Chinese Language Teaching In Singapore Secondary Schools Under An Integrated Framework Materials

Singapore is a typical multi-ethnic and multi-lingual country that has undergone several national Chinese curriculum reforms since the late 20th century.2021 saw the promulgation of the Chinese Language Curriculum Standards for Secondary Schools by the Singapore Ministry of Education,and the new edition of the Chinese Language Teaching Kit for Secondary Schools,"Chinese with Me",is based on these standards and has been developed with input from various stakeholders.The most important feature of the new edition is the integrated design framework,which covers two important elements,namely relevance and differentiation.This article selects representative and well-used Singaporean textbooks of the new Chinese(Higher),Chinese(Express)and Chinese(Normal Academic)Form 1 and Form 2 editions as the subject of study,and the article consists of six chapters:Chapter 1 is the introduction.It introduces the background of the article,the purpose of the study,the literature review,the research methodology,and the research questions.Chapter 2 compares the evolution of the diversionary education system in Singapore and its impact on the Chinese language curriculum.It then evaluates Singapore’s streaming education system,analyzes the advantages and disadvantages,and then introduces Singapore’s optimization measures,i.e.,the implementation of a comprehensive subject grouping plan,and the publication of a new version of the textbook as a first practice and experiment to accommodate this policy.Chapter 3 presents the correlation between the three sets of textbooks in an integrated framework.The analysis of the three sets of texts shows that they share the same themes in unit organization,the content of the sections draws on each other,the teaching follows the same flow,the learning points are repeated on a rolling basis,and they share a common focus on cultural elements.These connections and articulations reveal the characteristics of the new Chinese language textbooks for secondary schools.Chapter 4 analyzes the differences among the three sets of textbooks under the integrated framework.It is found that the differences among the three sets of textbooks are mainly reflected in the different suggestions of teaching steps,different forms of text presentation,different treatments of eagle frame construction,and different levels of language complexity.In addition,the three sets of materials also have their own unique characteristics.Finally,this chapter demonstrates the relationship between the seemingly contradictory concepts of "relevance" and "differentiation",leading to the conclusion that they complement each other,coexist harmoniously,and contribute to students’ development.Chapter 5 presents four aspects of the new Chinese textbook,including the overall design,text content,text format,and post-lesson exercises,and also identifies some areas for improvement,such as the lack of author introductions and the lack of basic vocabulary exercises.Chapter 6 is the concluding remarks.It summarizes the content of the whole text,explains the value of the study,and presents the shortcomings of this study.