A multiple-case study on school support systems for low-performing primary students of Chinese language
Authors:   , Chau Sook Kuan 
Published: October 2024

Bilingual education has always been a cornerstone of Singapore’s education. Chinese Language (CL) is offered as a compulsory Mother Tongue Language (MTL) subject in all Singapore mainstream schools to students of Chinese ethnicity. With the intergenerational change of home language environment and increasingly diversified profile of CL students, supporting low-performing students has become an area of concern in the teaching of CL. In response, the Ministry of Education (MOE) implemented initiatives such as the Chinese Language Modular Curriculum in 2007 for Primary 2 to 6 levels and the Mother Tongue Support Programme (MTSP) in 2021 for Primary 3 and 4 levels. Yet, even with these initiatives, a structured learning support programme for lower primary low-performing students seems lacking, schools are expected to exercise their own discretion on how to customise intervention practices and support programmes for Primary 1 and 2 low-performing students of CL, and students excluded from the MTSP. Therefore, this study aims to gain a deep understanding on how schools customise school-based support systems for the learning of low-performing students of CL, and to provide an in-depth description regarding the good practices that work together to create conducive conditions for the learning and development for these students. To define good practices, this study uses a theoretical perspective based on Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory (SDT) (1985, 2004) to discuss the need-supportive and need-thwarting factors within the schools practices. SDT postulates that humans are inherently motivated to learn and internalise knowledge, and this motivation will be fostered and sustained by supporting the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. This study uses a multiple-case study design to answer two research questions: 1) How do schools support the learning of low-performing students of Chinese Language? What models, approaches, and strategies do schools/teachers use? 2) How do these models, approaches, and strategies support the psychological needs of low-performing students of Chinese Language? Why? This study collects and analyses interview and observational data from three participating schools, elaborates on (i) the details of school support systems, focusing on conceptualisation, implementation, effectiveness and limitations of the various components of the systems, highlighting similarities and differences in several common procedural steps, including considerations on strengthening students' learning attributes, identification of low-performing students, deployment of teachers, and practices adopted by teachers in the classroom; (ii) how these nuances impact the support of the basic psychological needs of low-performing CL students, detailing the common need-supportive and need-thwarting factors and discussing their impacts. This study provides a rich repertoire of data for school leaders, teachers and researchers seeking insights into the elements of an effective support system for low-performing students in Mother Tongue Languages and other subjects. Future studies can replicate this research across different levels, subjects, and school settings, and further empirical studies employing alternative measures can be conducted to assess the impact of each classroom condition and teacher behaviour on the psychological needs and motivation of low-performing students, providing a more substantive dimensions to the findings and phenomenon discussed in this study.