Curriculum integration in Singapore: Teachers' perspectives and practice

Teaching and Teacher Education

Volumn 31, Issue 1, 2013, Pages 23-34

  Lam, Chi Chung ^a   Alviar Martin, Theresa ^b   Adler, Susan A ^c   Sim, Jasmine B Y ^b  

^a CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG   (Hong Kong)

^b NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY   (Singapore)

^c UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI KANSAS CITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Curriculum reform; Integrated curriculum; Singapore; Teacher conceptions

Indexed keywords

EID: 84871668359     PISSN: 0742051X     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2012.11.004     Document Type: Article

References (71)

1. Applebee A.N., Adler M., Flihan S. Interdisciplinary curricula in middle and high school classrooms: case studies of approaches to curriculum and instruction. American Educational Research Journal 2007, 44(4):1002-1039. 10.3102/0002831207308219.
2. Association for Middle Level Education This we believe: Keys to educating young adolescents 2010, Retrieved from. http://www.amle.org/AboutAMLE/ThisWeBelieve/tabid/1273/Default.aspx.
3. Bailey L.M. Meeting standards without sacrificing quality curriculum in the middle school. Research in Middle Level Education Online 2003, 26(2):1-9. Retrieved from. http://www.amle.org/portals/0/pdf/publications/RMLE/rmle_vol26_no2_article1.pdf.
4. Ball S.J. The micro-politics of the school: Towards a theory of school organization 1987, Methuen, London, England.
5. Beane J.A. Curriculum integration: Designing the core of democratic education 1997, Teachers College Press, New York, NY.
6. Boeije H. A purposeful approach to the constant comparative method in the analysis of qualitative interviews. Social Sciences 2002, 36(4):391-409.
7. Brophy J., Alleman J. A caveat: curriculum integration isn't always a good idea. Educational Leadership 1991, 49(2):56.
8. Bullock P., Park V., Snow J., Rodriguez E. Redefining interdisciplinary curriculum: a journey of collaboration and change in secondary teacher education. Interchange 2002, 33(2):159-182.
9. Calderhead J. Teachers: beliefs and knowledge. Handbook of educational psychology 1996, 709-725. Macmillan, New York, NY. D.C. Berliner, R.C. Calfee (Eds.).
10. Creswell J.W. Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research 2008, Prentice Hall, New York, NY.
11. Czerniak C.M., Weber W.B., Sandmann A., Ahern J. A literature review of science and mathematics integration. School Science and Mathematics 1999, 99(8):421-430. 10.1111/j.1949-8594.1999.tb17504.x.
12. Darling-Hammond L. The case for university-based teacher education. The role of the university in the preparation of teachers 1999, 13-30. Routledge Falmer, New York, NY. R. Roth (Ed.).
13. Darling-Hammond L. Teaching and the change wars: the professionalism hypothesis. Change wars 2009, 44-68. Solution Tree, Bloomington, IN. A. Hargreaves, M. Fullan (Eds.).
14. Davies B., Bansel P. Neoliberalism and education. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education 2007, 20(3):247-259.
15. Dewey J. The school and society 1991, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago: IL, (Original work published in 1907).
16. Dewey J. Experience and education 1997, Touchstone, New York, NY, (Original work published 1938).
17. Dowden T. Relevant, challenging, integrative and exploratory curriculum design: perspectives from theory and practice for middle level schooling in Australia. The Australian Educational Researcher 2007, 34(2):51-71.
18. Drake S. Integrated curriculum 2000, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA.
19. Drake S., Burns D. Meeting standards through integrated curriculum 2004, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria VA.
20. Education and Manpower Bureau The new academic structure for senior secondary education and higher education 2005, Author, Hong Kong, China.
21. Eisner E. The educational imagination: On the design & evaluation of school programs 2002, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ. 3rd ed.
22. Ellis A.K. Research on educational innovations 2001, Eye on Education, Larchmont, NY. 3rd ed.
23. Ellis A.K., Fouts J.T. Interdisciplinary curriculum: the research base. Music Educators Journal 2001, 87(5):22-26. 68. 10.2307/3399704.
24. Fogarty R. Ten ways to integrate curriculum. Educational Leadership 1991, 49(2):61-65. Retrieved from. http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_199110_fogarty.pdf.
25. Fullan M. The new meaning of education change 2007, Teachers College Press, New York, NY. 4th ed.
26. Garii B., Rule A.C. Integrating social justice with mathematics and science: an analysis of student teacher lessons. Teaching and Teacher Education 2009, 25(3):490-499.
27. Gehrke N.J. A look at curriculum integration from the bridge. Curriculum Journal 1998, 9(2):247-260.
28. Glaser B.G., Strauss A.L. The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research 1967, Aldine, Chicago.
29. Goodson I. School subjects and curriculum change 1983, Croom Helm, London, England.
30. Gopinathan S. Globalisation, the Singapore developmental state and education policy: a thesis revisited. Globalisation, Societies and Education 2007, 5(1):53-70. 10.1080/14767720601133405.
31. Gopinathan S., Deng Z. Fostering school-based curriculum development in the context of new education initiatives in Singapore. Planning and Changing 2006, 37(1&2):93-110.
32. Grossman P., Wineburg S., Beers S. Introduction: when theory meets practice in the world of school. Interdisciplinary curriculum: Challenges to implementation 2000, 1-16. Teachers College Press, New York, NY. S. Wineburg, P. Grossman (Eds.).
33. Hargreaves A., Fullan M. What's worth fighting for out there? 1998, Teachers College Press, New York, NY.
34. Hargreaves A., Moore S. Curriculum integration and classroom relevance: a study of teachers' practice. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision 2000, 15(2):89-112.
35. Hinde E.R. Revisiting curriculum integration: a fresh look at an old idea. The Social Studies 2005, 96(3):105-111.
36. Hoban G.F. Teacher learning for educational change: A systems thinking approach 2002, Open University Press, Buckingham, England/Philadelphia, PA.
37. Jackson P.W. Conceptions of curriculum and curriculum specialists. Handbook of research on curriculum 1992, 3-40. Macmillan, New York. P.W. Jackson (Ed.).
38. Jacobs H.H. Interdisciplinary curriculum: Design and implementation 1989, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA.
39. Jacobs H.H. Planning for curriculum integration. Educational Leadership 1991, 49(2):27-28.
40. Klein J.T. A platform for a shared discourse of interdisciplinary education 2006, English Faculty Research Publications, Accessed 01.11.12 from, Paper 3. http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/englishfrp/3.
41. Labaree D.F. An uneasy relationship: the history of teacher education in the university. Handbook of research on teacher education 2008, 290-306. Routledge, New York, NY. M. Cochran-Smith, S. Feiman-Nemser, D.J. McIntyre, K.E. Demers (Eds.).
42. Lam C.C. Is integrated curriculum really better than discipline-based curriculum?. Curriculum and Instruction Quarterly 2002, 5(4):141-154. (in Chinese).
43. Lam C.C., Chan K.S.J., Zhang S. Curriculum organization 2006, Educational Science Press, Beijing, (in Chinese).
44. Lam C.C., Chan K.S.J. How schools cope with a new integrated subject for senior secondary students: an example from Hong Kong. Curriculum Perspectives 2011, 31(3):23-32.
45. Leong K.-L., Sim J.B.-Y., Chua S.-H. School-based curriculum development in Singapore: bottom-up perspectives of a top-down policy. Curriculum Perspectives 2011, 31(1):46-68.
46. Little J.W. The persistence of privacy: autonomy and initiative in teachers' professional relations. Teachers College Record 1990, 91(4):509-536.
47. Marsh, C. J., & Willis, G. (2007). Curriculum: Alternative approaches. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, in this issue.
48. McKenna S., Richardson J. Education in a one-party "democracy": Singapore. The rich world and the impoverishment of education: Diminishing democracy, equity, and workers' rights 2009, 224-237. Routledge, New York, NY. D. Hill (Ed.).
49. Merriam S.B. Qualitative and case study applications in educational research 2002, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA.
50. Miles M.B., Huberman A.M. Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook 1994, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. 2nd ed.
51. National Commission on Teaching and America's Future What matters most: Teaching for America's future 1996, Retrieved from. http://www.nctaf.org/documents/WhatMattersMost.pdf.
52. Nussbaum M.C. Not for profit: Why democracy needs the humanities 2010, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.
53. Ornstein A.C., Hunkins F.P. Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues 2004, Allyn & Bacon, Boston, MA.
54. Pajares M.F. Teachers' beliefs and educational research: cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research 1992, 62(3):307-332. 10.3102/00346543062003307.
55. Parker W. Social studies in elementary education 2008, Allyn & Bacon, New York, NY.
56. Patton M.Q. Qualitative research and evaluation methods 2002, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.
57. Posner G.J. Analyzing the curriculum 2004, McGraw Hill, Boston.
58. Schiro M.S. Curriculum theory: Conflicting visions and enduring concerns 2008, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.
59. Sharpe L., Gopinathan S. After effectiveness: new directions in the Singapore school system?. Journal of Education Policy 2002, 17(2):151-166. 10.1080/02680930110116507.
60. Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board Combined humanities GCE ordinary level 2008, Author, Singapore.
61. Stake R.E. Case study methods in educational research: seeking sweet water. Complementary methods for research in education 1997, 401-414. American Educational Research Association, Washington D.C. 2nd ed. R.M. Jaeger (Ed.).
62. Stake R.E. Qualitative case studies. Sage handbook of qualitative research 2005, 443-466. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. N. Denzin, Y. Lincoln (Eds.).
63. Tan J., Gopinathan S. Education reform in Singapore: towards greater creativity and innovation?. NIRA Review 2000, 7(3):5-10.
64. Thornton S.J. Teachers as curricular-instructional gatekeepers in social studies. Handbook of research on social studies teaching and learning 1991, 237-248. Macmillan, New York, NY. J.P. Shaver (Ed.).
65. Thornton S.J. Teaching social studies that matters: Curriculum for active learning 2005, Teachers College Press, New York, NY.
66. Torres C.A. Education and neoliberal globalization 2009, Routledge, New York, NY.
67. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, Office of Policy Planning and Innovation. (2002). Meeting the highly qualified teachers challenge: The secretary's annual report on teacher quality. Washington, DC: Author.
68. Vars G.F. Integrated curriculum in historical perspective. Educational Leadership 1991, 49(2):14-15. Retrieved from. http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_199110_vars.pdf.
69. Vars G.F., Beane J.A. Integrative curriculum in a standards-based world. ERIC Digest 2000, Accessed 01.11.12 from. http://ecap.crc.illinois.edu/eecearchive/digests/2000/vars00.pdf.
70. Wraga W.G. Toward a connected core curriculum. Educational Horizons 2009, 87(2):88-96.
71. Zhang, S. (2007). A study on teachers' beliefs of integrated curriculum in Mainland China: Two case schools. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Hong Kong, China: The Chinese University of Hong Kong.