幼兒教育課程架構：香港與新加坡之比較研究

Abstract

本研究對香港和新加坡的幼兒教育課程架構進行比較研究。研究目的是探討、比較和分析香港《幼稚園教育課程指引》（2017）與新加坡《學前課程框架》（2022）的內涵與異同，並發展有關香港幼教的討論，以及對臺灣幼教的啟發。\n 本研究採用了貝瑞岱比較教育研究法，對香港《幼稚園教育課程指引》與新加坡《學前課程框架》進行比較分析。主要的研究結果顯示，香港與新加坡兩個地區都根據美國NAEYC Developmentally Appropriate Practice （DAP）發展其課程理念，強調幼教課程應以幼兒為中心，並考慮幼兒的發展和學習模式，以及重視文代對幼兒教育的影響。\n 香港《幼稚園教育課程指引》強調幼兒園根據社區和關係人的需要發展具備課本特色的課程，而新加坡《學前課程框架》則強調終身學習和21世紀能力的重要性，透過關鍵階段成囷培育幼兒成為有能力和樂於貢獻的未來公民。新加坡提出學職基礎的概念，價值觀、社交和情緒能力，以及學習性向貫通於五個學習領域中發展。同時，新加坡指出幼兒在多元文化社群中成長、遊戲和學習，通過母語教育培育幼兒的母語語文能力，以促進幼兒與文化社群成員間的溝通，並幫助幼兒建立文化身份和對不同文化的尊重，以連繫來自不同文化背景的人。\n 研究指出香港《幼稚園教育課程指引》在實施方面正面臨挑戰，包括部份香港家長擔心遊戲學習可能影響幼兒對學術知識的掌握、幼師的世代差異不利遊戲學習的推行、幼兒園與小學課程的差異造成幼小銜接的困難，此外，香港幼兒園在提供足夠的人均空間和戶外學習空間方面存在限制。\n 研究結果有助幼教育主管機關、幼兒教師以及國際教育比較研究者對香港和新加坡兩個地區所採用的幼教課程作出更深入的理解，並為臺灣在發展「2030年雙語國家」政策，如何在幼兒園推行有效的英語教學方面帶來啟示。

This master`s thesis presents a comparative study of the early childhood education curriculum frameworks in Hong Kong and Singapore. The objective of the research is to understand and compare the content, as well as identify the similarities and differences between Hong Kong’s ‘Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide’ (2017) and Singapore’s ‘Nurturing Early Learners’ (2022). The study also aims to explore the underlying reasons behind these similarities and differences and develop further discussions on early childhood education in Hong Kong, as well as insights into early childhood education in Taiwan.\n Using the Bereday Comparative Study in Education methodology, the research examines Hong Kong’s ‘Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide’ and Singapore’s ‘Nurturing Early Learners’. The key findings reveal that both regions have developed their curriculum frameworks based on the principle of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP), which emphasises the importance of tailoring education to the age, individual needs, and cultural context of young children.\n While Hong Kong`s ‘Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide’ emphasises the development of a school-based programme that responds to the needs of the community and stakeholders such as parents, Singapore’s ‘Nurturing Early Learners’ focuses on cultivating children who are prepared for lifelong learning and able to contribute to their nation as future citizens. Singapore`s ‘Nurturing Early Learners’ emphasises the development of values, social-emotional competencies, and learning dispositions across five learning areas. It also highlights the significance of growing, playing, and learning in a multicultural community, promoting the cultivation of children`s mother tongue proficiency to facilitate communication within cultural communities and foster cultural identity and appreciation, and help children establish respect for different cultures, in order to connect people from diverse cultural backgrounds.\n However, challenges exist in the implementation of Hong Kong`s ‘Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide’. Some Hong Kong parents express concerns that play-based learning may result in a perceived lack of academic rigor, potentially impacting children`s readiness for primary school, the generational differences among early childhood educators also pose challenges to the implementation of play-based learning. Furthermore, the differences between kindergarten and primary school curricula create difficulties in the transition from early childhood to primary education. Additionally, there are limitations in Hong Kong kindergartens in terms of providing sufficient per capita space and outdoor learning areas.\n By examining the similarities and differences between Hong Kong’s ‘Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide’ and Singapore’s ‘Nurturing Early Learners’, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the educational approaches adopted in these regions. It provides insights into the factors influencing curriculum design and implementation, offering implications for policy-makers, educators, and stakeholders involved in early childhood education in both Hong Kong and Singapore, and provide insights for Taiwan on how to effectively implement English language instruction in preschools as part of the development of the `2030 Bilingual Nation` policy.