Intercultural education in everyday practice

While there is substantive work in intercultural education, especially that which proposes intellectual or conceptual road maps for pedagogic interculturalism and, more specifically for the classroom, there is a need to surface the complexity of everyday intercultural classroom practices. This article reflects on some Singapore students’ responses to materials designed to help them engage critically with intercultural issues. These responses can be categorized into three types of tajectories: reifying, critical and conflicted. Reifying practices basically mean that students essentialize individuals, communities and countries despite (and perhaps because of) the intercultural approach to the teaching of communication. Critical trajectories, on the other hand, showcase students’ ability to identify stereotypes and provide much more nuanced characterizations of individuals and countries. Conflicted trajectories, however, seem to be the most dominant classroom practice: these are attempts of students to be critical but, in practice, their criticality is enmeshed in reifying tendencies. In other words, ‘criticality’ as it is envisioned is always incomplete on the ground. Thus, we need micro-lenses in interculturalism and intercultural education to help us critically reflect on and surface essentialisms, tensions and struggles in everyday classroom practice.     

Poor Hemodialysis Outcome Identifying Social Risk Factors in Elderly and Non-elderly Patients in Singapore

Little is known about the social determinants that predispose hemodialysis patients to poor treatment outcome. Using a clinical data mining method, this study aims to identify differences in social risk factors for hospitalization between elderly and non-elderly patients. The sample consists of 100 elderly and 219 non-elderly patients who started hemodialysis at the National Kidney Foundation from October 2007 to September 2008 and were followed through up to one year of hemodialysis to examine their hospitalization status then. Bivariate analysis revealed differences in the risk profiles between the two groups. The study has implications for funding policy and also draws attention to how clinical interventions ought to be tailored between the two age groups.     

Prevalence and correlates of elder mistreatment in Singapore

The current study attempts to identify the prevalence rate of and risk factors associated with elder mistreatment in Singapore, a multi-ethnic nation in South-East Asia. Information on elder mistreatment was collected from 400 non-randomly selected cognitively intact older adults in a residential area of Singapore. Items on mistreatment were adopted from the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test and the Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale. Standardized scales on activities of daily living, loneliness, and items on violence between family members were administered. The prevalence rate of mistreatment was 8.3%. A family environment characterized by psychological and physical abuse between family members and a social environment characterized by loneliness increased the vulnerability of older adults to mistreatment. Older adults who were mistreated reported more depression symptoms than those who were not.     

论新加坡华文文学的文化取向

在新加坡华文文学中,“本土性”的旨意,是要求新加坡华文作家,自觉确认自己的生存身份,自觉认同自己的文化身份,担当起在缺乏“传统”时确立传统,在不西不中状况中“整合”传统的重任.“原根性”的旨意,是为了以未曾在“合壁”中被整合过的中华文化,与西方文化相对垒、相抗衡,也是为了对被整合过的“中华文化”,进行反省与修正.文学中的上述两种文化努力,将会不断重复.这种有意义的重复,将使新加坡华文文学更有个性、更加新鲜.     

新加坡对华政策的演变

新加坡对华政策是其外交政策的重要组成部分，由于新加坡是一个以华人为主体的国家，因而新加坡对华政策显得尤为敏感。受国内国际因素的影响，新加坡对华政策经历了三个演变阶段发展对华贸易，承认新中国，但不与中国进行政治接触；发展对华实质性政治关系，全面发展对华经济贸易关系与合作，但不急于与华建立外交关系；同中国建立外交关系，加强对华合作，全面拓宽、深化对华关系。新加坡对华政策具有三个明显的特色即连续稳定、逐步发展；对华政策与自身的生存政策密切结合；对华政策既受邻国对华政策的制约，又紧随邻国对华政策的节奏。     

海外华语语法研究: 现状、问题及前瞻简

海外华语是现代汉语的域外变体.海外华语语法研究是现代汉语语法研究的一部分,也是现代汉语语法研究的视角转换和外延拓展.以新加坡华语为例梳理了海外华语语法研究的现状,提出海外华语语法研究经历了两个阶段：1.隔绝期的海外华语语法研究（1950-1990年）;2.交流期的海外华语语法研究（1990-）.第一阶段的研究比较零散,偏重应用;后一阶段中外学者通力合作,研究逐步深入,但也存在一些问题.随着全球各地华语互动的增加,海外华语语法研究的一些重要议题应该提上日程.     

新加坡政府执行力分析

新加坡人民行动党政府的执行力受到世人的广泛赞誉。首先，责任政府是新加坡政府执行力的条件，即政府要负责任地制定政策，确定执行目标，以岗位责任制保证执行，并及时对政策等进行监控调整以达成更好的执行效果；其次，强势政府是新加坡政府执行力的途径，政府重视政府权威，重用具有刚性的强势精英，挥舞“大棒子”将负责任的政策贯彻执行到底；最后，廉能政府是新加坡政府执行力的保证，塑造出高效廉洁的具有执行力的组织，通过文官制度培养执行力人才，同时，借助政府外的力量有效地完成政府要执行的任务。     

新加坡产业结构的历史发展及其启示

本文试图从产业结构这一角度，揭示战后新加坡经济快速发展的原因，探讨“新加坡经验”的主要内容，以提供借鉴。     

鲁迅与20世纪20、30年代的新加坡文坛

在世界文坛占有重要地位的鲁迅,在20世纪20年代的新马是寂寞的,并没有享有如在中国一样的声誉;30年代,特别是在鲁迅逝世后,新马华人都特别推崇鲁迅,可以说几乎把他当作精神导师.     

新加坡公民道德建设及其反思

新加坡自1965年成为独立自主的国家起,在人民行动党的领导下全面引入了发展主义的国家建设思想,公民道德成为培养高素质国民的重要手段而得到肯定。新加坡公民道德建设经历了从公德到社会道德、共识道德的不同发展阶段,核心内容是养成"新加坡人意识",其间存在的主要问题是政府主导、公民参与不足。新加坡公民道德建设的启示在于:要经过充分的社会建设,才能过渡到现代政治改革;积极扶持社会组织才能保证公民道德的持续发展。