A Study of the Learning Support Programme (English) in Assisting Identified Students Cope with the Literacy Demands of Mainstream Curriculum: A Case Study of the LSP in a Neighbourhood School

Menon Sharma Monica

English Language Honours AE, NIE, 2004

Abstract

The English Language is the official working language and medium of instruction in Singapore. The premium placed on the English Language as evidenced in the syllabus materials and the expected outcomes of English Language education raises the stakes in the learning of English. Pupils who do not possess school-type literacy upon entry into primary one are disadvantaged. The Learning Support Programme (LSP) was introduced to assist such pupils cope with the demands of the mainstream English Language syllabus. This study outlines the rationale of the LSP, an English Language intervention programme currently in place in all primary schools in Singapore. The research details the LSP in one particular school through a series of classroom observations, interviews with pioneers of the programme and the Learning Support Coordinator (LSC). The research provides a framework of reference using the social constructivists approach to analyse the data, thus highlighting the strategies and approaches employed by a particular LSC. The implementation of the programme and the pedagogical implications will be discussed with a view to recommending improvements to the programme to ensure the literacy success of pupils involved.