SCHOOL CHOICE AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL LEAVERS

Abstract

The primary school system in Singapore is such that primary education consists of six years of formal schooling. At the end of Primary Six, every student has to sit for a national examination called the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), after which students would be streamed to a suitable secondary course based on their results. Prior to the PSLE, primary school leavers are given application forms to indicate their preference of secondary schools that they would like to enroll in. As such, the choosing of secondary schools is of great importance for each pupil as it would affect his academic future. This study examines the dynamics that operate behind school choice among primary school leavers in Singapore. A qualitative research approach using in-depth interviews is employed to uncover the various factors that affect the secondary school choices of these students. School choice has been found in various other countries to function along social class lines. This relationship between school choice and social class is also examined in this research. In general, the analysis has revealed that secondary school choices varied with one's social class position, as choice was mainly influenced by the student's academic performance which was found to be related to the student's social class position. However, it was found that one's social consciousness also had a major influence on school choice and this influence operated across social class lines. The results thus suggest that one's educational choices, aspirations and attainment are not determined solely by rigid class lines, but are strongly influenced by one's social interactions within a competitive cultural milieu that characterizes Singapore society.