Miniature (Oxford English Dictionary) Very small of its kind: ‘children dressed as miniature adults’—https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/miniature.
Abstract
This paper explores the concept of miniature students to interrogate the ways in which early childhood care and education systems in East Asian countries are being constructed. Experiences drawn from working in the Hong Kong education system and observations of teaching and researching in Hong Kong have enabled an analysis about the ways in which young children are conceptualized, normalized, and governed from the beginning of preschool. The purpose of the analysis presented is not to create an alternative grand narrative of childhood or studenthood, but rather to explicate the ways in which young children are being shaped into miniature students from the beginning of their (in)formal educational experiences. A post-structuralist lens is used to explore the ways in which this concept has become manifested within the context of a privatized system, regulated by government and supported by new forms of funding to increase participation. Going beyond the geopolitical space of Asia, the making of miniature students can also be observed in many other countries in which governments focus on ‘rigorous’ assessment schemes or systems that are considered to result in improved high stakes test scores. The making of miniature students is perpetuated by a drive by governments toward narrow education outcomes.
Résumé
Cet article explore le concept d’étudiants miniatures pour questionner la façon dont les systèmes d’éducation et de garde des jeunes enfants se construisent dans les pays de l’Asie de l’Est. Des expériences de travail dans le système d’éducation de Hong Kong et des observations de l’enseignement et de la recherche à Hong Kong ont permis une analyse des façon de conceptualiser, réglementer et gouverner les jeunes enfants, dès le début de l’école maternelle. Le but de l’analyse présentée n’est pas de créer une autre grande représentation de l’enfant ou de l’étudiant, mais plutôt d’expliquer comment les jeunes enfants sont formés en étudiants miniatures dès le début de leurs expériences d’éducation (in)formelle. Un regard poststructuraliste est utilisé pour explorer les façons dont ce concept est devenu manifeste dans le contexte d’un système privatisé, réglementé par le gouvernement et soutenu par de nouvelles formes de financement pour accroître la participation. Au-delà de l’espace géopolitique de l’Asie, la fabrication d’étudiants miniatures peut aussi s’observer dans de nombreux autres pays où les gouvernements se centrent sur des schémas ou systèmes d’évaluation « rigoureuse » , conçus comme façon d’augmenter les scores élevés aux examens. La fabrication d’étudiants miniatures est perpétuée par une orientation des gouvernements vers des impacts éducatifs étroits.
Resumen
Este trabajo explora el concepto de estudiantes en miniatura para interrogar las maneras en que la atención de la primera infancia y los sistemas educativos en los países de Asia oriental están siendo construidas. Experiencias de trabajo en el sistema educativo de Hong Kong y las observaciones de la enseñanza y la investigación en Hong Kong, han permitido un análisis acerca de las maneras en que los niños pequeños son conceptualizados, regidos y administrados desde el inicio de la etapa preescolar. El propósito del análisis presentado no es crear una alternativa de gran narrativa de la infancia o de los escolares, sino más bien explicar las maneras en que los niños pequeños están siendo moldeados en miniaturas estudiantes desde el inicio de sus (in) experiencias educativas formales. Un lente postestructuralista es utilizado para explorar las formas en que este concepto se ha vuelto manifiesto en el contexto de un sistema privatizado, regulado por el gobierno y apoyado por nuevas formas de financiación para aumentar la participación. Yendo más allá del espacio geopolítico de Asia, las decisiones de los estudiantes en miniatura también se pueden observar en muchos otros países en los que los gobiernos se centran en ‘rigurosos’ planes o sistemas de evaluación que se consideran resultan en una mejora en las altas puntuaciones de pruebas. Las decisiones del estudiante en miniatura son perpetuadas por una unidad por los gobiernos para estrechar los resultados educativos.
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Notes
In most East Asian locations, the name kindergarten is interchangeable with preschool.
News about ‘kindergarten battles’ in Hong Kong may appear to be ‘foreign’ for families without young children. It was reported that in October 2013, around 2000 parents lined up outside of one ‘start’ kindergarten to apply for 240 spaces. For details, see: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/30/world/asia/hong-kong-kindergarten-competition/.
The low birth rates in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea since the late 1990s have created major impacts at national levels. Some recent examples would be the need to close down schools (from preschools to universities) in Taiwan due to a significant drop in the number of school children.
See the Hong Kong official facts from the Census and Statistics Department http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/population.pdf.
In 2012, a HSBC bank report projected that it would cost a middle-class family HK$ 4 million dollars to raise a child. Education is costly and competitive despite the 15 years of free education. Housing prices are also soaring, as Hong Kong has continued to top the chart of the world’s least affordable cities.
The importation of foreign domestic helpers as nannies and maids is legal and common in Hong Kong but can be problematic for many families. Foreign domestic helpers as nannies and maids in Hong Kong may not be well respected in many contexts. In extreme cases, children are thought of as the “owners” of their maids, who are, in fact, their primary caregivers. According to the Immigration Department Annual Report, foreign domestic helpers are allowed to work in Hong Kong to relieve many families of household chores. The domestic helpers’ employment is on a two-year contract basis, and they are not allowed to work as full-time chauffeurs. In 2010, the population of foreign domestic helpers was 273,609 (and the total population in Hong Kong was about 7.03 million). For details, please see the official report at http://www.immd.gov.hk/a_report_09-10/eng/ch1/index.htm.
For information on the regulation for hiring a domestic helper in Hong Kong, please see: http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/employment/recruitment/foreigndomestichelper.htm.
Multiple media reports about how did Finland do it, the Finnish experiences, or the Finnish miracle have been coming up very frequently all over the world. Some examples of news coverage could be found in the following links: http://www.greatschools.org/students/2453-finland-education.gs or http://ed-matters.blogspot.com.au/2010/11/so-how-did-finland-do-it.html After all, in the past few rounds of PISA, Finland is one of the few top performing countries from the ‘West.’ Although the divide between Eastern and Western cultures is limited, it is important to note that some Asian cultures have different but yet similar ‘experiences.’ For example, in most East Asian contexts, among the different Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cultures, Confucianism often becomes an inter-referencing base entity that marks Asian students differently from Western children.
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Lee, IF., Yelland, N.J. Crafting Miniature Students in the Early Years: Schooling for Desirable Childhoods in East Asia. IJEC 49, 39–56 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-017-0183-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-017-0183-7