triggered migration of intellectual families between Hong Kong and other places. To enhance comparability of the urban setting, this investigation focuses on Singapore and Hong Kong for having similar Chinese majority and…

The discourse on the internationalization of higher education emphasizes revenue generation while neglecting other diverse rationales pursued by governments and institutions. For countries that are seeking to venture into a knowledge economy or accrue greater competitive advantages under globalization, many policymakers view cross-border higher…