NIE NTU Paper Presentation at AERA
Paper Title: Comparative Research on Artificial Intelligence in Education
| Date and Time: | 8 April 2026, 9.45am to 11.15am |
| Venue: | JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: 2nd Floor, Platinum A |
| Presentation Type: | Symposium |
| Presenter's Name: | Ee Ling Low, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Chair) |
Paper Title: Labor of Love, Weight of Care: Emotional Realities in Early Childhood Classrooms
| Date and Time: | 8 April 2026, 11.45am to 1.15pm |
| Venue: | JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 1 |
| Title: | Daily Dynamics of Job Stressors, Emotion Regulation, and Well-Being Among Kindergarten Teachers |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable Session |
| Presenter's Name: | Sun Yi, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | This study used a daily diary method over a three-week (15-workday) period to examine relationships among job stressors, emotion regulation strategies, and well-being in kindergarten teachers (N = 239). Job stressors were associated with four emotion regulation strategies at the within-person level and with suppression and rumination at the between-person level. Reappraisal was found to be adaptive, rumination maladaptive, and suppression generally maladaptive. Distraction was linked to positive affect and life satisfaction at the within-person level but was unrelated to any well-being indicators at the between-person level. Daily job stressors significantly moderated the within-person relationships between reappraisal, distraction, rumination, and well-being. |
Paper Title: Career Clarity and Uncertainty among Early Adolescents in Singapore: Does it matter, how and for whom?
| Date and Time: | 8 April 2026, 1.45pm to 3.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 303B |
| Title: | Profiles, Perspectives, and Pressures: Understanding Adolescent Flourishing, Motivation, and Relationship in Singapore |
| Presentation Type: | Symposium |
| Symposium Abstract: | DREAMS (DRivers, Enablers, and pathways of Adolescent developMent in Singapore) is a large-scale longitudinal research program tracking over 7,000 Singapore adolescents from Secondary 1 to 4, examining their school and career aspirations, identity development, peer relationships, wellbeing, and daily lives with special attention to youth from financially disadvantaged backgrounds and those with disabilities. This symposium features findings from five interrelated papers that deepen our understanding of adolescent development: latent profiles of student flourishing; the role of career clarity and uncertainty; the dynamics of parental and peer relationships; the impact of achievement goals on school adjustment; and psychosocial diversity among low-SES youth. Together, these papers uncover hidden patterns of strength and vulnerability, offering new insights to guide educational practice and policy. |
| Presenter's Name: | Melvin Chan, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting author) Non-presenting authors: Gregory Arief D. Liem, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Trivina Kang, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University
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| Paper Description: | The active exploration of career goals is a pivotal developmental task during which adolescents begin to envision, explore and commit to potential paths that align with their personal interests and future aspirations. While academic skills are essential for imparting expertise and knowledge for students to participate in the world of work, adolescent career development adds purpose and meaning to students’ academic pursuits. Research shows that adolescents with greater career clarity—often achieved through early exposure to goal-setting and exploration activities—tend to develop stronger interests in their chosen fields of study and make informed career-related decisions that enhance their readiness to navigate higher education and workforce transitions. However, the proportion of adolescents experiencing career uncertainty has increased significantly over the past decade, driven by several socio-structural factors such as the growing complexity of the school-to-work landscape, the abundance of unfiltered information and options, and inadequate access to effective career guidance. These challenges can overwhelm students contributing to increased uncertainty and frustration as they navigate education and career choices, especially among those without adequate support and guidance. While the benefits of career clarity are well-established, critical questions remain: Does starting early make a difference, and if so, how does it contribute to students’ psychosocial outcomes? Emerging studies have found that middle adolescents (15-16 years) who are unable to name a possible future job are less likely to invest effort in the present life domains, leading to less positive developmental outcomes and potentially less promising future employment prospects. However, few studies have examined the experiences of early adolescents (13+ years) to determine whether inadequate career development during this earlier development period could also be psychosocially maladaptive. This empirical gap leaves important questions unanswered about the prevalence and psychosocial implications of early career clarity or uncertainty. Addressing this gap, we analysed data from a large sample of Singaporean early adolescents (N=4887) to examine two key questions: 1) What is the prevalence of career uncertainty among early adolescents? 2) What characteristics and outcome correlates are associated with career uncertainty? Results indicated that one in three students were career uncertain (i.e., unable to name a possible future job). Student background characteristics of gender, socio-economic status and prior academic achievement showed negligible associations. In contrast, career uncertain students reported significantly lower positive psychosocial attributes such as general self-efficacy, adaptability and future career outlook, though they did not differ on negative attributes such as psychological distress or behavioural problems. Analysis of four types of career exploration behaviours further revealed that close of half (41%) reported very low engagement across all behaviours, while only career conversations and online career information search emerging as significant predictors of career clarity. This study highlights the prevalence of career uncertainty among early adolescents and its negative implications for psychosocial functioning, emphasizing its importance and more attention to this understudied phenomenon. Further implications will be discussed (e.g., consequences of protracted uncertainty), along with potential guidance interventions. |
Paper Title: Peering into the "Black Box" of Parental and Peer Relationships
| Date and Time: | 8 April 2026, 1.45pm to 3.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 303B |
| Title: | Profiles, Perspectives, and Pressures: Understanding Adolescent Flourishing, Motivation, and Relationship in Singapore |
| Presentation Type: | Symposium |
| Presenter's Name: | Trivina Kang, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) Non-presenting authors: Nur Qamarina Binte Ilham, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Janelle Shaina Ng, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Imelda Santos Caleon, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University |
| Paper Description: | Objective This study investigates how meaningful connections with parents and peers differentially impact outcomes in Singapore. It challenges Western assumptions about teenage independence and begins a timely conversation about the need for culturally informed frameworks to better understand adolescent development in Asian educational contexts. Framework Adopting Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory as a lens, this research examines relationships across personal, social, relational, cultural and national spheres rather than focusing solely on school-based experiences. Specifically, it provides a frame to look at quality relationships —characterized by care, trust, openness, and cooperative engagement— across different systems, and how different relationships are central to outcomes such as positive identity development, school belonging, and career expectations. Methods Mixed-methods design combining quantitative survey analysis with qualitative interview data provide comprehensive insights into relationship dynamics and their impact on developmental outcomes and experiences. More details about the DREAMS project will be shared at the symposium. Data Sources DREAMS survey data from Singapore (n=7,730) and in-depth interviews (n=144) examining adolescent relationships across diverse academic and social backgrounds, measuring psychological wellbeing, school belonging, motivation, and engagement outcomes. Results Among Singaporean teenage respondents, parents maintain the strongest influence on psychological wellbeing compared to teachers and peers, contradicting expectations of adolescent independence-seeking. Qualitative evidence reveals parents' pivotal role in shaping career aspirations, even as individual, school, peers contribute to career formation. It is also clear that adolescents, regardless of their socio-economic status, prioritize making parents proud and seek opportunities for secure employment to provide for family. This bidirectional relationship among teenagers reflects culturally informed interdependence rather than more Western models of separation. Peer relationships emerge as supported through school structures (class layouts, co-curricular activities) and while it is key to providing academic support, it deepens significantly during crises and setbacks. Peers provide authentic support—described as "real" and "without pretense or agenda”, offer immediate, contextually relevant assistance during critical moments that adults are unable to provide. This assistance helps teenagers find equilibrium and protect them against a sense of chaos. Significance This research constructs a new vision for education research by revealing that optimal life pathways in Asian contexts emerge through maintaining strong parental connections while developing meaningful peer relationships, rather than through Western models of parental separation and personal agency. The findings demonstrate that these culturally mediated relationships serve complementary roles and function as a protective mechanism for adolescents. It challenges schools to reimagine how they can support students. Perhaps, moving beyond individual-level resilience building efforts toward a more holistic and integrated student support ecosystem, that takes into consideration the roles peers and parents play within different cultural contexts. |
Paper Title: Peering into the "Black Box" of Parental and Peer Relationships
| Date and Time: | 8 April 2026, 1.45pm to 3.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 303B |
| Title: | Profiles, Perspectives, and Pressures: Understanding Adolescent Flourishing, Motivation, and Relationship in Singapore |
| Presentation Type: | Symposium |
| Presenter's Name: | Trivina Kang, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) Non-presenting authors: Nur Qamarina Binte Ilham, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Janelle Shaina Ng, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Imelda Santos Caleon, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University |
| Paper Description: | Objective This study investigates how meaningful connections with parents and peers differentially impact outcomes in Singapore. It challenges Western assumptions about teenage independence and begins a timely conversation about the need for culturally informed frameworks to better understand adolescent development in Asian educational contexts. Framework Adopting Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory as a lens, this research examines relationships across personal, social, relational, cultural and national spheres rather than focusing solely on school-based experiences. Specifically, it provides a frame to look at quality relationships —characterized by care, trust, openness, and cooperative engagement— across different systems, and how different relationships are central to outcomes such as positive identity development, school belonging, and career expectations. Methods Mixed-methods design combining quantitative survey analysis with qualitative interview data provide comprehensive insights into relationship dynamics and their impact on developmental outcomes and experiences. More details about the DREAMS project will be shared at the symposium. Data Sources DREAMS survey data from Singapore (n=7,730) and in-depth interviews (n=144) examining adolescent relationships across diverse academic and social backgrounds, measuring psychological wellbeing, school belonging, motivation, and engagement outcomes. Results Among Singaporean teenage respondents, parents maintain the strongest influence on psychological wellbeing compared to teachers and peers, contradicting expectations of adolescent independence-seeking. Qualitative evidence reveals parents' pivotal role in shaping career aspirations, even as individual, school, peers contribute to career formation. It is also clear that adolescents, regardless of their socio-economic status, prioritize making parents proud and seek opportunities for secure employment to provide for family. This bidirectional relationship among teenagers reflects culturally informed interdependence rather than more Western models of separation. Peer relationships emerge as supported through school structures (class layouts, co-curricular activities) and while it is key to providing academic support, it deepens significantly during crises and setbacks. Peers provide authentic support—described as "real" and "without pretense or agenda”, offer immediate, contextually relevant assistance during critical moments that adults are unable to provide. This assistance helps teenagers find equilibrium and protect them against a sense of chaos. Significance This research constructs a new vision for education research by revealing that optimal life pathways in Asian contexts emerge through maintaining strong parental connections while developing meaningful peer relationships, rather than through Western models of parental separation and personal agency. The findings demonstrate that these culturally mediated relationships serve complementary roles and function as a protective mechanism for adolescents. It challenges schools to reimagine how they can support students. Perhaps, moving beyond individual-level resilience building efforts toward a more holistic and integrated student support ecosystem, that takes into consideration the roles peers and parents play within different cultural contexts. |
Paper Title: How do Achievement Goals Affect Students’ Adjustment in Secondary School?
| Date and Time: | 8 April 2026, 1.45pm to 3.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 303B |
| Title: | Profiles, Perspectives, and Pressures: Understanding Adolescent Flourishing, Motivation, and Relationship in Singapore |
| Presentation Type: | Symposium |
| Presenter's Name: | Ser Hong Tan, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting author) Non-presenting authors: Gregory Arief D. Liem, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Rebecca P. Ang, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Liyana Safii, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Jin Nen Wong, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Aeriel Lin, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Jia Min Low, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University |
| Paper Description: | The first year of secondary school represents an important transition as students face an increased academic workload with more subjects studied at higher difficulty levels. Some students are motivated to develop task mastery (mastery-approach goals), others seek to perform better (performance-approach goals) or avoid performing worse (performance-avoidance goals) than others. These different aims are reflected in achievement goals (Elliot & Murayama, 2008). As achievement goals guide students’ learning behaviors and elicit different emotions, they are posited to affect well-being (Kaplan & Maehr, 1999) and are significant for school adjustment (Shim & Finch, 2014). This study examines the effects of achievement goals for English and Mathematics on adjustment in the first year of Secondary school as measured by motivation, well-being, and ill-being outcomes. Although the motivation effects of achievement goals have received much attention in the literature, little is known about their effects on well-being and ill-being. 1591 Secondary 1 students (49% female, 51% male; Mage=12.89 years, SDage = .39) from Singapore participated in this study which was part of the DRivers, Enablers, and pathways of Adolescent developMent in Singapore (DREAMS) project. Among these students, 805 students and 786 students answered achievement goals (mastery-approach, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance goals) and motivation outcomes (amotivation and academic buoyancy) in reference to English and Mathematics, respectively. All students answered the well-being (psychological well-being) and ill-being (internalizing, attentional, and externalizing problems) outcomes. In each multiple regression model, all achievement goals were entered as predictors and outcomes were examined individually while controlling for age, gender and academic stream. Results showed that for English and Mathematics, mastery-approach goals positively predicted academic buoyancy and psychological well-being, and they negatively predicted amotivation as well as internalizing, attentional, and externalizing problems. Additionally, performance-approach goals for English positively predicted amotivation as well as internalizing and externalizing problems, and those for Mathematics positively predicted externalizing problems. Interestingly, performance-avoidance goals for English did not predict any outcome. Performance-avoidance goals for Mathematics positively predicted amotivation and internalizing problems, and they negatively predicted academic buoyancy. The results from this study are aligned with the literature where mastery-approach goals are generally adaptive while performance-avoidance goals are generally maladaptive (Dever et al., 2022; Hulleman et al., 2010; Tian, 2017; Yu & Martin, 2014). Although mixed motivation outcomes are reported for performance-approach goals in the literature (Senko & Dawson, 2017), performance-approach goals were linked to poor motivation and ill-being in this study. Importantly, there are overlaps and subject-specific relationships between achievement goals and outcomes as shown in the results of this study. Teachers could focus on students who adopt performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals in relation to English and Mathematics to better address their motivation problems and alleviate their ill-being. This study also adds to the limited achievement goals studies on well-being and ill-being, and highlights the importance of academic factors in affecting students’ well-being and ill-being. |
Paper Title: Hidden Pathways of Potential: Profiling Psychosocial Diversity in Financially Disadvantaged Singapore Adolescents
| Date and Time: | 8 April 2026, 1.45pm to 3.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 303B |
| Title: | Profiles, Perspectives, and Pressures: Understanding Adolescent Flourishing, Motivation, and Relationship in Singapore |
| Presentation Type: | Symposium |
| Presenter's Name: | Azi Jamaludin, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting author) Non-presenting authors: Chiang Wee Heng, Ministry of Education - Singapore Sandeep Singh, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Aik Lim Tan, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Ser Hong Tan, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Imelda Santos Caleon, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Andy Khong, Nanyang Technological University |
| Paper Description: | Globally, economically disadvantaged adolescents face intersecting structural and psychosocial challenges that shape not only their educational outcomes but also their imagined futures (OECD, 2018; Sirin, 2005). While many education systems—including Singapore’s—have implemented policies promoting meritocratic inclusion and academic mobility, disparities remain in how low-income students navigate school structures, access support, and form aspirations (Tan & Dimmock, 2015). In particular, financial at-risk (FAR) adolescents from the bottom 20% of the socioeconomic distribution often contend with both external resource constraints (e.g., limited material support) and internalized perceptions of marginalization (Kao & Tienda, 1998; Eccles, 2009). Despite these challenges, FAR adolescents are frequently treated as a homogenous group, obscuring important within-group differences in how they interpret opportunity, regulate emotion, and develop a sense of purpose or direction (Benner et al., 2016, Prins & Zholdoshalieva, 2025). Such reductionist framings risk masking the presence of psychosocial strengths—including self-efficacy, adaptability, and resilience—that can support development and future-oriented thinking even under constraint (Masten, 2014; Bandura, 1997; Martin et al., 2012). The tensions between structural inequality and individual capacity raise urgent questions about how we conceptualize and support “potential” among financially disadvantaged youth. In response, there is growing recognition of the need for person-centered, strength-based approaches that illuminate the diverse developmental pathways of adolescents at the margins—not merely in terms of academic performance, but in how they construct meaning, belonging, and future selves (Winn, 2022; Zipin et al., 2015). In response to these gaps, this study pursued three key objectives. First, we aimed to empirically identify distinct psychosocial and contextual profiles among FAR adolescents. Second, we examined how these profiles were differentially associated with both retrospective academic performance and future educational aspirations. Third, we sought to inform equity-sensitive approaches in educational research and practice by recognizing multiple—and often unseen—developmental pathways of FAR potential. Drawing on data from the DREAMS longitudinal study in Singapore, we applied latent profile analysis to a sample of over 600 FAR students aged 13-14, in the bottom 20% (B20) of the socioeconomic distribution, using standardized indicators spanning self-efficacy, adaptability, resilience, mental health, perceived social support, and school experience. This person-centered approach revealed five distinct psychosocial profiles that are often masked by SES-level analyses alone: Psychosocially Thriving, Moderately Functioning, Emotionally Vulnerable, Low Support & Belonging, and Emotionally Buffered but Under-Challenged. Profiles also differed significantly in retrospective academic performance, indexed by reversed Primary School Leaving Examination scores. Although effect sizes were modest (η² = .03), students in the Psychosocially Thriving profile outperformed those in the Low Support & Belonging group, suggesting that socio-emotional and familial resources may help buffer the effects of economic hardship on academic outcomes. In addition to academic outcomes, we found a significant association between profile membership and post-secondary intentions (χ²(28, N = 513) = 67.78, p < .001). For example, students in the Buffered but Under-Challenged profile were more likely to express a preference for polytechnic pathways, while those in the Low Support and Emotionally Vulnerable groups reported higher levels of uncertainty. These findings suggest that internal resources and perceived support systems may influence not only academic performance but also the capacity to form and sustain educational aspirations. Moreover, we found that students’ life narratives revealed SES-based disparities in emotional and experiential landscapes. Those in the B20 group were significantly more likely to report turning points defined by family instability, social pain, and academic struggle, while their higher-SES peers described more balanced or positive events, often involving meaningful teacher relationships or goal-oriented milestones. Together, these findings illuminate the complex, often overlooked dimensions of diversity and potential within FAR adolescents. They call for a shift away from universal, one-size-fits-all interventions toward differentiated, strength-based approaches that acknowledge the diverse ways financially disadvantaged adolescents navigate adversity. By revealing the psychosocial and aspirational heterogeneity within a uniformly low-SES group, this study aims to provide a compelling case for more nuanced learner profiling and responsive educational design. In this light, equity is not solely about leveling the playing field, but about recognizing and nurturing the varied trajectories through which FAR students come to envision—and realize—their futures. |
Paper Title: The Epistemic Work of Teachers: Trajectories of Powerful Knowledge and Pedagogical Changes in Singapore
| Date and Time: | 8 April 2026, 3.45pm to 5.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 304B |
| Title: | Reforming Pedagogies and Creating Powerful Knowledge in Singapore: Examining System Rebuilding over Two Decades |
| Presentation Type: | Symposium |
| Symposium Abstract: | This symposium explores the dynamics of “powerful knowledge” in Singapore’s education system, analyzing shifts in national policies over two decades. Emphasizing a transition from knowledge transmission to a transformative educational enterprise, it addresses the growing need for students to acquire knowledge, purpose, and values critical in a post-truth era. Featuring four papers, the symposium examines the CORE Research Programme and its implications for curriculum and pedagogy, focusing on the instructional core's dynamics. Key discussions include the critical examination of assessment strategies, the promotion of epistemic work in classrooms, and mastery-oriented student motivation. Ultimately, this research highlights the significance of powerful knowledge in fostering equitable educational practices and preparing students for complex societal challenges. |
| Presenter's Name: | Dennis Kwek, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Chair, Presenting author) |
| Paper Description: | Background In any classroom, a teacher interacts with learners in the presence of content, which varies by subject domains such as English or Music, and by pedagogies employed to deliver that curricular content. Since Bloom’s Taxonomy which emphasised knowledge as a key domain of learning (1956), the nature of knowledge and knowledge work has been a principal area of educational inquiry, particularly within classroom research. This focus aligns with the concept of powerful knowledge (Young & Muller, 2013), which posits that education should provide students access to knowledge that transcends their everyday experiences, enabling them to engage meaningfully with complex societal issues. Objective This paper seeks to explore the evolution of knowledge work within Singapore classrooms, particularly in the subject domains of English and Mathematics, as well as across various other subjects. It aims to analyse how pedagogical strategies have shifted to accommodate higher forms of knowledge essential for fostering a knowledge-based economy. Incorporating powerful knowledge into this inquiry emphasizes the need for educational frameworks that equip students to think critically about their world, thus aligning with the broader purposes of education. Theoretical Framework The foundation of this inquiry rests on Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (1956) and its revised version by Anderson and Krathwohl (2001). Bloom's work has profoundly influenced educational research and practice by elucidating the cognitive processes involved in learning. The different iterations of CORE studies build upon these theoretical frameworks, exploring how knowledge and epistemic emphasis have transformed in educational settings. This evolution connects theoretical insights with classroom practice, ensuring that powerful knowledge informs pedagogical approaches and their implementations. Methods The paper employs a comparative analysis of pedagogical changes across four iterations of the CORE Research Programme (CORE): CORE 1 (2004), CORE 2 (2010), CORE 3 (2018) and CORE 4 (2023). The analysis focuses on the interaction of teachers and learners within the context of knowledge work encountered in classrooms. Over 1,500 lessons from CORE 3, covering Grades 5, 7 and 9, are systematically analyzed, alongside data from CORE 4 lessons collected from 2023 and 2024. Data Sources Data sources for this paper include lesson observations, instructional materials, and student assessments obtained from CORE across various subject areas. In particular, CORE 3's data provides a comprehensive dataset for examining changes in knowledge work and epistemic practices in classrooms, enabling a thorough exploration of pedagogical shifts from 2004 to 2024 as well as how powerful knowledge practices are implemented or constrained. Results The findings reveal changes in how teachers emphasise different forms of powerful knowledge. By highlighting the shift towards higher-order thinking and inquiry-based pedagogies, the paper identifies opportunities and challenges in implementing a curriculum for powerful knowledge. Significance of Study This research holds substantial implications for educational practice and policy globally. By elucidating the trajectory of knowledge work and its manifestations in classroom settings, the findings can inform future pedagogical enhancements and curricular developments. Ultimately, this paper emphasises the crucial role that powerful knowledge and knowledge work play in preparing students in a post-truth era. |
Paper Title: The Interactional Work of Teachers: Dialogues for Powerful Knowledge in Singapore
| Date and Time: | 8 April 2026, 3.45pm to 5.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 304B |
| Title: | Reforming Pedagogies and Creating Powerful Knowledge in Singapore: Examining System Rebuilding over Two Decades |
| Presentation Type: | Symposium |
| Presenter's Name: | Hock Huan Goh, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting author) |
| Paper Description: | Objectives This paper explores the evolution of interactional practices in Singapore classrooms over two decades, focusing on teacher-student discourse in curriculum enactment. It uses data from the four iterations of the CORE Research Programme to understand how different classroom interactions, including lectures, Initiate-Response-Evaluation, pair/group work (collaborative learning), and whole-class discussion (dialogic exchanges), support teaching and learning at primary and secondary levels. Theoretical Framework The theoretical underpinnings of this paper draws on established concepts in education regarding classroom discourse. The works of researchers such as Mercer (1995) and Alexander (2008) provide critical insights into the significance of interactional work in facilitating learning. Mercer and Littleton (2007) emphasise the importance of dialogue as an effective teaching strategy, supporting the claim that fostering meaningful classroom conversations is essential for knowledge acquisition and student engagement. Methods This paper employed a mixed-methods design, involving over 4,000 lesson observations, covering a representative sample of Grade 5, 7 and 9 classes across various subject domains, such as English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Literature, Character & Citizenship Education (CCE), and Additional Mathematics. The data was collected from classes over CORE 1 (2004), CORE 2 (2010), CORE 3 (2018), and CORE 4 (2023). Quantitative coding included incidents where powerful knowledge (Young & Muller, 2013) and associated interactions was evident, while Likert-scale ratings and qualitative thematic analyses were conducted. Data Sources This paper uses lesson observation data from the four iterations of the CORE Research Programme, focusing on English and Mathematics at Primary and Secondary levels. The most recent iteration, CORE 4, focuses on four school subjects: Science, Social Studies, CCE, and Additional Mathematics. The data was collected from random lessons, full instructional units, teacher and student surveys, student work samples, and teachers' instructional materials. Results Across CORE 1 to 4, classroom interactions shifted gradually from teacher-centred to more student-centred practices. Lectures and Initiate-Response-Evaluation (IRE) sequences remained dominant but declined over time, especially at the primary level. Pair and group work became more prevalent in CORE 3 and 4, particularly in Grade 5 CCE and Science, supporting collaborative learning. Whole-class discussions, while limited overall, increased in dialogic subjects such as Literature and Social Studies at Grade 9. However, subject domains like Additional Mathematics remained largely lecture- and practice-driven. These trends reflect a growing, though uneven, embrace of interactional diversity aimed at fostering engagement and deeper learning across subject domains. Implementation of forms of powerful knowledge remains varied as teachers are constrained by a dominant high stakes testing environment. Significance of Study This paper provides a rare longitudinal view of classroom interaction in Singapore, revealing both progress and persistent gaps. While collaborative and dialogic practices have grown, especially in primary and humanities subjects, teacher-led talk and brief student responses still dominate, particularly in secondary STEM classrooms. These patterns underscore the need for sustained efforts to deepen student engagement through richer classroom dialogue and collaborative learning. The findings offer actionable insights for enhancing pedagogical practices and curriculum design across subject domains, with implications for promoting more equitable and intellectually engaging learning environments. |
Paper Title: The Assessment Work of Teachers: Assessing and Accessing Forms of Powerful Knowledge
| Date and Time: | 8 April 2026, 3.45pm to 5.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 304B |
| Title: | Reforming Pedagogies and Creating Powerful Knowledge in Singapore: Examining System Rebuilding over Two Decades |
| Presentation Type: | Symposium |
| Presenter's Name: | Hwei Ming Wong, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting author) |
| Paper Description: | Background There is an increasing emphasis in Singapore schools on using assessment and feedback to enhance students’ learning, evident in various national assessment initiatives. These efforts align with global trends in assessment around the world with a focus from assessment of learning to assessment for learning (Birenbaum et al., 2015). This transition is essential for facilitating access to powerful knowledge, which empowers students to navigate complex real-world challenges effectively. Objectives The primary objective of this paper is to analyse the evolution of assessment and feedback practices, within Singapore's educational landscape. By examining how these practices have been implemented across various school subjects in primary and secondary schools, the study aims to provide insights into the role of assessment for learning (AfL) in enhancing student learning and to encourage student access to forms of powerful knowledge. Theoretical Framework This paper is grounded in the concept of Assessment for Learning (AfL), where students become the users of assessment information, using it as feedback to understand what comes next for them (Stiggins, 2005). AfL places students in the centre of a lifelong learning process by enabling them to take ownership of, and enhance, their own learning and AfL is subsequently about informing students about their progress while learning is on-going (Wong, 2019). Along with powerful knowledge (Young & Muller, 2013), the framework supports the assertions that effective feedback can significantly enhance student learning outcomes, motivation and access to the best knowledge critical for thriving in the post-truth era. Methods We will draw on data from the CORE studies for a comparison of how assessment and feedback have evolved over time in Singapore schools. Based on lesson observations, student artefacts and student focus group discussions, we will specifically discuss findings from recent CORE studies to illustrate how assessment practices and feedback practices have been enacted in classrooms in light of recent assessment policies. Data Sources This paper will utilise lesson observations, student artifacts, and qualitative data to provide a comprehensive understanding of assessment and feedback practices in light of policy reforms. By synthesizing these data sources, the paper seeks to illustrate the trends and changes in assessment and feedback practices over time in Singaporean classrooms. Results The findings will highlight how assessment and feedback practices have evolved within Singaporean classrooms, illustrating shifts towards greater use of formative assessments. Additionally, the results will identify the specific practices enacted by educators in response to contemporary assessment policies, detailing both effective strategies and areas needing further improvement. This section aims to draw connections between assessment practices and overall student engagement. Significance of Study The implications of this paper extend to educational policy and practice, providing valuable insights that can shape future assessment frameworks within Singapore schools and for other examination-centric education systems. The findings are intended to inform professional development for teachers, highlighting effective strategies for implementing formative assessments. Furthermore, the paper aims to offer constructive feedback to schools on the curriculum implementation processes, particularly concerning assessment and feedback, and how they can better support student learning. |
Paper Title: Achievement Goal Profiles and Motivational Dynamics in Singapore’s Evolving Educational Landscape
| Date and Time: | 8 April 2026, 3.45pm to 5.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 304B |
| Title: | Reforming Pedagogies and Creating Powerful Knowledge in Singapore: Examining System Rebuilding over Two Decades |
| Presentation Type: | Symposium |
| Presenter's Name: | Qian Qian Pan, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting author) |
| Paper Description: | Background Singapore’s examination-centric education system has historically fostered intense academic competition, prompting concerns about student learning. Specifically, an overemphasis on performance goals has been linked to lower intrinsic motivation, reduced task value, and reliance on surface learning strategies. In response, policy reforms were implemented and aimed at reducing exam pressure and promoting lifelong learning. Objective This paper investigates the achievement goal profiles of Grade 9 students in Singapore classrooms in the context of recent reforms. It also examines how these profiles relate to key aspects of learning motivation, including self-efficacy, interest, and learning strategies. Theoretical Framework Grounded in Achievement Goal Theory (AGT) (Bardach et al., 2020) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) (Schunk, 2012), this study explores the dynamic interplay between students' goal orientations and motivational outcomes. AGT distinguishes among mastery, performance, and avoidance goals, while SCT emphasises the role of personal and environmental influences on learning. Together, these frameworks allow for a nuanced understanding of how students’ internal beliefs and classroom contexts shape motivation. Data Sources Using stratified random sampling design, data were collected from a nationally representative survey of Grade 9 students in 2023-24. 2,420 students in Additional Mathematics and 2,584 students in Science across 24 schools were included. All items were rated on 5-point Likert scales with acceptable reliability. Methods Latent Class Analysis was used to identify student achievement goal profiles. Model selection was guided by AIC, BIC, entropy, and the Lo-Mendell-Rubin test. A multilevel mixture model examined how self-efficacy and classroom goal structures predicted profile membership. MANOVA was used to compare motivational outcomes across profiles. Analyses were conducted using Mplus 8.1 with a three-step approach. Results While the current paper focuses on Additional Mathematics and Science, data from Science are still being processed and will be presented later at the conference. Four profiles were identified in Additional Mathematics: • Avoidant Inclined (10%) – Low mastery, high avoidance goals • Moderate Achiever (38%) – Average levels on all goals • Balanced Striver (35%) – High mastery, moderate performance, low avoidance • Performance-Oriented (16%) – High on all goals Self-efficacy significantly predicted profile membership, with higher self-efficacy linked to the Balanced Striver and Performance-Oriented groups, and lower self-efficacy associated with the Avoidant Inclined profile. Classroom goal structures had no significant effect. MANOVA showed the Balanced Striver group demonstrated the most optimal motivation outcomes, including higher interest, task value, and both deep and surface learning strategies. Findings will be discussed in light of research on powerful knowledge (Young & Muller, 2013) and how such knowledge can enhance student motivation. Significance of the Study This paper provides timely insights into how Singaporean students' motivational patterns are evolving. Compared to a similar study that analysed data from a decade ago (Chan & Liem, 2023), there is a decline in avoidance-dominant profiles and a rise in mastery-oriented ones, indicating potential positive shifts aligned with reform goals. These findings underscore the role of self-efficacy in shaping adaptive motivational profiles. Future analysis incorporating the Grade 9 Science data will enrich our understanding of motivational dynamics across STEM subjects during this pivotal transition period. |
Paper Title: Understanding the Digital Literacies Profile of Students in Singapore and China: Implications for Teacher Education
| Date and Time: | 8 April 2026, 3.45pm to 5.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level One, Petree D |
| Title: | Semiotics in Education: Signs, Meanings and Multimodality Roundtable Sessions |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Jia'en Yee, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting author) Fei Victor Lim, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting author) |
| Paper Description: | This chapter investigates the digital literacies profiles of students in Singapore and China, highlighting the socio-cultural and policy-driven influences that shape their competencies. Drawing on data collected using the Student Digital Literacies Profiling tool, the study examines four key dimensions of digital literacies: multimodal orchestration, digital technologies, intercultural communication, and transversal skills. The findings reveal distinct differences in how these dimensions are expressed across the two contexts, shaped by national priorities, technological infrastructure, and educational policies. Arising from the findings, the chapter emphasises the critical role of teacher education in bridging digital divides and promoting students’ meaningful engagement in the online world. |
Paper Title: From Achievement to Purpose: Educating Beyond Academic Success
| Date and Time: | 9 April 2026, 7.45am to 9.15am |
| Venue: | JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3 |
| Title: | Knowledge Network, Teacher Agency, and Systemic Changes |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Mary Anne Heng, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | Purpose research in education foregrounds the human dimensions of teaching and learning important to the future of education (UNESCO, 2021). This paper examines if students find purpose and meaning in their school learning beyond the prevailing focus on academic success in education systems worldwide. Secondly, what does teaching with purpose look like in the classroom? Individual interviews with twenty-eight upper-secondary Singapore students show that students’ lack of personal purpose and meaning far outweigh the academic stresses that students face. Teachers acknowledge the long-term impact of learning to teach with and for purpose. The global uncertainties in the age of AI demand that educators reimagine teaching and learning. Educating for purpose is the moral compass and the existential dimension of education. |
Paper Title: Unpacking the Role of Reflection in Enacting Equity-Centered Practice: Evidence from Singapore
| Date and Time: | 9 April 2026, 7.45am to 9.15am |
| Venue: | JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3 |
| Title: | Knowledge Network, Teacher Agency, and Systemic Changes |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Wen-Chia Claire Chang, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | This mixed-methods study investigates reflective practice among teachers in Singapore and its impact on their divergence in enacting equity-centered practice in the classroom. Findings suggest that teachers’ reflective practices are closely tied to their different understandings of equity and their various levels of enacting equity-centered practice in the classroom. While technical reflection may improve the management of classroom routines, it further solidifies pre-determined learning goals, metrics, and content. Conversely, teachers who engage in deep inquiry into taken-for-granted norms and practices are better able to cultivate greater pedagogical space and facilitate students’ self-determination in the teaching and learning process, promoting innovation in their pedagogical approach. Suggestions for the design of teacher professional development initiatives and directions for future research are discussed. |
Paper Title: What Draws the Upvotes? Examining Relationships among Performance, Interpersonal Skills, and Learning Behaviors in Online Social Annotation Environments
| Date and Time: | 9 April 2026, 7.45am to 9.15am |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Poster Hall - Exhibit Hall A |
| Title: | AI, Learning, and Innovation: Emerging Research in Education |
| Presentation Type: | Poster |
| Presenter's Name: | Gaoxia Zhu, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) Tianlong Zhong, Nanyang Technological University (Non-Presenting Author) Chenyu Hou, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | Social annotation has become a transformative pedagogical approach to promote active learning and community-building in online learning. Receiving upvotes serves not only as feedback but also as a source of motivation, social connection, and validation. The current study aimed to examine students’ upvoting behaviors and their relationship to students’ cognitive engagement, interpersonal skills, and the content of their social annotations. We first identified three distinct clusters based on students’ interpersonal skills and then examined the relationship between upvotes and the automated score assessed by Perusall, the number of replies, content similarity, and the posting order. However, we could not identify any statistically significant correlations between these variables, nor statistically significant differences among three clusters. |
Paper Title: Interventions for Effective Online Learning in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review
| Date and Time: | 9 April 2026, 9.45am to 11.15am |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Poster Hall - Exhibit Hall A |
| Title: | Higher Education and Student Learning Outcomes |
| Presentation Type: | Poster |
| Presenter's Name: | Qiujie LI, Nanyang Technological University - National Institute of Education (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | Persistent concerns about the effectiveness of online learning in higher education call for a better understanding of how to support student success in virtual environments. Thus, we conducted a systematic literature review of experimental and quasi-experimental studies examining strategies for improving online learning outcomes. Drawing on 352 studies published between 2002 and 2022, we found that interventions predominantly targeted students at four-year universities, with limited attention to other contexts such as community colleges. Most interventions focused on cognitive support, while areas such as self-regulation, instructor-student interaction, motivation, and emotion received less emphasis. The predominance of positive findings across studies also suggests a potential publication bias. These insights point to both effective practices and important gaps in the current research landscape. |
Paper Title: Designing Chatbots for Higher-Order Thinking: A Comparative Study of Multiple Persona vs Tutor Chatbots
| Date and Time: | 9 April 2026, 9.45am to 11.15am |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Poster Hall - Exhibit Hall A |
| Title: | Higher Education and Student Learning Outcomes |
| Presentation Type: | Poster |
| Presenter's Name: | Looi Chee Kit, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | This study examines how different generative AI chatbot designs influence higher-order thinking (HOT) in graduate education. We compare a multiple persona chatbot design that simulates conversations with and amongst multiple education experts/theorists, with a tutor chatbot that uses structured prompts to scaffold the conversation. HOT was examined through four dimensions: Initiation, Conceptual Linkage, Critique, and Transfer. Quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal that the multiple persona chatbot increased initiation and critique, fostering autonomous inquiry. In contrast, tutoring dialogues elicit more conceptual linkage and transfer, but often through prompted reproduction. The multiple persona chatbot elicited independent, real-world transfers. Findings suggest HOT processes and outcomes are dependent on chatbot design. We propose aligning chatbot designs with pedagogical goals to enhance HOT development. |
Paper Title: Leveraging Complex Systems for Flourishing Lives: Leadership in a Faith-based Singapore School
| Date and Time: | 9 April 2026, 4.15pm to 5.45pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level One, Petree D |
| Title: | Leadership Without Walls: Virtual, Vocational, and Cross-Cultural Contexts |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Uma Natarajan, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) Non-presenting authors: Kar-men Cheng, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Yancy Toh, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Siao-see Teng, Nanyang Technological University - National Institute of Education Peter Seow, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University |
| Paper Description: | The paper examines how a faith-based primary school in Singapore supports low-income students within a high-stakes, performance-driven education system. Using Complex Adaptive Systems Theory, this qualitative study explores how leaders iteratively shape a dynamic support ecology to foster holistic development and inclusive student experiences. Interviews with stakeholders from the school and its co-located social service arm surface key leadership insights for promoting student flourishing: 1) cultivating a student-centered culture of care; 2) building relational trust across nested sub-systems; 3) leading adaptively as bricoleurs who draw on local knowledge and relationships; and 4) designing socio-cultural infrastructures. The finding suggests how leaders might leverage complex school ecologies to enact sustainable, equity-driven change amid systemic academic pressures. |
Paper Title: Beyond Examination Excellence: Singapore’s Education System and Authentic Human Goods
| Date and Time: | 9 April 2026, 4.15pm to 5.45pm |
| Venue: | JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3 |
| Title: | Under-represented Perspectives in Philosophy of Education |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Sean Liu Chen, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | Singapore’s education system achieves exceptional international assessment results but operates on consequentialist pragmatism that values outcomes over intrinsic goods. Using Finnis’s Natural Law Theory, this paper examines how the system instrumentalizes knowledge, marginalizes aesthetic experience, and devalues play—three basic human goods essential for eudaemonia. Despite recent reforms, high-stakes examinations and shadow curriculum practices perpetuate strategic learning behaviors that undermine genuine human flourishing. The analysis reveals how even “successful” students and schools may lose in terms of authentic development. The paper proposes specific reforms to promote knowledge as intrinsic good, enhance aesthetic education, and revalue play, creating a more ethical education system that fosters holistic human development beyond mere examination excellence. |
Paper Title: Rightful Presence Framing of Translanguaging: Preservice Teachers’ Literacy Decisions in a Mixed-Methods Inquiry
| Date and Time: | 9 April 2026, 4.15pm to 5.45pm |
| Venue: | JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3 |
| Title: | Language Ideologies and Policy in Practice |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Hari Jang, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study investigated how preservice teachers evaluated a student’s translingual writing. Survey results showed no differences between monolingual and bilingual candidates in assessment scorings, accommodation choices, and special education prereferral. Bilingual teachers, however, more often identified translanguaging as a linguistic strength. Subsequent written reflections exposed how these bilingual candidates negotiated English-dominant norms, sometimes questioning the legitimacy of translanguaging discourse in academic literacy. Framed by a rightful presence lens, these findings point to institutional ideologies that legitimize monolingual English practices while marginalizing others, irrespective of teachers’ linguistic repertoires. The study underscores the need for teacher education programs to confront raciolinguistic ideologies directly and to prepare future educators to treat translanguaging as a rightful, justice-oriented facet of classroom literacy. |
Paper Title: Exploring Neuroscience Education Programs for Primary Caregivers: A Systematic Literature Review
| Date and Time: | 10 April 2026, 7.45am to 9.15am |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level One, Exhibit Hall A - Stage 1 |
| Title: | e-Lightning Ed-Talk Session 10 - Stage 1, 8.44am |
| Presentation Type: | Ed Talk |
| Presenter's Name: | Astrid Schmied, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | Neuroeducation, which involves teaching neuroscience-informed concepts to individuals without formal training, has seen increasing application in education but remains underexplored among primary caregivers (PCs). This systematic review examined 11 studies identified from six databases, using PRISMA guidelines and QATSDD quality appraisal. Theoretical papers emphasized shifting from information-only models to skill-based interventions, highlighting neuroscience’s potential to enhance caregiving. Empirical studies focused mostly on Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) for caregivers of children with chronic pain, showing high satisfaction and reduced pain-related fears. One study addressed ADHD-related neuroeducation, and two qualitative studies explored how neuroscience-informed programs shaped beliefs and practices. All studies were Western-based, with few addressing early childhood. Overall, neuroeducation holds promise, but more culturally diverse, early-childhood-focused, and methodologically varied research is needed. |
Paper Title: Exploring Neuroscience Education Programs for Primary Caregivers: A Systematic Literature Review
| Date and Time: | 10 April 2026, 7.45am to 9.15am |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level One, Exhibit Hall A |
| Title: | Bridging Gaps in Education: Cultural Competence, Neuroscience, and Teacher-Student Interaction |
| Presentation Type: | Poster |
| Presenter's Name: | Astrid Schmied, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | Neuroeducation, which involves teaching neuroscience-informed concepts to individuals without formal training, has seen increasing application in education but remains underexplored among primary caregivers (PCs). This systematic review examined 11 studies identified from six databases, using PRISMA guidelines and QATSDD quality appraisal. Theoretical papers emphasized shifting from information-only models to skill-based interventions, highlighting neuroscience’s potential to enhance caregiving. Empirical studies focused mostly on Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) for caregivers of children with chronic pain, showing high satisfaction and reduced pain-related fears. One study addressed ADHD-related neuroeducation, and two qualitative studies explored how neuroscience-informed programs shaped beliefs and practices. All studies were Western-based, with few addressing early childhood. Overall, neuroeducation holds promise, but more culturally diverse, early-childhood-focused, and methodologically varied research is needed. |
Paper Title: Change in Chinese Language Classroom Practices in Singapore: Evidence from the CORE Research Programme
| Date and Time: | 10 April 2026, 7.45am to 9.15am |
| Venue: | JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Ground Level, Gold 2 |
| Title: | International and Comparative Perspectives on Language Education |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Hock Huan Goh, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) Non-presenting authors: Dennis Kwek, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Hwei Ming Wong, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University |
| Paper Description: | This study examines changes in Chinese Language (CL) classroom practices in Singapore over two decades using data from the CORE Research Programme. The research reveals that in CORE 1, classrooms were primarily teacher-directed, with a focus on whole-class lecturing, choral reading, and IRE sequences. However, in CORE 3, there was a modest increase in multimodal and interactive practices, such as pair/group activities and expanded feedback beyond correctness. However, Secondary 3 lessons remained predominantly lecture-based, influenced by examination-orientated expectations. The study suggests that while teacher beliefs have shifted towards more engaging pedagogies, institutional constraints often shape enacted practices. The findings underscore the progress and limitations of curriculum reform and call for deeper alignment between policy ideals and classroom realities. |
Paper Title: More Than Words: Publishing Multimodal Research in Multimodal Ways
| Date and Time: | 10 April 2026, 9.45am to 11.15am |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 501A |
| Title: | Whose Modes Matter? Creating Robust, Peer-Reviewed Publishing Pathways for Multimodal Scholars |
| Presentation Type: | Working Group Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Fei Victor Lim, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | Multimodality scholars have long argued that meaning is made not through language alone, but through the orchestration of multiple semiotic resources—image, gesture, gaze, movement, speech, sound, layout, and spatial arrangement. Yet, there is a lingering dissonance between what we study and how we publish. In our commitment to analysing multimodal texts and practices in everyday and institutional contexts, we produce research that is grounded in rich, layered, and dynamic data. Ironically, the dominant mode of dissemination in scholarly journals remains predominantly monomodal—linear, text-based, and print-centric. This disjuncture not only limits the expressive potential of our research outputs but also flattens the semiotic richness that defines the multimodal artefacts and interactions we analyse. We draw inspiration from work that foregrounds multimodal analysis software and visualisation tools (O’Halloran et al., 2014; Ruiz-Madrid et al, 2023), but we also recognise that the transduction (Kress, 2010) of moving, embodied, and sonic meaning into static images and written prose often entails semantic loss. Drawing on my dual positionality as a researcher and editor of [TITLE OF MULTIMODAL JOURNAL deidentified for anonymity], a journal devoted to consolidating and advancing the development of multimodal research theory, methodologies, and contribute to empirical understanding of how multimodality shapes the social landscape of interaction and communication, I reflect on the practical and ideological tensions in realising a publishing model that lives out the very ethos of multimodal research. I will discuss the opportunities and challenges the editorial team experiences in starting the journal 5 years ago. As an editorial team, we have had to grapple with questions around paper types, review processes, technological constraints, and academic legitimacy—each posing its own set of affordances and limitations for multimodal representation (Jewitt et al. 2021; Adami et al. 2024). I conclude by proposing ways which the scholarly community invested in multimodality research can make advances towards a new vision of multimodal publishing. In light of increasing digital dissemination and the proliferation of multimedia-rich platforms, I argue that scholarly publishing must reimagine its form and function. This includes rethinking submission formats, peer review protocols, and editorial guidelines to accommodate dynamic and interactive content. Such reimagining is not merely about technical enhancement—it is an epistemological commitment to honouring the multimodal nature of meaning-making itself. |
Paper Title: Understanding and Fostering Curiosity and Self-Motivation in Digital Environments
| Date and Time: | 10 April 2026, 1.45pm to 3.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Ground Floor, Gold 4 |
| Title: | Designing for Self-Regulation: AI, Scaffolding, and Learner Agency |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Farhan Ali, Nanyang Technological University - National Institute of Education (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | Curiosity and self-motivation for learning amongst adolescents are becoming worryingly low, especially in digital environments. This paper addresses this issue through two complementary studies. Study 1 involves large-scale data mining of 1:1 computing digital traces by secondary school students (N = 51,835 students, 48 schools). Overall, behavioral indicators of curiosity and self-motivation in out-of-class use were significantly lower than in-class use. To foster curiosity and self-motivation, Study 2 then tested a longitudinal intervention (N = 148 students, 8 classes) involving student-led exploration in the classroom. The intervention increased subsequent indicators of curiosity and self-motivation in out-of-class digital learning, mediated by joyful in-class experiences. Findings highlight the need for intentional classroom designs to spark curious and self-motivated behaviors in digital environments. |
Paper Title: Understanding and Fostering Curiosity and Self-Motivation in Digital Environments
| Date and Time: | 10 April 2026, 1.45pm to 3.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Ground Floor, Gold 4 |
| Title: | Learners’ Collaboration With AI in Enhancing Peer Feedback in Argumentative Writing: An Exploratory Study |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Chen Wenli, Nanyang Technological University - National Institute of Education (Presenting Author) Non-Presenting Authors |
| Paper Description: | Peer feedback is an effective pedagogical strategy for improving argumentative writing, yet the integration of generative AI as a collaborator into this process remains underexplored. This study examines how AI-directed (explicit revisions) and AI-assisted (implicit suggestions and encouragement) peer feedback affect argumentative writing and feedback characteristics through an experiment among 90 university students. Content analysis revealed that AI-supported peer feedback enhances elaboration of writing. Epistemic Network Analysis showed that AI-assisted condition fostered integration of cognitive (problem identification, elaboration) and affective (mitigation, hedging) elements, whereas AI-directed condition yielded more structured, task-focused revisions. These findings highlight the impacts of AI support on peer feedback characteristics and argumentative writing, underscoring the importance of cognitive efficiency and socio-emotional engagement in AI-supported peer feedback. |
Paper Title: Teacher Influences on Student Engagement: Integrating the Classic, the Current, and the Cultural
| Date and Time: | 10 April 2026, 1.45pm to 3.15pm |
| Venue: | Westin Bonaventure, Floor: Level 2, Beverly |
| Title: | Fostering Engagement for All: Advancing Socioculturally Inclusive Theory, Research, and Practice in Student Engagement |
| Presentation Type: | Workshop |
| Presenter's Name: | Gregory Arief D. Liem, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Chair, Presenting Author) |
| Workshop Abstract: | While engagement theorizing and research has expanded since Fredricks et al.’s (2004) seminal work, its WEIRD origins limit its applicability across diverse populations. This interactive workshop brings together 11 papers from internationally recognized scholars to critically examine student engagement through sociocultural lenses. Organized around five themes—immigrant and minoritized students, family and teacher influences, forms of engagement, theoretical innovations, and out-of-school contexts—the session explores how sociocultural factors and processes shape engagement. Presenters will share novel insights, challenge existing models, and offer culturally responsive perspectives grounded in students’ lived experiences. Through small-group discussions and plenary synthesis, participants will reflect on the cultural specificity and universality of engagement to help advance theory, research, and practice for increasingly diverse educational contexts. |
| Paper Description: | Teachers play a pivotal role in shaping students’ educational experiences and outcomes, with their beliefs about student ability exerting significant influence on student motivation, engagement, and performance. Indeed, Hattie’s (2023) large-scale research synthesis highlights the powerful impact of teacher academic expectations, reporting a substantial effect size (d = 1.06) on student performance. This underscores a critical yet underexplored question: What are the mechanisms through which teacher expectations influence student outcomes? A comprehensive review shows that teacher’s role in promoting student engagement and achievement has been studied across three largely independent lines of research, each grounded in distinct theoretical traditions. The teacher expectation literature (e.g., Rosenthal & Jacobson, 1968; Jussim et al., 2009) emphasizes how teachers’ beliefs shape their instructional behavior, which in turn influences students’ self-beliefs and performance. The literature on teacher’s emotional and instrumental support (Furman & Buhrmester, 1985; Pianta & Hamre, 2009) highlights the importance of warmth, encouragement, and instructional scaffolding in fostering students’ academic resilience and engagement. The teacher autonomy support tradition (Ahmadi et al., 2023; Reeve & Cheon, 2021) emphasizes the importance of respecting students’ perspectives, providing choice, and minimizing controlling language to support students’ intrinsic motivation. This presentation synthesizes these three bodies of work to identify their areas of convergence (e.g., shared emphasis on the relational dimension of teaching), divergence (e.g., conceptualization of agency, support, and teacher intent), and, most critically, synergy. By bringing these domains into dialogue, I develop a unified model that clarifies the pathways through which teacher beliefs and behaviors shape student motivation, engagement, and both academic and non-academic outcomes (e.g., well-being, sense of belonging, aspirations). A central contribution of this model is its explicit incorporation of sociocultural moderators. Rather than assuming uniform effects, teacher expectations and support processes unfold differently depending on students’ immigration status, racial/ethnic identity, socioeconomic background, and gender. These contextual factors may amplify or attenuate the effects of teacher practices and need to be more explicitly theorized and measured in future research. The presentation will highlight the following provocative/novel insights: • From Silos to Synergy: Bridging Disconnected Literatures. The bodies of work on teacher academic expectations, emotional/instrumental support, and autonomy support have developed in isolation—despite all seeking to explain how teachers shape motivation. This presentation challenges that fragmentation by proposing a unified model that synthesizes these strands, arguing that integration is essential to fully capture teacher influence. • Sociocultural Moderators Are Central, Not Peripheral. Rather than treating students’ race/ethnicity, SES, immigration status, and gender as control variables or subgroup checks, this presentation positions them as key moderators that shape how teacher expectations and support are experienced. It argues that teacher influence is filtered through culturally and structurally shaped lenses. • Rethinking Expectation Effects: Beliefs Must Be Enacted. Traditional models imply a simple path: high expectations yield better outcomes. This presentation reconceptualizes that logic, arguing that expectations only gain impact when translated into meaningful support—emotional, instrumental, or autonomy-supportive. The key claim is that belief alone is insufficient without relational and pedagogical enactment. |
Paper Title: Virtuous Foundations: Reconstructing Democratic Agency Through Phronesis and Basic Goods in an Age of Algorithmic Authoritarianism
| Date and Time: | 10 April 2026, 3.45pm to 5.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 303B |
| Title: | Deweyan Responses to Authoritarianism, Artificial Intelligence, and Threats to Democratic Education |
| Presentation Type: | Paper |
| Presenter's Name: | Sean Chen Liu, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | This paper addresses the existential crisis facing 21st-century democracy through the rise of algorithmic authoritarianism and the broligarchy. The analysis identifies a dual collapse in moral epistemology: the atrophy of phronesis in civic education and the instrumentalisation of basic goods under neoliberal positivism. By synthesising Aristotelian virtue ethics with Finnisian basic goods theory, the paper proposes an "integral democratic education" framework that resists algorithmic manipulation while recentering eudaemonia as the ultimate goal of governance. This approach establishes a recursive practice in which virtuous citizens sustain just institutions, and just institutions in turn nourish virtuous citizens. The framework counters the false dichotomy between individual agency and structural determinism, offering a path toward democratic renewal in the digital age. |
Paper Title: From Hope Punk to Hopeful: Reclaiming Education as a Basic Good in the Face of Neoliberal Instrumentalisation
| Date and Time: | 11 April 2026, 7.45am to 9.15am |
| Venue: | JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Ground Floor, Gold 2 |
| Title: | Educational Ethics |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Sean Chen Liu, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (Chair, Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | This paper examines the transition from "hope punk", a rebellious and defiant form of hope that emerges within the cracks of neoliberal educational systems, to a more foundational and restorative "hopeful" approach grounded in Finnis’ theory of basic goods. It critiques the neoliberal instrumentalisation of higher education, where knowledge and relationships are commodified and reduced to measurable outputs, undermining the intrinsic mission of fostering human flourishing. Drawing on contemporary educational theory and natural law, the paper argues for reclaiming education as an intrinsic good, not merely a means to economic ends. By integrating transformative repair, utopian imagination, and institutional phronesis, it envisions educational institutions that nurture eudaemonia, restoring education as a fundamental site of human dignity and collective possibility. |
Paper Title: From Principal to Teacher: The Contagious Relationship Between Stress and Occupational Well-Being
| Date and Time: | 11 April 2026, 7.45am to 9.15am |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level One, Petree D |
| Title: | Healing the Healers: Leader Wellbeing as Radical Act |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Yi Sun, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | This study examined the contagious relationship between principals’ stress and teachers’ occupational well-being (job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and social connectedness), as well as the mediating role of distributed leadership. Using TALIS 2018 data from 261,426 teachers nested within 15,672 schools (15,672 principals), the results showed that principals’ stress was negatively associated with teachers’ job satisfaction and social connectedness, though the relationship between principals’ stress and teachers’ self-efficacy was not significant. Distributed leadership significantly mediated these relationships, with principals’ stress negatively predicting distributed leadership, while distributed leadership positively predicting teachers’ occupational well-being. |
Paper Title: Toward an Interpersonal Theory of Academic Motivation: Rethinking Student Motivation Through an Interdependent Self Lens
| Date and Time: | 11 April 2026, 7.45am to 9.15am |
| Venue: | Westin Bonaventure, Floor: Level 2, Beverly |
| Title: | Sociocultural Origins and Processes of Student Motivation: Advancing Theory, Informing Research, and Transforming Practice |
| Presentation Type: | Symposium |
| Presenter's Name: | Gregory Arief D. Liem, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Chair, Presenting Author) |
| Symposium Abstract: | As a critical driver of learning and performance, academic motivation does not develop in a vacuum. Effectively fostering it requires a critical understanding of the sociocultural contexts in which learners are embedded. This symposium convenes leading scholars in the field of motivation to examine the sociocultural factors (“what”) and processes (“how”) shaping key motivational constructs. Presentations address two guiding questions: How do influences from families, teachers, peers, and broader societal systems shape student motivation? And what are the implications of these influences for motivational theory, empirical inquiry, and educational practice? By integrating diverse theoretical perspectives, this session advances culturally responsive research agendas and offers novel insights into the ways sociocultural contexts shape student motivation, learning, and achievement across cultures globally. |
| Paper Description: | Objectives. Theoretical Framework. This paper adopts an interdependent-self standpoint to re-examine three intertwined self-based models of student motivation—self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997), situated expectancy-value (Eccles & Wigfield, 2020), and self-determination (Ryan & Deci, 2017)—which, while acknowledging social influences, have traditionally emphasized personal agency as the primary driver of motivation. This examination is grounded in Markus and Kitayama’s (1991) distinction between independent selves, defined by unique personal attributes, and interdependent selves, defined by social roles and relationships. It also incorporates integrative models—such as autonomous interdependence (Deci & Ryan, 1991) and the autonomous-relational self (Kagitçibasi, 1996)—which propose that the self can be both autonomous and relational. Modes of Inquiry and Data Sources. Guided by the independent–interdependent-self framework, this paper offers a theoretical analysis and research synthesis on how key social agents influence student motivation within the three focal models. The interdependent-self perspective is then used to revisit findings that appear paradoxical from an individualistic view: students performing well despite low self-efficacy/interest (Li et al., 2021), excelling on tasks chosen by others (Fu & Markus, 2014), or learning effectively when motivated by social obligation (King & Ganotice, 2015). Substantiated Conclusions. Our synthesis shows that traditional theories rooted in an independent-self view frame social agents as external to the self and typically as (a) sources of socialization shaping motivational beliefs and values, or (b) providers of support fostering autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Contrastingly, an interdependent-self perspective sees social agents as integral to the self, highlighting three approaches: (a) concomitant, where independent and interdependent motivational forces jointly shape outcomes; (b) antecedent, where interdependent motivation channels the effect of independent motivation on outcomes; or (c) self-and-other integration, where motivation is characterized as inherently relational and guided by collective goals. This perspective reveals that student motivation can be as socially anchored as it is individually derived, explaining how students may excel even with low self-efficacy/interest, on tasks chosen by others, or when driven by duty. Scholarly Significance. This paper advances an interdependent-self perspective on student motivation, emphasizing social relationships and role obligations as central drivers of achievement motivation. It offers a complementary lens to prevailing theories that foreground individual agency and the independent self. Rather than positioning independent and interdependent self-views as a dichotomy, this perspective advocates for their integration in theory, research, and practice—enabling a more holistic and culturally attuned understanding of student motivation across diverse global contexts. |
Paper Title: Validating an Instrument for Students’ Personal Learning Device Acceptance, Use and Self-Directed Home-Based Learning
| Date and Time: | 11 April 2026, 11.45am to 1.15pm |
| Venue: | JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Ground Floor, Gold 4 |
| Title: | Evaluating and Validating Measures of Student Learning and Performance |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Choon Lang Quek, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | Students’ acceptance of personal learning devices (PLD) has been identified as instrumental in affecting device use. An important outcome in today’s digital learning landscape is spurring students to engage with their PLD in self-directed learning (SDL). This study reports the validation of an instrument to measure factors influencing students’ acceptance and use of PLD, as well as the impact on SDL for home-based learning. Building on previous studies of the instrument, this study identified factors affecting students’ acceptance and use of digital devices. Results showed that the instrument demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity when administered to 570 secondary school students. This validated instrument is practical and helpful in enhancing researchers' and teachers’ skills and teaching strategies for future ICT-integrated curriculum. |
Paper Title: Students’ Emotions in Educational Assessment: Insights from Social Media Big Data
| Date and Time: | 11 April 2026, 11.45am to 1.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Poster Hall - Exhibit Hall A |
| Title: | Global Perspectives on Classroom Assessment |
| Presentation Type: | Poster |
| Presenter's Name: | Amir Rasooli, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) Farhan Ali, Nanyang Technological University - National Institute of Education (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | This study investigates the range and interaction of students’ emotions in educational assessments using large-scale social media data. Drawing on 17,883 Reddit posts by Singaporean students in the "r/SGExams" community, 7,237 emotionally salient posts were analyzed. Quantitative analysis revealed anxiety as the most prevalent emotion, frequently co-occurring with shame, hopelessness, and disappointment. Network analysis revealed positive emotions like hope, joy, and pride clustering in posts reflecting confidence or satisfaction. Hope emerged as a key emotional buffer, mitigating negative emotions when students felt supported. Relaxation, typically post-assessment, also appeared as an in-the-moment coping strategy. By combining quantitative network analysis and qualitative interpretive methods, this study highlights the complex emotional ecology of assessment and offers insights for educators to support emotional regulation. |
Paper Title: Human-Generative AI Collaborative Problem-Solving: Critical Thinking Intervention on Reliance Behaviors and Creativity
| Date and Time: | 11 April 2026, 1.45pm to 3.15pm |
| Venue: | Westin Bonaventure, Floor: Level 2, Echo Park |
| Title: | Critical Reflection of AI Integration in Education |
| Presentation Type: | Paper |
| Presenter's Name: | Chenyu Hou, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) Non-presenting authors: Gaoxia Zhu, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University Vidya Sudarshan, Nanyang Technological University Fannie Yifan Zhang, Nanyang Technological University Josephine Leng-Leng Chong, Nanyang Technological University |
| Paper Description: | This study examines the effects of a critical thinking intervention embedded in problem-based learning (PBL) on students’ reliance behaviors on Generative AI and creativity. Participants (N = 226) were assigned to either an experimental condition, which combined authentic instruction, structured dialogue, and AI-supported mentoring to promote students’ critical thinking, or a comparison condition without these components. We collected surveys on trust, critical thinking, and reliance behaviors, and group reports and chat histories. While the intervention did not significantly improve self-reported critical thinking, it reduced thoughtless AI use and adoption of AI-generated content. Importantly, experimental groups produced more creative solutions. These findings underscore how students use AI matters more than whether they use it, highlighting the value of critical thinking interventions. |
Paper Title: Global Contexts for Research-Practice Partnerships: They Come in All Shapes and Sizes
| Date and Time: | 11 April 2026, 1.45pm to 3.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 515A |
| Title: | Global Contexts for Research-Practice Partnerships: They Come in All Shapes and Sizes |
| Presentation Type: | Structured Poster |
| Presenter's Name: | Chin Ee Loh, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Chair) |
| Paper Description: | This structured poster session explores the diverse manifestations of research-practice partnerships (RPPs) across global contexts. Convening presenters from six countries will explore how RPPs have emerged and been shaped by distinct political, cultural, and historical forces. The session foregrounds the importance of culturally and ecologically responsive approaches to RPPs, considering global north-south dynamics, postcolonial legacies and escalating post COVID-19 wealth disparities. Presenters will engage questions about voice, power, and the conditions under which educational change is pursued through RPPs in their contexts. The session aims to foster cross-national dialogue and learning about how RPPs can be adapted to support equitable educational improvement worldwide. |
Paper Title: Tracing Boundary Objects and Project Mobility: A Case Study from Singapore
| Date and Time: | 11 April 2026, 1.45pm to 3.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 515A |
| Title: | Global Contexts for Research-Practice Partnerships: They Come in All Shapes and Sizes |
| Presentation Type: | Structured Poster |
| Presenter's Name: | Dennis Kwek, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) Chin Ee Loh, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) Lorraine Ow, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | Overview Internationally, there has been emphasis on Research-Practice Partnerships (RPPs) to bridge educational research and practice (France, 2025; McGeown & Sjolund, 2025). Unique in Singapore is the close relationship between the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE), National Institute of Education (NIE) and schools, working closely together to enact evidence-based educational change (Liu,2022). While previous education innovations have been disseminated mostly through top-down scaling (Looi & Teh,2015), there are growing calls for an ecological model of innovation diffusion recognising the important roles of different stakeholders and organisations for educational transformation (Hung et al.2019). Drawing on Farrell et al.’s (2022) concept of “boundary infrastructure” and tracing boundary spanners, practices and objects, we identify unique contextual RPP features from one Singapore case study. Perspectives This study focuses on the use of boundary objects that bridge between the boundaries of research and classroom practice enacted by boundary spanners and hence, support the continuity in action needed in the long-term nature of RPPs. Boundary objects could be “material and conceptual tools” (Farrell, et al.2022, p.199). According to Akkerman & Bakker (2011), they play “a communicative connection” (p.143), support “efforts of translation between different worlds” (p.144) and allow for “interpretative flexibility” (p. 141). Boundary spanners are typically individuals or groups of people that mediates between different worlds, facilitating the sharing of information and ideas and serving as a resource for managing relationships. Methods Case study methodology, including interviews with key actors and document analysis, is used to critically examine boundary objects and boundary spanners that bridge the research-practice divide for the RPP under investigation. This presentation focuses on one self-sustaining Singapore RPP that thrives through a school-centric bottom-up approach. The research questions guiding this study are: 1. What are the types of boundary objects and boundary spanners that are involved in developing and sustaining the RPP? 2. What are their roles in translating and scaling evidence-based practices? Challenges and opportunities are documented in how such an RPP can thrive in a centralised governance environment where de-centralised infrastructures might be needed to diffuse educational improvements. Results We argue that the case exhibits how boundary spanners and boundary objects can leverage on system infrastructures and resources to generate organic, bottom-up partnerships between schools and researchers. In the process of developing the RPP, the researchers must engage in infrastructuring processes (Penuel,2019) with school leaders to create affordances for schools to improve practices and processes. Even though it is a single case study, the sustained nature of this RPP over a decade exploiting limited resources and school relationships, can shed light on how RPPs can thrive in a centralised system by being ambidextrous and agile in managing competing demands within the educational ecology. Significance This study highlights how small centralised systems can encourage broader networked partnership approaches to create opportunities for wider improvements within, across and beyond schools. Importantly, this study seeks to demonstrate how such partnerships can become “collaborative efforts [,,,] to humanize and democratize the field of education research” (Penuel et al, 2020,p.663), offering insight for other contexts. |
Paper Title: Looking at Asian International Students Beyond Deficit Narratives
| Date and Time: | 11 April 2026, 3.45pm to 5.15pm |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308B |
| Title: | Reframing Research, Identity, and Belonging in Global Higher Education for Asian International Students |
| Presentation Type: | Symposium |
| Presenter's Name: | Tang T. Heng, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) Nannan Lu, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | As international student mobility continues to rise, Asian international students constitute the largest share globally, especially in both traditional (e.g., OECD) and emerging (e.g., China) higher education destinations (Chinese MOE, 2019; OECD, 2023). Yet, much of the existing research positions them through a deficit lens—highlighting what they lack rather than what they possess (Heng & Lu, 2023; Lomer & Mittelmeier, 2023). Scholars have posited that such deficit lenses arise from neo-nationalism (Lee et al., 2017) and neo-racism (Lee, 2020; Yao, 2018), with higher education deeply rooted in neo-colonialism (George-Mwangi & Yao, 2021). In light of this phenomenon, our study seeks to reframe this dominant narrative by examining alternative and, more importantly, asset-based ways in which Asian international students’ experiences and practices are studied in higher education literature. In doing so, we aim to surface more nuanced and equitable ways of relating with Asian international students to counter deficit narratives shrouding them. Adopting a mapping review methodology, we apply an equity-based lens (George Mwangi & Yao, 2020) to examine peer-reviewed empirical studies in the past two decades. An equity-based lens (George Mwangi & Yao, 2020) rejects assimilationist assumptions in understanding international students, instead, recognizing the larger structures shaping students’ experiences and higher education policies and approaching international students from a more ethical and equitable stance. By searching major educational databases and documenting literature using PRISMA procedures and NVivo software, the review focuses on studies that explore Asian international students’ experiences and/or practices in higher education. The review surfaces studies that approach international students’ experiences from a source of strength, study their assumptions, attributes, and affordances, to build an asset-based framework that synthesises their essences. Preliminary findings suggest that only a small fraction of existing studies utilise asset-based theories, which may obscure the diverse strengths, adaptive strategies, and agentic practices of Asian international students. These are a few of the theories uncovered: academic resilience theory (Singh, 2021), student agency theory (Tran & Vu, 2018), self-formation theory (Marginson, 2014), hybrid sociocultural framework (Heng, 2018), and cosmopolitan agency (Kudo, 2023). These theories appear to be undergirded by assumptions that foreground students’ agency, adaptability, and perseverance, assuming that they can and are able to respond to the environment. Additionally, attention is shifted to interrogating how wider societal norms and structures (re)shape students’ experiences. By illuminating students’ proactive engagement with academic and social environments, this study attempts to challenge deficit and homogenising tendencies in the literature. Moreover, it provides an empirically grounded, strengths-based conceptual framework to guide future inquiry and policy. More specifically, the significance of this study lies in its potential to reshape research and institutional practices in more inclusive and affirming ways. It contributes to critical internationalisation discourses by highlighting how research paradigms shape the visibility, representation, and treatment of international students. For researchers, the proposed framework offers a roadmap to conduct more equitable, reflexive, and student-centred scholarship, countering neo-racist lens. For educators and policymakers, it encourages support strategies that recognise and build on students’ cultural, linguistic, and academic assets. |
Paper Title: Are Post-secondary Students Prepared for Life after Graduation? Examining Characteristics and Correlates of Readiness Profiles
| Date and Time: | 12 April 2026, 7.34am to 9.15am |
| Venue: | JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 1 |
| Title: | Roundtable 4 |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Melvin Chan, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | As young people transition toward higher education, they have to navigate complex career-related choices, while adapting to evolving expectations. Academic competence remains essential, but is insufficient amid rapid technological change and evolving workplace demands. Emerging scholarship has framed future-readiness as encompassing competencies such as self-directedness, adaptability, and character development, viewed as critical for successful transitions. Drawing on data from 4300 post-secondary students in Singapore, this study operationalized these core competencies through the lens of positive youth development. Findings revealed three distinct profiles. Students exhibiting higher levels of these competencies demonstrate enhanced psychosocial wellbeing and reduced psychological distress. Further analysis identified both facilitating and hindering personal and contextual factors associated with these profiles. |
Paper Title: The Case of Singapore: Shaping the Future of Teacher Leadership
| Date and Time: | 12 April 2026, 9.45am to 11.15am |
| Venue: | Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level One, Petree D |
| Title: | The Challenges and Possibilities of Teacher Leadership: International Perspectives |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Salleh Hairon, Singapore National Institute of Education (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | Teacher leadership in the Singapore education was borne out of a major education initiative at the turn of the 21st century when the education ministry introduced the three career tracks for teachers (Tan, 2011). They consist of the Teaching, Leadership and Senior Specialist. Whilst teachers choosing the Leadership track focus on management/leadership roles such as middle management and (vice) principal-ship and the Senior Specialist track on relevant specializations in terms of both knowledge and skills in educational development, teachers choosing the Teaching track focus on enhancing teachers’ pedagogical capabilities. Within school settings, teachers within the Teaching track grow in their career development by taking the role of Senior Teachers and then Lead Teachers. Beyond school settings, they can then take on the role of Master Teachers and then Principal Master Teachers (Tang, 2000; Tripp, 2004). These roles capture the essence of teacher leadership very well insofar as they are essentially teachers having the primary role of providing positive influence on teaching and learning within and across school contexts. Formal teacher leadership roles are also complemented with other informal teacher leadership roles. Both formal and informal teacher teachership roles have provided support to the more traditional work of middle managers who oversee the school curriculum since its initial introduction. The introduction and growth of teacher leadership is a testament to the increasing importance of both instructional and distributed leadership. Several challenges to these efforts have been raised. Specifically, the attractiveness of the teacher leadership pathway and especially the transition from a classroom teacher to a formal teacher leadership position, which can be brought about by the ambiguities in terms of the specific enactments of teacher leadership and the schemes of support provided for teacher leaders to function effectively. This potential lack of attractiveness to take on teacher leadership positions then poses a threat to the growth and continuity of the pool of teacher leaders in schools and within the entire education system. The advantages of reaching a critical mass of teacher leaders within school settings and within the entire education system are compelling. As the Singapore education system is essentially hierarchically structured whereby improvements and innovations are encouraged within bounds – a decentralized-centralized system – the onus is on policymakers to come up with policies which will address the key concerns raised including the following: raising the attractiveness of the teacher leadership profession beyond monetary compensation; standardizing the enactment of teacher leadership practices that are more closely tied to direct impact on teaching and learning; early identification and selection of teacher leaders; stronger communication to school leaders on the importance teacher leaders in contributing to schools’ strategic thrusts; and considering standardizing off-loading schemes or provisions for teacher leaders across schools so as to ensure that teacher leaders have the necessary time to learn on their own or collectively with other teacher leaders to continually develop their own teacher knowledge and thus impacting their colleagues’ teacher knowledge enroute to student learning. |
Paper Title: Examining Undergraduate Students’ Thinking Processes and Programming Performance When Using Web Search and Generative AI
| Date and Time: | 12 April 2026, 1.45pm to 3.15pm |
| Venue: | JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3 |
| Title: | AI in Student Learning: Programming, Writing, and Engagement |
| Presentation Type: | Roundtable |
| Presenter's Name: | Gaoxia Zhu, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University (Presenting Author) |
| Paper Description: | This study examines the impact of generative AI (i.e., ChatGPT) versus traditional web search (i.e., Google search) on students’ thinking processes and programming performance. We compared two student groups using ChatGPT and Google during programming tasks, respectively. Markov chains revealed that the ChatGPT group exhibited more revision-oriented thinking processes, indicated by frequent transitions between question formulation and solution refinement. In contrast, the control group was more solution-development-oriented. ANCOVA results showed that ChatGPT-supported learners performed significantly better in programming tasks. These findings suggest that generative AI enhances performance by supporting rapid idea testing and refinement, while Google involves more self-directed solution development, potentially slowing progress. The study contributes to the understanding of how external tools impact thinking processes in programming tasks. |