Dr. Yeow-Tong Chia is Senior Lecturer in History Curriculum Education at the University of Sydney, where he teaches history curriculum units in the combined degree and the Master of Teaching programs. He is also the Country Coordinator for Singapore with the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre.

Research interests

Educational history, sociology and philosophy

History of education

Educational systems: administration, management and leadership

International and comparative education

Research on teaching and learning

Social sciences, including civics

Keywords: history, state formation, comparative and international education, history curriculum, citizenship education

Current projects

2014-2017, "Exploring Hybrid Universities in East Asia: Cultures, Values and Changes", Asia Pacific Higher Education Research Partnership, Research Cluster 3 (https://apherp.org/research-cluster-3/). Project members: Sheng-Ju Chan, Molly N. N. Lee, Morshidi Sirat, Rui Yang, William Yat Wai Lo, Cheng Cheng Yang, Akiyoshi Yoneszawa, Jisun Sung, Edilberto C. de Jesus, Yeow-Tong Chia, Nhai Nguyen, Ly Tran, Tsui-Ting Kang

Associations

Co-convenor, Comparative and International Education Research (CoInEd) Network
Singapore Country Coordinator, Sydney Southeast Asia Centre
President, Malaysia and Singapore Society of Australia (MASSA)
Co-convenor, History and Education Special Interest Group, Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE)
General Council Member, Asian Studies Association of Australia, 2015-2016
Co-convenor, 18th MASSA Symposium, 5-6 December 2013, University of Sydney
Editorial Board Member: Historical Encounters; International Journal of Comparative Education and Development
Reviewer of: Asia Pacific Journal of Education,Citizenship Teaching and Learning,Comparative Education Review, Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, Educational Philosophy and Theory, European Education, Historical Encounters, History of Education, History of Education Review, International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, Journal of Curriculum Studies, Journal of Intercultural Studies, Paedagogica Historica, PORTAL: Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies

Awards and honours

2016-17 DVC Education Innovation Grant co-recipient (Team Leader: Tim Allender, Team Members: Kate Smyth, Yeow-Tong Chia James Goulding)
2015 SSEAC Conference Fund Recipient
2014-15 SSEAC Regional Mobility Fund Recipient
2013 Beijing Normal University '985 Project' seed funding program for collaborative research for project 'Sino-western culture conflict and dialogue: Education and State Formation in China (1912-1949), with Professor SUN Banghua (Beijing Normal University)
2012-13 University of Macau Multi-Year Research Grant Level I project, 'Academic Profession under the Impact of University Internationalization: A Case Study in Macau' Principal investigator: Dr. Yan Wang (UMacau), Co-investigators: Dr. Yeow-Tong Chia (USyd), Dr. Min-Chuan Sung (UMacau), Dr. Peggy Vong (UMacau)
April 2010 Berta Vigil Laden Travel Fund for AERA 2010 Conference
2009 Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship

Themes

Educational history, sociology and philosophy, Educational systems: administration, management and leadership, Research on teaching and learning

International links

China

(Beijing Normal University) collaborative research project on citizenship and history education in Republican China (1912-1949) with Professor SUN Banghua

PhD and master's project opportunities

International and Comparative Education

Current research students

Project title	Research student
State Appropriation of Confucianism: A Comparative Study of Civic Education in the “Chinese Cultural Revival Movement” in Taiwan and the Promotion of “Asian Values” in Singapore	Hercules CHU
The ‘Conflict’ vs ‘Colonialism’ Framework: How the Stage 6 Modern History Syllabus omits the Colonisation of Palestine through its Eurocentric and Orientalist Approach	Zuhra HASHIMI
Navigating Ideological Control and Integration: A Study of Resource Allocation Biases in Mainland China and Hong Kong Universities Amidst National Education Policies Reform	Yiting LUO
Exploring the lived experience of higher education students during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of hermeneutic phenomenology	Mark MACKAY

Selected publications

Citizenship and education in contemporary China: contexts, perspectives and understandings

(Routledge, 2023)

Teacher preparation in Singapore: A concise critical history

(Emerald Group Publishing Ltd., 2022)

Education, Culture and the Singapore Developmental State: 'World-Soul' Lost and Regained?

(Palgrave Macmillan, 2015)

Publications

By Type

Expand all

Books

Chia, Y., Zhao, Z. (2023). Citizenship and education in contemporary China: contexts, perspectives and understandings. Ebook: Routledge.
Chia, Y., Chew, A., Tan, J. (2022). Teacher preparation in Singapore: A concise critical history. UK: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. [More Information]
Chia, Y. (2015). Education, Culture and the Singapore Developmental State: 'World-Soul' Lost and Regained?. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. [More Information]

Book Chapters

Chia, Y., Chen, S. (2022). Constructing culture and educating citizens in developmental states: Singapore and China. In Lee, W.O., Brown, P., Goodwin, A., & Green, A. (Eds.), International handbook on education development in Asia Pacific, (pp. 1-17). Ebook: Springer Link. [More Information]
Rizvi, F., Zheng, J., Chia, Y. (2022). Rethinking the impact of globalisation on education in the Asia Pacific. In Lee, W.O., Brown, P., Goodwin, A., & Green, A. (Eds.), International handbook on education development in Asia Pacific, (pp. 1-18). Ebook: Springer Link. [More Information]
Chia, Y., Beard, K. (2019). Teaching citizenship in the history classroom. In T. Allender, A. Clark, R. Parkes (Eds.), Historical Thinking for History Teachers: A new approach to engaging students and developing historical consciousness, (pp. 310-322). Sydney: Allen and Unwin. [More Information]
Chia, Y., Neoh, J. (2017). Comparative insights on civics and citizenship education and the curriculum: A view from Singapore. In Andrew Peterson, Libby Tudball (Eds.), Civics and citizenship education in Australia: Challenges, practices and international perspectives, (pp. 263-278). London: Bloomsbury. [More Information]
Chia, Y., Neoh, J. (2016). Comparative Insights on Civics and Citizenship Education and the Curriculum: A View from Singapore. In Andrew Peterson, Libby Tudball (Eds.), Civics and citizenship education in Australia: Challenges, practices and international perspectives, (pp. 263-278). London: Bloomsbury.
Chia, Y. (2014). State formation and nation building through education: The origins and introduction of the "National Education" program in Singapore. In James H Williams (Eds.), (Re)constructing memory: School textbooks and the imagination of the nation, (pp. 61-77). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. [More Information]
Chia, Y. (2013). The elusive goal of nation building: Asian/Confucian values and citizenship education in Singapore during the 1980s. In Les Bell, Howard Stevenson (Eds.), Organizing public education, (pp. 65-84). London: Sage Publications.
Chia, Y. (2012). Historicizing Comparative and International Education, and Internationalizing History of Education: A Personal reflection on Ruth Hayhoe's Call for Cultural Dialogue. In Karen Mundy and Qiang Zha (Eds.), Education and Global Cultural Dialogue: A Tribute to Ruth Hayhoe, (pp. 69-82). New York, USA: Palgrave Macmillan. [More Information]
Chia, Y. (2012). What is National Education? The origins and introduction of the "National Education" programme in Singapore. In Jason Tan (Eds.), Education in Singapore: Taking Stock, Looking Forward, (pp. 3-16). Singapore: Pearson Education South Asia.

show 6 more

Journals

Chia, Y., Neoh, J. (2024). Latent democratic potential: reflections on contemporary citizenship education in Singapore. Curriculum Perspectives. [More Information]
Nguyen, N., Chia, Y. (2023). Decolonizing research imagination: a journey of reshaping research epistemology and ontology. Asia Pacific Education Review, 24, 213-226. [More Information]
Chia, Y., Jackson, L., Rizvi, F., Takayama, K., Jun, A., Low, R., Coloma, R., Horse, A., Stanley, T., Jeung, R., Park, J., et al (2023). Education and #StopAsianHate: a global conversation. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 55(13), 1450-1463. [More Information]
Yang, Y., Chia, Y. (2023). Reflection on China's higher vocational education entrance examination: lessons from the imperial examination in modern China. Asia Pacific Education Review. [More Information]
Yang, Y., Chia, Y. (2023). Reflection on China’s higher vocational education entrance examination: lessons from the imperial examination in modern China. Asia Pacific Education Review. [More Information]
Yang, Y., Chia, Y. (2023). Understanding educational policy transfer: an analysis of the Japanese influence on China’s vocational education. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education. [More Information]
Zhang, W., Chen, Z., Chia, Y., Neoh, J. (2022). Rethinking civic education in the digital era: How media, school, and youth negotiate the meaning of citizenship. The International Communication Gazette, 84(4), 287-305. [More Information]
Chieh, J., Chia, Y. (2021). Decolonizing the History Curriculum in Malaysia and Singapore by Kevin Blackburn and Zonglun Wu (review). Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic, 94(1), 232-234. [More Information]
Chia, Y., Zhao, Z. (2020). Citizenship and education in China: Contexts, perspectives, and understandings (Guest Editorial). Chinese Education & Society, 53(1-2), 1-2. [More Information]
Loke, H., Chia, Y., Gopinathan, S. (2017). Hybridity, the developmental state and globalisation: The case of Singapore's universities. Studies in Higher Education, 42(10), 1887-1898. [More Information]
Chia, Y. (2016). Singapore General Election 2015 and the Role of Citizenship Education. The Round Table, 105(2), 149-160. [More Information]
Chia, Y. (2014). Historical films as reenactments of the past: A case study of The Last Emperor. Teaching History, 48(1), 12-16.
Chia, Y. (2013). Through the "Western" gaze: Chinese history in Ontario High School World History Syllabus and textbooks, 1947-ca. 1980s. History of Education Review, 42(2), 199-211. [More Information]
Chia, Y. (2012). History education for nation building and state formation: The case of Singapore. International Journal of Citizenship Teaching and Learning, 7(2), 191-207. [More Information]
Chia, Y. (2011). The elusive goal of nation building: Asian/Confucian values and citizenship education in Singapore during the 1980s. British Journal of Educational Studies, 59(4), 383-402. [More Information]
Chia, Y. (2010). Education for living: epitome of civics education? BiblioAsia, 6(3), 10-14.
Chia, Y. (2005). Citizenship education in Asia and the Pacific: concepts and issues (book review). International Journal of Citizenship and Teacher Education, 1(2), 100-101.

show 14 more

Conferences

Wang, Y., Chia, Y., Sung, M., Vong, K. (2012). Academic Profession under university internationalization: A Case Study in Macau. 2012 Joint International Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) and the Asia Pacific Educational Research Association (APERA), Sydney: Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE).
Chia, Y. (2012). Education and the Advent of the Singapore Developmental State, 1965 - C.1980. 19th Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association, 20112 - Knowing Asia: Asian Studies in an Asian Century, Not published: Not Published.
Chia, Y. (2012). Internationalization of Higher Education: The importance of context and its implications for Asian/Chinese universities in an era of globalisation. 2012 Joint International Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) and the Asia Pacific Educational Research Association (APERA), Sydney: Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE).
Chia, Y. (2012). Overcoming the Odds: Education and the Rise of the Singapore Developmental State, 1965 â€“ c.1980. Association for Asian Studies (AAS) Annual Conference, 2012.
Chia, Y. (2012). Through the Western gaze: Chinese History in Ontario High School World History Curriculum and textbooks, 1947 to 1990. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting 2012 - Non Satis Scire: To Know Is Not Enough, Washington, DC: AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION.
Chia, Y. (2012). Through the Western gaze: Chinese History in Ontario High School World History Curriculum and Textbooks, 1947 to 1990. Buildings, Books and Blackboards: Intersecting Narratives Conference.

show 3 more

Magazine / Newspaper Articles

Chia, Y. (2011). What is National Education in Singapore? Berita (Newsletter of the Malaysia/Singapore Brunei Study Group of the Association for Asian Studies).

Other

Chia, Y. (2017), Education, culture and the Singapore developmental state: Reflections on writing the book (The HEAD Foundation Occasional Paper, No.1/2017). [More Information]
Chia, Y. (2011), Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act: Resource Guide for Asian Heritage Month.

By Year

Expand all

2024

Chia, Y., Neoh, J. (2024). Latent democratic potential: reflections on contemporary citizenship education in Singapore. Curriculum Perspectives. [More Information]

2023

Chia, Y., Zhao, Z. (2023). Citizenship and education in contemporary China: contexts, perspectives and understandings. Ebook: Routledge.
Nguyen, N., Chia, Y. (2023). Decolonizing research imagination: a journey of reshaping research epistemology and ontology. Asia Pacific Education Review, 24, 213-226. [More Information]
Chia, Y., Jackson, L., Rizvi, F., Takayama, K., Jun, A., Low, R., Coloma, R., Horse, A., Stanley, T., Jeung, R., Park, J., et al (2023). Education and #StopAsianHate: a global conversation. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 55(13), 1450-1463. [More Information]
Yang, Y., Chia, Y. (2023). Reflection on China's higher vocational education entrance examination: lessons from the imperial examination in modern China. Asia Pacific Education Review. [More Information]
Yang, Y., Chia, Y. (2023). Reflection on China’s higher vocational education entrance examination: lessons from the imperial examination in modern China. Asia Pacific Education Review. [More Information]
Yang, Y., Chia, Y. (2023). Understanding educational policy transfer: an analysis of the Japanese influence on China’s vocational education. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education. [More Information]

show 3 more

2022

Chia, Y., Chen, S. (2022). Constructing culture and educating citizens in developmental states: Singapore and China. In Lee, W.O., Brown, P., Goodwin, A., & Green, A. (Eds.), International handbook on education development in Asia Pacific, (pp. 1-17). Ebook: Springer Link. [More Information]
Zhang, W., Chen, Z., Chia, Y., Neoh, J. (2022). Rethinking civic education in the digital era: How media, school, and youth negotiate the meaning of citizenship. The International Communication Gazette, 84(4), 287-305. [More Information]
Rizvi, F., Zheng, J., Chia, Y. (2022). Rethinking the impact of globalisation on education in the Asia Pacific. In Lee, W.O., Brown, P., Goodwin, A., & Green, A. (Eds.), International handbook on education development in Asia Pacific, (pp. 1-18). Ebook: Springer Link. [More Information]
Chia, Y., Chew, A., Tan, J. (2022). Teacher preparation in Singapore: A concise critical history. UK: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. [More Information]

show 1 more

2021

Chieh, J., Chia, Y. (2021). Decolonizing the History Curriculum in Malaysia and Singapore by Kevin Blackburn and Zonglun Wu (review). Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic, 94(1), 232-234. [More Information]

2020

Chia, Y., Zhao, Z. (2020). Citizenship and education in China: Contexts, perspectives, and understandings (Guest Editorial). Chinese Education & Society, 53(1-2), 1-2. [More Information]

2019

Chia, Y., Beard, K. (2019). Teaching citizenship in the history classroom. In T. Allender, A. Clark, R. Parkes (Eds.), Historical Thinking for History Teachers: A new approach to engaging students and developing historical consciousness, (pp. 310-322). Sydney: Allen and Unwin. [More Information]

2017

Chia, Y., Neoh, J. (2017). Comparative insights on civics and citizenship education and the curriculum: A view from Singapore. In Andrew Peterson, Libby Tudball (Eds.), Civics and citizenship education in Australia: Challenges, practices and international perspectives, (pp. 263-278). London: Bloomsbury. [More Information]
Chia, Y. (2017), Education, culture and the Singapore developmental state: Reflections on writing the book (The HEAD Foundation Occasional Paper, No.1/2017). [More Information]
Loke, H., Chia, Y., Gopinathan, S. (2017). Hybridity, the developmental state and globalisation: The case of Singapore's universities. Studies in Higher Education, 42(10), 1887-1898. [More Information]

2016

Chia, Y., Neoh, J. (2016). Comparative Insights on Civics and Citizenship Education and the Curriculum: A View from Singapore. In Andrew Peterson, Libby Tudball (Eds.), Civics and citizenship education in Australia: Challenges, practices and international perspectives, (pp. 263-278). London: Bloomsbury.
Chia, Y. (2016). Singapore General Election 2015 and the Role of Citizenship Education. The Round Table, 105(2), 149-160. [More Information]

2015

Chia, Y. (2015). Education, Culture and the Singapore Developmental State: 'World-Soul' Lost and Regained?. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. [More Information]

2014

Chia, Y. (2014). Historical films as reenactments of the past: A case study of The Last Emperor. Teaching History, 48(1), 12-16.
Chia, Y. (2014). State formation and nation building through education: The origins and introduction of the "National Education" program in Singapore. In James H Williams (Eds.), (Re)constructing memory: School textbooks and the imagination of the nation, (pp. 61-77). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. [More Information]

2013

Chia, Y. (2013). The elusive goal of nation building: Asian/Confucian values and citizenship education in Singapore during the 1980s. In Les Bell, Howard Stevenson (Eds.), Organizing public education, (pp. 65-84). London: Sage Publications.
Chia, Y. (2013). Through the "Western" gaze: Chinese history in Ontario High School World History Syllabus and textbooks, 1947-ca. 1980s. History of Education Review, 42(2), 199-211. [More Information]

2012

Wang, Y., Chia, Y., Sung, M., Vong, K. (2012). Academic Profession under university internationalization: A Case Study in Macau. 2012 Joint International Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) and the Asia Pacific Educational Research Association (APERA), Sydney: Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE).
Chia, Y. (2012). Education and the Advent of the Singapore Developmental State, 1965 - C.1980. 19th Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association, 20112 - Knowing Asia: Asian Studies in an Asian Century, Not published: Not Published.
Chia, Y. (2012). Historicizing Comparative and International Education, and Internationalizing History of Education: A Personal reflection on Ruth Hayhoe's Call for Cultural Dialogue. In Karen Mundy and Qiang Zha (Eds.), Education and Global Cultural Dialogue: A Tribute to Ruth Hayhoe, (pp. 69-82). New York, USA: Palgrave Macmillan. [More Information]
Chia, Y. (2012). History education for nation building and state formation: The case of Singapore. International Journal of Citizenship Teaching and Learning, 7(2), 191-207. [More Information]
Chia, Y. (2012). Internationalization of Higher Education: The importance of context and its implications for Asian/Chinese universities in an era of globalisation. 2012 Joint International Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) and the Asia Pacific Educational Research Association (APERA), Sydney: Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE).
Chia, Y. (2012). Overcoming the Odds: Education and the Rise of the Singapore Developmental State, 1965 â€“ c.1980. Association for Asian Studies (AAS) Annual Conference, 2012.
Chia, Y. (2012). Through the Western gaze: Chinese History in Ontario High School World History Curriculum and textbooks, 1947 to 1990. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting 2012 - Non Satis Scire: To Know Is Not Enough, Washington, DC: AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION.
Chia, Y. (2012). Through the Western gaze: Chinese History in Ontario High School World History Curriculum and Textbooks, 1947 to 1990. Buildings, Books and Blackboards: Intersecting Narratives Conference.
Chia, Y. (2012). What is National Education? The origins and introduction of the "National Education" programme in Singapore. In Jason Tan (Eds.), Education in Singapore: Taking Stock, Looking Forward, (pp. 3-16). Singapore: Pearson Education South Asia.

show 6 more

2011

Chia, Y. (2011), Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act: Resource Guide for Asian Heritage Month.
Chia, Y. (2011). The elusive goal of nation building: Asian/Confucian values and citizenship education in Singapore during the 1980s. British Journal of Educational Studies, 59(4), 383-402. [More Information]
Chia, Y. (2011). What is National Education in Singapore? Berita (Newsletter of the Malaysia/Singapore Brunei Study Group of the Association for Asian Studies).

2010

Chia, Y. (2010). Education for living: epitome of civics education? BiblioAsia, 6(3), 10-14.

2005

Chia, Y. (2005). Citizenship education in Asia and the Pacific: concepts and issues (book review). International Journal of Citizenship and Teacher Education, 1(2), 100-101.

Selected Grants

2022

Cracking the Code: AI Gender Bias in the Asia Pacific, Sinpeng A, Boichak O, Xu C, Chia Y, Ford M, DVC Research/Sustainable Development Goal collaboration program

2019

The mediation of civic learning by digital social media: An Australian - Singapore comparison. , Print M, Zhang W, Chia Y, Neoh J, Yoo R, Chen Z, Xi Y, wang Z, Office of Global Engagement/Partnership Collaboration Awards

In the media

Interview by SBS Radio (in Mandarin) on the Asian Australian Academic Alliance; program aired on 13 January 2016.
Interview by SBS Filipino Radio (in English) on the Asian Australian Academic Alliance; program aired on 12 January 2016.
Interview by SBS TV on the haze in Southeast Asia, which aired on 29 September 2015.
Radio interview by The Wire on Lee Kuan Yew's passing on 23 March 2015.
Guest at TDM Talk show in Macau, speaking on Confucianism and education in China and Singapore; program aired on 7 March 2013 at Channel 81 on Macau Cable TV.
Interview by International Herald Tribune (global edition of New York Times) on Singapore's Higher Education; article published on 27 August 2012.

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

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Dr Yeow Tong Chia