This article analyses performance-based research evaluation for the higher education sector in a postcolonial context through a Foucauldian lens. Using Hong Kong as an example, this paper examines the formulation of and receptions towards the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). It is argued that Hong Kong academics, especially those working in the humanities and social sciences, associate the key concepts of 'world-leading' and 'internationally excellent' research in the RAE framework with Western knowledge that undermines local and regional research. They respond to RAE in four main ways: pragmatic compliance; refusal to conform to the demands of RAE; adoption of a dualistic strategy by publishing internationally and locally; and re-imagining of research assessment coupled with the promotion of indigenous knowledge. Two significant implications are highlighted in this article. First, the preservation of a research evaluation mechanism inherited from a colonial government perpetuates and entrenches external control and dominance in the former colony. Secondly, there is a need to re-construct the research appraisal apparatus as well as advance indigenous and hybrid knowledge in a postcolonial educational landscape.

Aimed at rethinking the concept of service learning, this article draws upon the philosophical thought of the neo-Confucian thinker Wang Yangming. The inquiry is directed at a perennial concern that the prevailing understandings of service learning may encourage patronisation and domination in the server coupled with subordination and disempowerment of the served. Following Wang's thought, two arguments are made in this paper. First, service learning fosters love and solidarity between the server and the served through the concept of 'one body with all things' (wanwu yiti) and humaneness (ren). Second, service learning harmonises the 'service' and 'learning' components through the 'unity of knowledge and action' (zhixing heyi) that enables the servers to extend their innate knowing (liangzhi). Two major implications are highlighted from a reconceptualisation of service learning: the significance of a moral orientation of service learning; and a recommendation to enact service learning programmes that promote human unity and love.

This article clarifies the relationship between moral personhood and moral management in ethical leadership from a Confucian perspective. Drawing from four Confucian classics, this study integrates the leader's ethical values and activities undertaken to promote virtues in followers. The harmonisation of moral personhood and moral management is facilitated by two cardinal Confucian beliefs: innate human nature and moral self-cultivation. From a Confucian viewpoint, all human beings are endowed with a good nature that enables them to become virtuous persons and leaders. Ethical leaders subdue their selfish desires and extend their natural moral feelings of true goodness, righteousness, propriety and wisdom to others. Moral personhood and moral management are inseparable because to cultivate oneself morally is to help others to become moral persons. By synthesising moral personhood and moral management, a Confucian worldview of ethical leadership contributes to leadership studies in two main ways: safeguarding against the leader's abuse of power, and advancing organisational change through path-shaping.

This article addresses the prominent critiques of distributed leadership and offers an alternative leadership approach. Focussing on the criticisms of limited empowerment and abuses of power in distributed leadership, this study turns to an ancient Chinese classic, Sunzi’s Art of Warfare (Sunzi Bingfa). Sunzi posits that leadership is distributed in accordance with shi (strategic advantage), and is manifested through the principle of contextual noninterference, as well as moral personhood and management. Rejecting the dominant understanding of power as tied to one’s position and is a zero-sum game, power in shi is circumstantial, dynamic and changeable. The ideal leader, according to Sunzi, eschews misrule by modeling virtue and empowering others to collectively promote the well-being of the people. The paper further recommends that school leaders enact contextual noninterference by knowing the environments, and cultivate moral personhood and management by knowing oneself and others.

This paper focuses on educational equity in China using the experience of school choice reform in Shanghai. The education authority in Shanghai has launched a host of policy measures to address “school choice fever” (zexiao re) where parents compete to enrol their children in a top-performing school. The policy initiative has been enacted through three strategies that collectively seek to make admission into elite public and minban (people-managed) schools more difficult. However, the policy measure has not dislodged the fundamental societal perception of a good school as one that delivers high test scores. Furthermore, the policy change has paradoxically reinforced the existing inequalities between schools and families. The developments in Shanghai point to the mediating and influential role of parental choice in equity policy against a backdrop of neoliberal ideas and practices. The Shanghai example underscores how a school choice model, despite its best intention, may not succeed in ensuring educational equity for students because of parental intervention and counter-measures to education policy.

This article seeks to contribute to the discourse on mindful leadership by drawing on Daoist philosophy as recorded in the Daodejing (Book on the Way and Virtue). Without a clear articulation of its normative underpinnings, mindful leadership can be easily exploited by leaders for immoral agendas and outcomes. The existing literature describes Daoist leadership as antithetical to autocratic leadership, and is unimposing and ethical. Giving additional insights to the construct of Daoist leadership, this essay argues that a Daoist leader exemplifies dao (Way-making) and wuwei (noncoercive action). Way-making is about influencing followers towards a common goal through the leader's de (virtue). In addition, a Daoist leader promotes wuwei by enacting non-interfering, inspiring, liberating and nurturing management practices. Daoist principles provide an ethical foundation of mindful leadership by replacing McMindfulness with attentiveness to moral virtues. By foregrounding the centrality of ethics in leadership, this study seeks to open a line of inquiry and raise thought-provoking questions on the normative basis of mindful leadership.

This article critically discusses the concept of future-ready learning by drawing on the educational thought of Confucius as recorded in the Analects. Two main arguments are made in this paper. First, Confucius views future-readiness as the preparedness to broaden dao (Way), which is a vision of human excellence. Secondly, Confucius does not limit future-ready learning to the acquisition of competencies, nor does he adopt a functionalist assumption of learning. Instead, he emphasizes the learning goal of becoming a junzi (exemplary person) who broadens the Way through ren (humanity), yi (appropriateness), xiuji (self-cultivation) and li (normative behaviours). Future-ready learning, it is proposed in this essay, is about the cultivation of character and competence to prepare individuals to adapt to and create new realities. A Confucian perspective challenges the skills and competencies agenda that underpins the prevailing notions of future-ready learning, and brings to the fore the habituation of virtues.

Offering a Daoist interpretation of perspective-taking, this article expounds the philosophical thought of Zhuangzi on this topic. Zhuangzi's views can be consolidated into two broad areas: the challenge of perspective-taking and recommendations to foster perspective-taking. A primary hindrance, according to Zhuangzi, is limited human perspective that results in narrow-mindedness, dogmatism, self-serving moral standard and disharmony among humans. To advance perspective-taking, Zhuangzi introduces three essential Daoist concepts: 'having no fixed identity', 'following the Heavenly and attaining dao' and 'matching of dao (Course or Way)'. Zhuangzi cautions against embracing a rigid perspective by being inflexible, dogmatic and judgemental in one's thinking, actions and relationships. Humans should instead (re)turn to their natural disposition and harmonise their perspectives with those of others. A key implication of Zhuangzi's philosophical thought sketched in this essay is a formulation of perspective-taking that emphasises self-transformation and social harmony.

Through the conceptual lens of 'education-as-moulding' and 'education-as-drawing-out,' this article expounds the Confucian concept of trustworthiness (xin) and its relation with communitarian education. Informed by the Analects, it is argued that Confucius envisions a community of trustworthy members who are motivated and characterised by interpersonal trust. From a Confucian viewpoint, both approaches - education-as-moulding and education-as-drawing-out - are salient for the development of trustworthiness as a moral virtue in students and relational trust in the school community. The paper also addresses a prominent criticism of communitarian education: the imposition of prescribed values and curriculum on students that suppresses their individual identities, interests and voices. From a Confucian perspective, such an imposition over-emphasises education-as-moulding and neglects education-as-drawing out, making the enforcement ineffective in the cultivation of trustworthiness as a moral virtue. What is recommended instead is the harmonisation of the self and others through both education-as-moulding and education-as-drawing-out.

This paper elucidates a Daoist perspective of creativity by focusing on novelty and usefulness. Drawing on the thought of Zhuangzi, it is noted that he advocates original and unorthodox views by challenging social norms and traditional practices. He also questions the prevailing notions and assumptions concerning the usefulness and uselessness of things and people. To liberate humans from conventional commitment and judgment, Zhuangzi recommends two Daoist concepts. The first is "fasting of the heart-mind" (xin zhai) where a person empties oneself of preconceived ideas and practices. The second Daoist notion is "wandering" (you) where one responds to people, things, and situations in an open-minded, appreciative, playful, and spontaneous manner. There are three major implications arising from a Zhuangzian conception of creativity: it contributes to an existing literature gap on the philosophy of creativity, extends the research on Eastern formulations of creativity that hitherto have centered on Confucianism, and challenges and re-constructs the prevalent understandings and presuppositions concerning creativity and related terms.

This chapter explores a Daoist interpretation of global citizenship and its implications for global citizenship education for youth. UNESCO’s description of global citizenship (as having a sense of belonging to a broader community and humanity) serves as the chapter’s starting point. Drawing on two seminal Daoist texts, Daodejing and Zhuangzi, it is posited that all human beings share a common humanity in dao (Way), the source of value and being for all. To love dao is to be liberated from repressive rules that suppress personhood, to return to one’s innate nature, and to harmonize oneself with one’s surroundings. The achievement of collective flow is made possible through wuwei (non-coercive action), wuming (nameless), wuzhi (non-dogmatic knowledge), and wuyu (objectless desire). A global citizen, from a Daoist viewpoint, is spontaneous, open-minded, and inclusive, demonstrating deference and empathic care toward all people and nature. A Daoist conception of global citizenship is then applied to formal education, using the example of racism experienced by Asians in a post-pandemic world. Because racism reflects the self-centered, divisive, and oppressive worldviews, norms, and practices to which Laozi and Zhuangzi object, a solution to racism is to (re)turn to dao where human beings act naturally, ethically, and collaboratively.

Social Context, Policies, and Changes in Singapore, pp. 111-120 (2022) No AccessChapter 2.3: Primary and Secondary School EducationCharlene Hwee Phio TanCharlene Hwee Phio TanThe University of Hong Kong, Chinahttps://doi.org/10.1142/9789811247750_0007Cited by:0 PreviousNext AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsRecommend to Library ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Abstract: The following sections are included: Introduction How Developments May Pan Out over the Next 50 Years What Ought to Be Done over the Next 50 Years Conclusion References FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Social Context, Policies, and Changes in SingaporeMetrics History PDF download

Historically, a major obstacle faced by Christian missionaries and Confucians in China was the reconciliation of foreign/“Western” Christian beliefs with indigenous/Confucian ideas, values, and practices. The comparative approach of bridge-building was used by Confucians and Christians to facilitate dialogue and promote congruence between the two traditions. Bridge-building maps the properties, ideas, and tools from one tradition onto those of another tradition. Three strategies for bridge-building that seek to harmonise Christian doctrines with Confucian ideas, values, and practices are highlighted: (1) identifying common ground between Confucian and Christian traditions; (2) adapting Christian teachings to prevailing Confucian ideas and/or practices; and (3) synthesising selected Confucian and Christian teachings through new or modified ideas and practices.

A mindful school community is underpinned by the core values of ren (humanity) and agape (love), which are derived from Confucian and Christian traditions respectively. Ren is the overarching and general quality that encompasses all virtues such as reverence, sincerity, empathy, tolerance, trustworthiness, diligence, and generosity. Love (agape) refers to the unconditional love of God as exemplified in the sacrifice of Jesus. The key similarities between ren (humanity) and agape (love) are a convergence on love, a synthesis of the heart and mind, a community of adherents, and an attention to social justice. A major difference between the two traditions is that ren in the Confucian traditions is human-centred that is rooted in filial piety, whereas agape in the Christian traditions is God-centred with an accent on salvation through Christ. A whole-school approach is needed to create and sustain a mindful school community that is premised on and powered by ren (humanity) and agape (love).

The vision of realising wholeness is achieved through a mindful curriculum. Informed by Confucian and Christian traditions, a mindful curriculum is transformational; it calls for human beings to broaden dao (Way) and presupposes that human beings are made in God’s image (imago dei). Such a curriculum is all-encompassing, applied, and mindful, enabling students to function optimally in the school community. When we compare the Confucian and Christian curricula, significant similarities are the shared affirmation of the worth and potential of human beings, the common reference to “way”, and the same emphasis on the importance of habituated dispositions and practices for students. A major difference is that while spirituality is noticeable in both curricula, the notion of imago dei (God’s image) is a more religiously tethered form of spirituality.

Mindful teaching, which has gained traction in recent years, is illuminated through the Confucian quality of shu (putting oneself in the other’s place) and the Christian principle of Golden Rule (do to others as you would have them do to you). Shu is closely related to empathy as it denotes, among other meanings, reciprocity, mutuality, consideration, and understanding. Empathy in the Christian traditions is encapsulated in the Golden Rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you”. Both shu and the Golden Rule privilege empathic concern and analogical thinking, which advance wholeness in students. Teacher empathy points to the degree to which educators work to deeply understand their students’ situations, care about students’ emotions, and communicate their concern to students through their behaviour. Empathic pedagogy, it follows, is about the sharing of thinking and feeling states to foster personal and societal growth.

In light of the broad, multidimensional, and contestable nature of constructivism, a central debate concerns the object of construction. What do we mean when we say that a learner is constructing something? Three general categories, with overlaps in between, are: the construction of meaning, the construction of knowledge, and the construction of knowledge claims. To construct meaning is to make sense of something by understanding both its parts and overall message. To construct knowledge is to obtain what philosophers traditionally call “justified true belief.” There are three conditions in this formulation of knowledge: belief, truth, and justification. Beliefs are intentional, meaningful, and representational, directing a person to attain truth and avoid error with respect to the very thing that person accepts. As for the notions of truth and justification, there are three major theories of truth, namely the correspondence theory, coherence theory, and pragmatic theory; and seven main types of justification, namely perception, reason, memory, testimony, faith, introspection, and intuition. Finally, to construct a knowledge claim is to indicate that one thinks that one knows something. The crucial difference between knowledge and a knowledge claim is that the latter has not acquired the status of knowledge. There are two main implications for teaching and learning that arise from an epistemological exploration of the concept of constructivism: First, educators need to be clear about what they want their students to construct, and how the latter should go about doing it. Informed by learner profiles and other contingent factors, educators should encourage their students to construct meanings, knowledge, and knowledge claims, individually and collaboratively, throughout their schooling years. Second, educators need to guard against some common misconceptions on constructivism in the schooling context. Constructivism, contrary to popular belief, is compatible with direct instruction, teacher guidance, structured learning, content learning, traditional assessment, and standardized testing. In sum, there are no pedagogical approaches and assessment modes that are necessarily constructivist or anticonstructivist. A variety of teaching methods, resources, and learning environments should therefore be employed to support students in their constructing process.

According to both Confucian and Christian traditions, students experience wholeness in the form of he (harmony) and shalom (peace) in a loving school community filled with ren (humanity) and agape (love). A mindful school is one where students flourish as self-directed learners through xiuji (self-cultivation) and spiritual formation. At the same time, teachers model and demonstrate empathic and dialogic teaching based on, and are motivated by, shu (putting oneself in the other’s place) and the Golden Rule (do to others as you would have them do to you). In a post-pandemic world, it is heartening to note that the fixation with academic performance and standardised testing, which contributes to an absence and neglect of wholeness, has been put aside for the better. Recommended strategies to enact mindful teaching and learning are: teacher role-modelling, mindful engagement, dialogic teaching, personalised and hybrid teaching, and Appreciative Inquiry (AI).