ANLY482 AY2016-17 T2 Group15 Project Overview
As a country, Singapore is heavily reliant on its population due to its resource constraints. Therefore, its students are the key to shape the future generations of Singapore. Education in Singapore is managed by the Ministry of Education (MOE), which controls the development and administration of all public and private schools in Singapore.
After six years of education, all primary school students across Singapore will be have to sit for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), which they will be tested in 4 main subjects: English, Mathematics, Mother Tongue and Science. Students will then choose the secondary school of their choice based on their results in the examination. Based on their merit and order of choice, they will then be assigned to a secondary school.
Upon completion of their 4- or 5-year secondary school education, they will have to undertake the ‘O’ Levels and this important examination will determine their next stage of education, whether it will be in Junior Colleges, Polytechnics or Institute of Technical Education.
Established in 2010, Edufy Secondary School is located in the North-East region of Singapore to provide quality education to students living around the estate. Equipped with the newest facilities and the latest technologies coupled with curriculum innovation, the school is committed to provide the ideal learning environment and experiences for its students. It is currently in the process of setting up a Data Analytics Team to tackle educational problems faced by teachers and students.
For many Secondary 2 students in Singapore, choosing and selecting a subject combination for the next two years leading to 'O' Levels can be a tough decision. It is also difficult for teachers to decide whether or not to encourage/let students take on the combination of double science or combined science (should they consider based on overall grades or should they base their decisions on individual science grades). Many parents want and feel that their children are able to qualify for double (or even triple science), which makes it difficult for teachers to convince them of the option that would be a better choice for their child.
PSLE and GCE ‘O’ Levels are major examinations in every students' education in Singapore. These exams will heavily affect the paths that are available to the students in the future. Choosing an appropriate subject combination for the ‘O’ Levels will subsequently affect the future career path of a student, be it whether the student ends up going to a Polytechnic or a Junior College. For example, if a student wishes to study Pure Biology in a Junior College in the future, studying either Pure Biology or Combined Biology is a must as an ‘O’ Levels subject. We also need to take into account that it is easier (having lower entry requirement) for a student to take a Pure Science in JC if he or she is already taking a Pure Science over a Combined Science in secondary school. For example, to qualify for Pure Biology in Junior College, a student is only required to pass Pure Biology in GCE ‘O’ Levels. However, if he or she is taking Combined Science (Biology/Chemistry), he or she would need to score at least a B4 in order to qualify.
Utilizing past data of students’ grades from the school’s database, we would like to discover useful and practical insights which will allow teachers to better decide and advise students on choosing their Secondary 2 subject combination, particularly on whether they should take combined science or double science. We will attempt to analyze the trends of students' academic performance by examining their past subject grades and subject combinations.
To achieve the above mentioned, we will perform an in-depth analysis on the historical data with the following aims: 1. To help the parents and students in choosing a subject combination that is manageable by considering the students' capability 2. To assist in choosing a combination that is desirable for the future of the student 3. To analyse impact that literature has on student’s academic performance, since literature is a compulsory subject in the school’s curriculum
1. Ali, Shoukat, et al. (2013) "Factors Contributing to the Students Academic Performance: A Case Study of Islamia University Sub-Campus." American Journal of Educational Research 1.8 (2013): 283-289.
2. S. T. Hijazi, and R. S. M. M. Naqvi (2006), “Factors affecting student’s performance: A Case of Private Colleges”, Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2006.
3. Tanggaard, Lene, Nielsen, Klaus, & Jørgensen, Christian Helms. (2015). Students' Experiences of Ability-Based Streaming in Vocational Education.Education & Training, 57(7), 723-737.
4. Factors Affecting High School Students’ Academic Motivation in Taiwan https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/SDT/documents/2006_Hardre_et_al_APJE.pdf
5. Ali, Shoukat, et al. (2013) "Factors Contributing to the Students Academic Performance: A Case Study of Islamia University Sub-Campus." American Journal of Educational Research 1.8 (2013): 283-289. http://pubs.sciepub.com/education/1/8/3/#
Besides the team and our supervisor, the other stakeholders are:
Sponsor
- Mr Lee Peck Ping, Principal of Edufy Secondary School (ESS)
- Mdm Lim, Vice Principal of ESS
Other Stakeholders
- Students of ESS
- Teachers and Heads of Department (HODs) of ESS
- Parents of students studying in ESS
