Teaching and learning to enact equity-centered, diversity-affirming, and inclusive pedagogy; Teacher’s critical reflexivity

The main focus of this project is to advance equity and social justice within and beyond classroom walls by exploring the role of reflection in transforming the teaching and learning process and understanding the impact of teachers’ beliefs and enactment of inclusive pedagogies on student learning.

A prospective student may focus on (1) Toward equity-centered diversity-affirming teaching practice in Singapore: Exploring the role of reflection in transformative teaching and learning; or (2) Understanding the Impact of Teachers’ Beliefs and Enactment of Inclusive Pedagogies on Student Learning in Singapore Secondary Schools. 

1. Toward equity-centered diversity-affirming teaching practice in Singapore: Exploring the role of reflection in transformative teaching and learning: This research study uses a mixed-methods sequential explanatory research design to understand whether and how teachers’ reflective practices influence and inform their levels of enacting teaching practices that affirm and sustain students’ culture, seek to co-construct knowledge with students, and promote a more equitable and just society in the Singapore context.
2. Understanding the Impact of Teachers’ Beliefs and Enactment of Inclusive Pedagogies on Student Learning in Singapore Secondary Schools: A Mixed-Methods Case Study Approach: Using a mixed methods case study, this research study seeks to understand and explain whether, how, and in what ways teaching practices that affirm learners’ cultural and linguistic resources facilitate learning as a co-constructive process and foster an inclusive and equitable learning environment to influence student outcomes, broadly defined to include academic, social emotion, critical, and civic learning outcomes, in Singapore secondary humanities classrooms.

Important Note

We welcome you to have a conversation with Assistant Professor Chang Wen-Chia to discuss and scope this PhD research further. You are strongly encouraged to reach out to her at least 3 months in advance of application deadline (i.e. 31 January 2025) as the process of confirming the supervision and preparing your proposal for application may take longer than you anticipate. 

Minimum Entry Requirement

A Bachelor’s degree with honours at least at Second Class Upper level, Master’s degree in the relevant areas and the ability to pursue research in the candidate’s proposed field of advanced study. 

Shortlisted applicants will undergo an interview session as part of the selection process.

 A valid GRE score is required for applicants who are not graduates of the Autonomous Universities in Singapore. See detailed requirements for English language on competency and GRE requirements here.