A former high school teacher in Singapore, she has taught for close to two decades in a variety of education settings. Her teaching and research focus on the philosophical and cross-cultural dimensions of education, with particular interest in Confucian education, education policy in China and Singapore, East-West policy borrowing, Islamic/Muslim education, and critical thinking. She has published 12 books and over 100 journal articles and book chapters, including her latest book Educational Policy Borrowing in China: Looking West or Looking East? (Routledge).