Why Fear the Fear of Failure? – Imperatives for Refining our Education System

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That Parliament do now adjourn."

Question proposed.

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Hon Members of the House, as we approach the end of a long sitting in Parliament, you must be running through your minds the many tasks you need to complete to tomorrow, as you tick off those that you have accomplished today. You may cheer in the thought that you have achieved several goals, but nevertheless berate yourself for not attaining others. And you probably feel frustrated and annoyed at your lack of efficacy in that regard. Because ultimately as human beings, we are often our own toughest critics. We set lofty targets for ourselves, and feel like losers when we do not meet them. We take our own shortcomings and inflate them, diminish our best efforts and magnify our failures.

Alas, failure is very much on the minds of students in Singapore, as revealed by the PISA Rankings announced in December. While our 15-year-old students came in second worldwide in reading, math and science, we came in first for a fresh indicator. The PISA test introduced a new measure to assess students’ fear of failure where compared to students from other countries, we have the highest percentage of students, 78%, agreeing or strongly agreeing with the phrase, "When I am failing, this makes me doubt my plans for the future". Tellingly, 72% of Singapore students also worry about what others would think of them if they fail, reflecting the resounding weight of failure on their sense of self-worth.

While we may despair that these statistics indicate our failure as a society to nurture tougher and more resilient youths, we should also take them as helpful cues for what we can do to further refine our education system, so that we can make it even more robust and forward-looking than it already is. This involves taking a hard look at the achievement orientation that underlies our education system, with its strong focus on examinations and grades that contributes to this fear of failure.

Achievement orientation is by no means undesirable as it propels our students to take their studies seriously, work hard and strive for excellence. However, an over-emphasis on achievement can also extinguish the love for learning, induce an obsession with grades and transform our students into examination-taking machines.

I therefore commend MOE for having made concrete steps towards de-emphasising examinations at Primary and Secondary levels. Mid-year examinations for Primary 3 and 5 and Secondary 1 and 3 students are being progressively scrapped, and all graded assessments and examinations at Primary 1 and 2 have also been removed to give young pupils two test-free years. Report books no longer state the class and level rankings of Primary and Secondary school students, and marks for each subject are rounded off and presented as whole numbers, without decimal points, to minimise the intense focus on marks. Instead, teachers now provide qualitative descriptors on their pupils' learning. While some may denigrate these as mere symbolic efforts, we cannot underestimate the power of symbolism.

Indeed, there is yet more that we can do to lessen the achievement orientation and downplay the fear of failure, both symbolically and practically, particularly at the operational level.

First, let us cast our eye on our students’ everyday learning environments. I am assured that most of our teachers work hard at their jobs and do their best to instil excellence and industry in their students. However, a small minority engage in microaggressions in the classroom where they use questionable tactics and harsh measures to motivate under-performing students. As distressed students and parents have shared with me, these include reading out the names and test scores of every student in class in order of highest to lowest scorers, thereby prolonging the ordeal for those at the bottom of the pile. Another often mentioned practice is the flashing of the work of poor performers on the screen and using these as examples of what not to do, with the identity of the "incompetent" student being made clearly known to everyone.

Teachers have also been known to taunt students with disparaging comments such as "you’re too stupid to take this course" or "why can’t you do something so simple?" In more extreme situations, some teachers promise the entire class a fast food treat if everyone in the class scores above a certain threshold. When some pupils fail to attain that magic score, the teacher then denies everyone the treat and the disappointed class then chastises and ostracises the under-performers. Such tactics not only shame the poor performers but also create a toxic environment that promotes dog-eat-dog hostility rather than peer-to-peer support.

I believe that these teachers are fundamentally well-intentioned and seek only to spur on their students. And their actions are really symptomatic of the broader pressures that teachers themselves face in delivering results. Be that as it may, such teachers must be made to realise that these destructive methods of highlighting failure and under-performance can demotivate students and lead them to lose interest in the subject. They can also demoralise the students and at worst, inflict long-term damage on their self-esteem. As worries about the mental health of young people are on the ascent, we must not dismiss such microaggressions in the classroom and do our utmost to educate our teachers on their harms. I therefore propose that we better prepare and empower our teachers to be proactive and sensitive in helping students manage failure and deal with setbacks. Our schools must feel like safe spaces in which to fail, and to try again.

Second, even as we have de-emphasised class rankings in report books, teachers are communicating actively with parents about their children via a range of mobile apps and digital platforms including Parents Gateway, ClassDojo, Remind and even WhatsApp. In research for my book "Transcendent Parenting: Raising Children in the Digital Age", we captured screenshots from parents’ phones where teachers would message parents of their children's performance in individual tests and assignments. Some would also include the highest, lowest and median scores for the assignments, thereby allowing pupils to place where they stood relative to everyone else. Yet another teacher messaged the parents that 30 pupils had scored full marks for a spelling test. If our average class size is 33-34, how would the three or four kids who missed out on a perfect score feel? I reckon that those kids and their parents must have felt like failures.

Furthermore, apps like ClassDojo also allow teachers to assign a score to children's in-class performance and this is also communicated to the parents, thereby allowing parents to "track" how their children are faring in class. My research also showed that some parents obsess over these scores and interrogate their children about what went on in school, even though these scores are disguised as gamified rewards.

Some may argue that it is parents and indeed students themselves who are keen to know how well they are doing. However, we can collectively reshape the culture of achievement orientation if there is an overall shift in emphasis from relative performance towards individual performance, and where qualitative feedback is prioritised over quantitative metrics. Fundamentally, if we want to reduce the excessive focus on grades in our education system, we must ensure that this is practised consistently and across the board, not just in report books but also in everyday teacher-parent communication.

Third, another setting in which our students feel the fear of failure most acutely is in the collection of PSLE, "O" and "A" level results. Many students and families are on tenterhooks in the days leading up to these fateful moments. Those who have performed beyond or up to expectations will be relieved but those who have not will find the entire exercise excruciating. Besides the seemingly interminable wait for the results, there is also the awkward trudge out of school where friends will demand to know how well you have performed. Some students have been known to call the walk out from the school hall to the school gate the walk of shame. Others hide in the toilet until the coast is clear!

Mind you, many students will feel like they have failed, even if they have done well by objective measures. In one JC where students with 6As and above were invited on stage, some students with 5As cried buckets. In another school where the average IB score was 43, one student who scored an admirable 41 points was seen bawling his eyes out.

Ultimately, the atmosphere around the collection of results for these high stakes examinations is stressful and intense. Must we pile on the pressure by requiring that students collect them personally? An already difficult experience exacerbated by the prevalence of smartphones to capture and broadcast everything via social media? Let us not forget that our young lead very public lives where they have an online image to maintain and live up to, thereby adding to their social anxiety around such watershed events. I reiterate that the PISA measure found that a sizeable majority of our students worry about what others would think of them if they fail.

By removing the public spectacle with which these results are released, we can lessen the perception that these exams are as high stakes as currently viewed. We will also send the clear message that they are not the be all and end all of each student’s educational journey. As it stands, our Universities and Polytechnics already successfully release their exam results online.

I am confident that with our Smart Nation infrastructure that we can well handle the online release of PSLE, "O", "A" level and IB results that allow students and their families to receive and process the information in the privacy of their own homes. For students who wish to seek support after the results, schools can be open for the day to welcome whoever wishes to consult, commiserate or even celebrate with teachers. But give all students the option of receiving their results privately.

As for students who have excelled, we can still mark their successes in other ways, such as through the Edusave Award ceremonies that showcase achievements by students across all levels. By turning off the glaring spotlight on the collection of results for high stakes examinations, we also send the important signal that ours is a culture of lifelong learning that does not end with attaining these certificates. After all, in the wake of Industry 4.0 and beyond, we must all recognise that learning extends well beyond our formal school years.

I believe that through these measures big and small, that we can help to further reduce achievement orientation in our education system and in the process, mitigate the fear of failure. As they say, there is nothing to fear but fear itself. Failure can be instructive and rewarding, providing us with feedback and valuable experience for future undertakings. But it is the fear of failure that holds us back. When we fear failure, we tend to be more conservative, stick to the tried and tested, and hesitate to venture into new territory.

The fear of failure can therefore impede personal growth, creativity and innovation, all of which are critical assets for our young people as they mature in a future that is promising, but also challenging.

As the on-going coronavirus crisis sharply demonstrates, ours is a decidedly unpredictable world where curve balls abound. If our young people are crippled by the fear of failure, and do not nurture a growth mindset that is open to constant adaptation, they will find it difficult to manage change and uncertainty.

Mr Deputy Speaker, our young Singaporeans are smart, capable and passionate. Let us do our best to make sure that they are fearless too.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Muhammad Faishal.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank Prof Lim Sun Sun for sharing her views. Failure teaches us valuable lessons and learning to bounce back from setbacks is one of the most critical life skills that our students can learn. My response will elaborate on three points: first, the value of failure and what our teachers are doing to inculcate a growth mind-set in our students; second, the systems changes that MOE is making so that students can develop to their fullest potential; third, our collective effort in re-shaping societal attitudes, helping students to learn from setbacks and grow in confidence. Parents, alongside educators, also have an important role to play.

First, on the value of failure. MOE has looked into the PISA findings that Prof Lim mentioned earlier. In MOE's studies, students report that they are stressed by high expectations from themselves and others. At the same time, the PISA findings also indicated that our students have higher levels of self-efficacy, which reflects confidence in one's ability to get things done, compared to peers in other top-performing education systems.

Hence, the fear of failure may actually be a reflection of the strong achievement motivation and expectations of our students. Just like stress, a healthy level of concern about failure is not a bad thing – in other words, we do not always have to fear the "fear of failure". Nonetheless, we agree that excessive fear of failure is undesirable. It can lead to risk-aversion, anxiety and a reluctance to try new challenges.

As everybody can attest to, experiencing failure is an unavoidable part of life. In fact, some successful entrepreneurs will tell you that it is actually an essential stepping-stone on the way to success. Hence, we must teach our students how to get up when they fall and to manage the challenges and stressors that they may face, whether in school or in life.

Today, our schools and teachers provide opportunities for students to face challenges and openly discuss success and failure. Schools promote a supportive learning culture, whereby positive teacher-student relationship and peer support are emphasised. Our teachers are trained to use different means to motivate their charges. They use role models and positive peer examples to encourage the class to excel. Teachers also help students to see that there is no need to be overly anxious over "failures". Instead, they are just setbacks that provide useful learning points and feedback in their lifelong journey, and the "try-fail-try-again" approach can provide a richer learning experience. There may be instances where these can be done better and we note the feedback given by Prof Lim.

Developing resilience in the face of failure is also proactively inculcated as part of Character and Citizenship Education, or CCE, that all students experience. Through CCE, students learn about a growth mindset, and understand that their abilities can be developed through dedication and a never-say-die attitude. Beyond classroom lessons, our students reinforce these skills through CCA interactions, inter-school competitions and even student-body elections. These experiences enable them to overcome challenges, taste success and learn from setbacks.

At this point, let me share the thinking behind the collection of national examination results. First, it is important that when students receive their results, regardless of whether it meets their expectations or beyond, that they have the support of their closest friends, teachers and school counsellors at hand. So, it is important that they are present. Second, we have seen that this is the juncture where many students look to their teachers for timely and relevant advice regarding their next phase of education. To avoid undue pressure, we had stopped announcing the top PSLE scorer and the academic banding of Secondary schools. Some schools also give out results at the classroom level, rather than in the school hall. We will continue to review how schools release results, in the best interests of students.

Moving on to my second point, indeed, I fully agree with Prof Lim that we should nurture a culture of lifelong learning and thank her for her support in the changes we are making at MOE. New pathways, increased porosity between them, and a greater diversity of programmes cater to the diverse strengths and aspirations of our students, and give them the chance to chart a different path, or to try again. As a result, experiencing temporary setbacks certainly does not curtail future opportunities in their educational journey, nor does it equate to being a failure in life. Let me share a few examples.

We have introduced Direct School Admission (DSA) to our Secondary schools and Junior Colleges, and different forms of aptitude-based admissions for our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). These pathways recognise our student's achievements beyond examinations, and supports them to develop and pursue their strengths and interests. It mitigates the high stakes of examinations and reduces an overemphasis on academic results.

We have also increased porosity between pathways. In Secondary schools, the pilot for Full Subject-Based Banding, or Full SBB, has started. This marks our move away from stream labels, so that students are less likely to impose a self-limiting mindset on themselves. Instead, they can discover and develop their potential, and take a combination of subjects across different levels that cater to their strengths.

In our Institutes of Higher Learning, students have continuous opportunities to upgrade so that they can always try again, or further their education subsequently. By 2030, all Nitec students will have the opportunity to upgrade to a Higher Nitec over the course of their careers, and can progress further through work-study diplomas or full-time programmes. Working adults can return to full-time studies at the Polytechnics via the Early Admissions Exercise. Among Polytechnic graduates, many go on to pursue a University degree. University graduates may further their education through a specialist diploma in a Polytechnic. Everyone can continue to acquire new skills or deepen their skills throughout life, through a wide range of continuing education and training opportunities that are supported by SkillsFuture Singapore.

We are also encouraging students to go beyond their comfort zone through diverse educational programmes that provide opportunities for students to chart their own path. One of the students I have met, over the years, is Alif Adam, a Ngee Ann Polytechnic graduate who now runs an e-commerce business in fitness wear. Alif dropped out of Junior College twice, before he found his footing in Polytechnic where he discovered his natural talent as an entrepreneur. While pursuing his Diploma in Advertising and Public Relations, he took advantage of the school's work-study entrepreneurship programme in Jakarta, a $5,000 Kickstarter grant, and with his parents' blessings, eventually launched his company three years ago, which now boasts an international client base. Today, he still goes back to Ngee Ann Polytechnic to inspire and mentor students.

This leads me to my third and final point – how we, as a society, can also shift our mind-sets. Our education system is increasingly one where our students can customise their goals based on their own definition of success. They can take advantage of many "bridges" and "ladders" in their lifelong journey of learning. Our schools and our teachers also create a supportive environment where our students feel safe to challenge themselves, rather than hold back due to a fear of failure. All of these will help students to be more resilient, self-reliant and innovative.

At the same time, parents and families also have a part to play. We, as a society, should also start to redefine how we measure success and react to failure. By showing timely support and seizing teachable moments, we can provide a nurturing environment for our children to be comfortable with confronting failures. For example, as parents, when our children do not perform as well as expected, we could emphasise that what matters more is how they pick themselves up. Recognise effort, and not just the outcome. Encourage reflection and a growth mind-set. Guide our children to turn their disappointment into a source of motivation to do better the next time and to never lose belief in themselves.

Through actions, big and small, we can become a society of opportunities for everybody by doing our part to provide that "trampoline" for our children to bounce back from setbacks and set their eyes on greater heights. Together with parents and teachers, MOE will nurture the next generation of resilient Singaporeans who are ready for the future.

Prof Lim, you have no right of reply. Unless you want to ask for clarifications? Just clarifications.