Durham E-Theses The evolution of citizenship education in nation-building in Singapore and Hong Kong Tin, Teo Guan How to cite: Tin, Teo Guan (2006) The evolution of citizenship education in nation-building in Singapore and Hong Kong, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/2649/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 The Evolution of Citizenship Education in Nation-Building in Singapore and Hong Kong Submitted By Florence Teo Guan Tin University of Durham The copyright of this thesis rests with the author or the university to which It was submitted. No quotation from It, or Information derived from H may be published without the prior written consent of the author or university, and any information derived from It should be acknowledged. This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctorate of Education, University of Durham Supervisor: Professor Michael Byram 2006 0 9 JUN 2006 ,' ( Acknowledgements I wish to thank God for His faithfulness, goodness, mercy ar.d wisdom in prodding me to undertake this course and sustaining me throughout the course. Isaiah 50:4 The LORD GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary". I wish to thank my supervisor, Professor Michael Byram (University of Durham) for all his encouragement, expert guidance, prompt and invaluable support, and high professionalism in assisting me to complete this dissertation. I wish to thank Dr Lai Pak Sang from EPA Department, Hong Kong Institute of Education for his support, encouragement and generosity in sending important documents. I wish to thank my close friends, Lan Fong, Hwei Fen and Jessica for all their encouragement and prayer support. Last, but not least I wish to thank my husband, Ernest for his great patience and support over the last five years. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published in any format, including electronic and the Internet, without the author's prior written consent. All information derived from this thesis must be acknowledged appropriately. ·_::;:.;-:- ;_,_-. - ---~---- ------ .- ,-- ~--- .. ABSTRACT The Evolution of Citizenship Education in Nation-Building in Singapore and Hong Kong Citizenship Education is a highly political agenda for politicians and governments, especially those of the emerging nations studied in transitology. Political circumstances that surround the birth of a nation are inextricably tied up with the unique economic, social and even globalisation contexts that shape the formation of that particular nation. Citizenship education mirrors the political climate of such circumstances. A ruling government's policies and ideologies are often transmitted to the masses through education in the form of citizenship education in its evolving forms that take after the political orientations of the nation. A historical-comparative study 0f Singapore and Hong Kong is the focus of the thesis and a combined case in point. This historical-comparative approach presents a chronological and qualitative analysis of Singapore and Hong Kong that links the past to the present, and points to future direction on how citizenship education has transformed in its focus, dimensions, content, message and values. I Theories of nationalism, nation-state and national identity provide a basis for tt-e understanding of the political, economic and social factors that impact nation­ building and the subsequent evolvement of Civic and Moral Education in Singapore and Hong Kong after independence. In an analysis of the content-domain of citizenship education, Singapore's curriculum is shown to reflect the ruling party's ideologies infused through National Education, where the Singapore Story is sacrosanct and has to be mastered by all students so that the continual survival instinct is preserved at ~ill times. Hong Kong covers more breadth with a curriculum that includes the history of China that can be taught critically and a Chinese cultural heritage element that is infused into all the Key Learning subjects. The Life Event Approach is also more practical and relevant to the students' appreciation of the more individual-growth values learnt. Singapore is identified as an Objective/Giobalised nation-state with a parallel Objective/Giobalised National Identity that has a predominantly strong political leadership and economic priority in its nation-building foundation. It recognizes the need to rise up to the global challenges ahead. II Hong Kong has a combination of Objective/Subjective/Giobalised region-state with a parallel Objective/Subjective/Giobalised National Identity with China due to its cultural heritage component inherited from China and also the need to meet global challenges. The thesis demonstrates how education can be used as a channel to serve the ideologies of the politicians who have a direct stake in shaping the focus of the political content in citizenship education in building national identity. It also illustrates how the respective political circumstances, economic reasons, social contexts and globalisation challenges drive the evolvement of the citizenship education in both Singapore and Hong Kong. III TITLE: THE EVOLUTION OF CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION IN NATION­ BUILDING IN SINGAPORE AND HONG KONG TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT TABLE OF CONTENTS IV CHAPTER ONE THE RESEARCH STUDY 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Factors in the Evolution of Citizenship Education 1 1.3 Citizenship Education in New Nations and Decolonisaton 4 1.4 Transitology 6 1.5 Purposes and Methods of This Study 7 1.6 Organization of The Study 10 CHAPTER TWO THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2.1 Methodology and Data 12 2.2 The Historical-Comparative Approach 12 IV 2.2.1 The Historical Approach 12 2.2.2 The Comparative Approach 14 2.2.2.1 The History of Comparative Education 17 2.2.2.2 Comparative Education in the Globalisation Era 19 2.3 The Historical-Comparative Qualitative Approach 24 2.4 Methodology - The Approach 25 2.5 Data Gathering (Primary and Secondary Sources) 26 2.6 Methodology : Analysing Theories of Nationalism 29 2.6.1 Theories of Nationalism 29 2.6.2 Globalised Nations 29 2.6.3 National Identities 29 2.7 Analysing Political, Economic and Social Factors that Influence 30 Nation-Building in Singapore and Hong Kong 2.8 Analysing Citizenship Education in Building National Identity in 33 Singapore and Hong Kong 2.8.1 Analysis of Citizenship Education - Two Areas 33 2.8.2 Analysis of Citizenship Education Curriculum- Four Tables 34 2.9 Conclusion 35 CHAPTER THREE AN APPROACH TO ANALYSING NATIONAL IDENTITY IN SINGAPORE AND HONG KONG 3.1 Theories of Nationalism, Nation-State and National Identity 36 v 3.2 Theories of Nationalism 39 3.3 Globalised Nations 45 3.4 Categorising National Identities 46 3.4.1 Objective/Giobalised National Identity 47 3.4.2 Subjective/Objective/Giobalised National Identity 52 3.5 Applying the Categorisation to Singapore and Hong Kong 60 3.5.1 Objective/Giobalised National Identity in Singapore 60 3.5.2 Subjective/ Objective/Giobalised National Identity in Hong Kong 70 3.6 Summary of National Identity Features of Singapore and Hong 78 Kong CHAPTER FOUR FACTORS AFFECTING NATION-BUILDING IN SINGAPORE 4.1 Political, Economic and Social Factors that Influence Nation- 82 Building in Singapore 4.2 History of Singapore- An Overview 83 4.3 Nationalism as Anti-Communism 90 4.4 The Singapore Story - Creation of a Myth of Nationhood 95 4.5 Nation-Building Through Economic Means 98 4.6 Nationalism as a Rationale for Elite Government 102 4.7 Social Factors that Influence Nation-Building and Education 105 4.8 Discourse of Nationalism 107 4.8a Analysis of Lee Kuan Yew's 1967 Speech on Nation-Building 108 VI 4.8ai Presupposition 109 4.8aii Lexical Reiteration 115 4.9 Analysis of the Language of Nation-Building and National 123 Identity 4.10 Summary of the Analysis of the Discourse of Nationalism 138 CHAPTER FIVE FACTORS AFFECTING NATION-BUILDING IN HONG KONG 5.1 Political, Economic and Social Factors that Influence Nation- 142 Building in Hong Kong 5.2 History of Hong Kong -An Overview 142 5.3 An Analysis of Concepts of Identity in Hong Kong at Handover 148 5.4 Nation-Building Through Economic Means 155 5.5 Analysis of Language of Nation-Building and National Identity 164 Text Extracts of Tung Chee Hwa ( 1997-2005) 5.6 Singapore and Hong Kong : Comparisons and Contrasts 186 CHAPTER SIX CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION 6.1 Defining Citizenship Education 196 6.2 Citizenship Education in Other Countries 200 6.3 Education for National Identity 203 VII 6.4 Citizenship Education in Singapore 206 6.5 Citizenship Education in Hong Kong 208 CHAPTER SEVEN HOW CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION CONTRIBUTES TO NATION­ BUILDING IN SINGAPORE AND HONG KONG 7.1 Curriculum Analysis 215 7.2 Citizenship