Events

This lecture series is brought to you by Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore; supported by NLB Public Libraries Singapore.

Demystifying Stereotypes on Asian Education Systems
Speaker         :  Associate Professor Hyunjoon Park, University of Pennsylvania, USA, and National University of Singapore
Discussant     :  Associate Professor Jason Tan, National Institute of Education, Singapore
Chairperson    :  Professor Wei-Jun Jean Yeung, National University of Singapore

In this talk, Professor Park will introduce major findings from his new book, Re-Evaluating Education in Japan and Korea: Demystifying Stereotypes (2013, Routledge). He will share his research findings surrounding debates about issues on Japanese and Korean education such as: Do the highly standardized ways of education make outstanding students mediocre? Are Japanese and Korea educational systems ineffective at nurturing students’ creativity and independent thinking? And, to what extent are students’ successes a result of private supplementary education? Professor Park will identify strengths and weaknesses of Japanese and Korean educational systems and discuss implications for other Asian countries like Singapore.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Hyunjoon Park is Korea Foundation Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his PhD from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2005. Park is interested in educational stratification and family in cross-national comparative perspective, focusing on East Asia, particularly South Korea and Japan. Specifically, using large-scale international datasets (PISA and TIMSS) he has investigated how the ways in which schools and families affect children’s education are contingent upon institutional arrangements of educational systems, public policy, and demographic changes. Park has published more than 40 journal articles and book chapters.  He has recently published a book, Re-Evaluating Education in Japan and Korea: De-mystifying Stereotypes (Routledge 2013). With Emily Hannum and Yuko Butler, he also edited a volume, Globalization, Changing Demographics, and Educational Challenges in East Asia (Research in Sociology of Education, Vol. 17).

Jason Tan completed his Masters in Education in education and national development at the University of Hong Kong and his doctoral studies in comparative education at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is currently Associate Professor in Policy and Leadership Studies at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. Jason is an international editorial board member of several international journals, including Asia Pacific Journal of Education and Globalisation, Societies and Education. His publications include Globalization and Marketization of Education: A Comparative Analysis of Hong Kong and Singapore (co-edited with Ka-ho Mok) and Education in Singapore: Taking Stock, Looking Forward.

ARI ASIA TRENDS 2013 SERIES

ASIA TRENDS is an ARI flagship public outreach event. This annual series of public lectures is an opportunity for ARI to connect with the local Singapore community through informing and interacting with various public sectors (citizenry, government), civil society organizations, businesses, universities and colleges, by presenting cutting edge research on major trends in Asia. Some trends examined in the past include “Women and Religion in Asia,” “Green Urbanism: How does Singapore compare?” “From Adolescent to Young Adulthood,” “Families, Children, and Domestic Workers in Contemporary Asia,” “Waxing Korean Wave in East Asia.” Each ARI research cluster hosts an evening seminar, during which an overseas speaker, who is a prominent researcher or scholar, is invited to examine an emerging trend in that research field; a Singapore-based researcher then provides comments on local development with regard to the relevant trend. Past seminars have witnessed some interesting interaction between speakers and commentators; some have also seen lively audience participation in the discussions. ASIA TRENDS showcase the work of ARI’s research clusters, highlights the relevance of ARI’s research to Singapore, and relates Singapore to the rest of Asia from the perspective of significant trends in the region.

REGISTRATION

Admission is free, however, registration is required. Kindly register early as seats are available on a first come, first served basis. We would greatly appreciate if you write to Sharon via email arios@nus.edu.sg your name, email, organisation/affiliation and contact number.