Introduction

This chapter outlines how knowledge is mobilised – produced, mediated and applied – to improve education practice and policy in Singapore. It pays specific attention to the distinctive institutional relationships that link the National Institute of Education (NIE), the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Singapore's school system and their respective roles in the development of a unique nexus between research, policy and practice in Singapore's education system.

The chapter begins with an introduction to Singapore and Singapore's education system, highlighting the constraints faced by Singapore as a small economy with limited human capital, research expertise and research funding. It then describes how we have framed the problem of knowledge mobilisation theoretically, its key differences with traditional knowledge utilisation frameworks, and how and why Singaporean researchers, policy makers and practitioners have attempted to mobilise knowledge through development of a strategically focused national Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) Programme. This framework is carefully calibrated to heighten the likelihood that education research will produce knowledge that is both rigorous and relevant to policy and practice (production), that knowledge will be shared in a timely and appropriate manner (mediation) among all stakeholders, and that it will be adopted, internalised and socialised by users in ways that impact policies and school practices (application). The chapter then ends with a discussion of how the Singapore experience, notwithstanding its unique context, may contribute to the international education research community's drive to increase its impact on policy and practice.

The organisation of education in Singapore

Singapore is a small and highly urbanised city state. It has a total population of 4.987 million with a population density of 7,022 per sq km in 2009 (Department of Statistics Singapore, 2011). Its per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of S$53,143 (or US$36,537) is one of the highest in Asia. Today, based on the latest official estimates, Chinese, Malays and Indians make up 74%, 13% and 9% of the Singapore resident population, respectively. The remainder are classified as ‘Others’, including ‘Eurasians’ (those from European and Asian descent). In 2009, the non-resident population of Singapore was estimated to be about 25% of the total population.