Interpreting inquiry learning in social studies: Singapore secondary school teachers’ understandings of “Issue Investigation”—a preliminary study

ABSTRACT

Inquiry-based learning is becoming a widely recognized and used pedagogical approach. However, existing research has largely focused on inquiry learning in science education, neglecting fields such as social studies (SS). In Singapore, inquiry learning in SS received an impetus when a component called “Issue Investigation” (II) was introduced into the compulsory secondary school syllabus of 2016. Given the recency of this introduction, there has been a lacuna of empirical research. Addressing both these research gaps, this paper presents qualitative findings from a preliminary study of Singapore secondary school SS teachers’ perspectives and experiences relating to II. Building on a recognition of teacher agency and of the role teachers play in mediating curriculum and teaching/learning, this paper focuses on how teachers interpret the nature of inquiry learning in SS in the Singapore context. Findings suggest that teachers held broadly two conceptions of II: some saw it as aimed towards working out practical solutions to societal issues in the spirit of participative citizenship; others treated it akin to a social science inquiry process that fostered critical and analytical thinking. In addition, the challenges teachers encountered in implementing and enacting II, and their coping strategies are also briefly discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Social studies
• social studies education
• inquiry based learning
• Singapore
• teacher professional learning

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a Start-Up Grant [SUG 07/18 YPD] provided by the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE), disbursed through the National Institute of Education. The author would like to thank Mr Chow Lee Tat for the competent assistance provided during the process of the research project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. In Singapore all teachers in government secondary schools are expected to be competent in teaching two subjects, and are usually deployed accordingly. It is common for a Social Studies teacher to also teach another humanities subject (typically geography, history, or English), sometimes with the latter being their primary area of expertise, although other combinations are also possible.

2. The vast majority of school teachers in Singapore are employees of the Ministry of Education, and therefore civil servants. The only exceptions are teachers in a very small number of non-government schools.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Education [SUG 07/18 YPD].

Notes on contributors

Peidong Yang

Peidong Yang is Assistant Professor at the Humanities and Social Studies Education (HSSE) Academic Group, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research interests include sociology of education, international student mobility and higher education, and social studies education. He is the author of International Mobility and Educational Desire: Chinese Foreign Talent Students in Singapore (Palgrave 2016) and numerous international peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. www.peidongyang.com