‘The big crossroad’: Parenting, risk and educational transitions in Singapore

Abstract

Singapore’s education system is globally recognized for its high academic standards. In this paper, I explore how Singaporean parents navigate sentiments of uncertainty and risk in relation to their children’s education. While academic achievements are still considered crucial to foster a competitive population, there has been a shift of attention in education policy towards social-emotional skills and holistic education. This reconceptualization of learning is partly grounded in a concern about children’s psychological well-being, but it is also construed as essential to thrive in the 21st century. The findings show that parents’ sentiments of uncertainty and risk management are complicated, and indeed heightened, by the paradoxical expectations with regard to children’s education. Sentiments of fear of regret and guilt were particularly conspicuous in the parents’ narratives and heightened during specific educational transitions, such as the Primary School Leaving Examination.