Research Projects

Externally Funded

Viet Nam, Ho Chi Minh City, Flags Of Association of Southeast Asian Nations waving from Hoang Van Thu Park, Tan Binh District.

Analyses and Projections of Households and Living Arrangements in Six ASEAN Countries

4-tips-on-how-to-approach-the-role-of-gender-inequality-in-leadership-e1618310634692

Health Implications of Gender Inequality: Articulating A Global Research Agenda

The Long-Term Effects of War on Biological Aging: The Case of Vietnam

Internally Funded

Improving Fertility Intentions through Theory-based Policy Interventions in Singapore: A Multifactorial Vignette Experiment

Post-Covid Flexible Work Arrangements and “Flexibility Penalty” from Manager Perspective in Singapore

Cross-National Perspectives on Aging with Limited Family Ties

Job quality, working hours and subjective wellbeing in the UK and China

Completed Projects

2023

A Review and Appraisal of the ICPD Program of Action in China (ICPD-China)

PI: Associate Professor Feng Qiushi, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, NUS

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: 30 November 2024

Abstract:

It has been thirty years since the adoption of the Program of Action (PoA) at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt, in 1994. This project aims to review and appraise the ICPD program of action in China.

It has been a global consensus that China, a key international player in ICPD PoA, has made enormous progress in achieving the goals of ICPD PoA since 1994. With the strong commitment of the Chinese Government on population and development, the achievements of China in ICPD PoA include, but not limited to, universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), women empowerment, youth health promotion, poverty reduction, enhancement of social security system, clean energy renovation, and environmental protection. In line with the practice of the international community, China has released five national reports to review and appraise the implementation of ICPD PoA in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2013, and 2019. These reports reviewed China's actions and policies related to ICPD PoA since 1994, and highlighted major achievements of China in the implementation of family planning services programs, and other population and development programs. However, systematical evaluations and reviews of the impacts and contributions of these programs to population growth and development of China and the whole World are lacking. Furthermore, the impacts of China's development programs on its population growth and improvement in human resources have not been sufficiently reviewed.

To improve the previous review and appraisal of the ICPD PoA in China, the project will focus on the following three major aspects:

1. To provide overall reviews and appraisals for China's commitments and implementations of ICPD PoA in the past 30 years.
2. To illustrate China's achievements in ICPD PoA since 1994 with conventional indicators outlined in ICPD PoA as well as new indicators from MDGs and SDGs.
3. To conduct quantitative analyses and assessments for China's contribution in the implementation of ICPD PoA, MDGs, and SDGs agendas to the population growth and development of China as well as the entire World.

Investigating the Effects of Prequestioning on Learning in Young Children

PI: Assistant Professor Steven C. Pan, Department of Psychology, NUS

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: 1 July 2024

Abstract:

Prequestioning is a teaching strategy in which a teacher poses a question or series of questions to students before presenting new information or starting a new topic. The goal of prequestioning is to activate students' prior knowledge and to increase their motivation and engagement in the upcoming lesson.

This research project will investigate the effects of prequestioning on learning with young children (up to 7 years old) in educationally relevant contexts. It will feature a multi-experiment study addressing three specific aims. Long-term, it is expected that this initial study will be the first in a more extensive series of studies on prequestioning and children. The three aims are as follows:

Aim 1: Investigate the extent to which prequestions enhance young children’s memory and comprehension of subsequently presented information, relative to conventional pedagogical approaches in which prequestions are not used.

Aim 2: Investigate the extent to which prequestions alter subsequent learning behaviours (e.g., study time, the focus of attention), and whether such behaviours reflect memory for the prequestions that were previously encountered.

2021

Health Implications of Gender Inequality in Later Life: Articulating A Global Agenda for Women's Health

PI: Assistant Professor Kriti Vikram, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, NUS

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: 30 October 2022

Abstract:

Although women outlive men in most parts of the world, they experience a significantly higher burden of non-fatal chronic diseases, mental health disorders, and functional limitations than men at similar ages. Several biological, social-structural, and psychosocial mechanisms have been advanced that offer an explanation for this paradox. More recently, gender inequality, structural sexism, and restrictive gender norms have also been identified as determinants of women’s health. However, minimal research evaluates how these are associated with women’s health outcomes in mid-and later life globally, particularly in the Global South. The extant research in the region underscores the disadvantaged status of girls and women across a range of health outcomes; however, the foci of this body of research are limited to children, adolescent girls, and young mothers. This project aims to fill a prominent gap in the literature by adopting a life course perspective to document the role of gender inequality and associated disadvantages on women’s health in the Global South.

Will people have a stronger intention to marry if they could work shorter hours? A national survey experiment in Singapore

PI: Assistant Professor Wang Senhu, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, NUS

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: 31 December 2022

Abstract:

Recent research suggests that long working hours and its associated 'kiasu' (afraid to lose) culture may be a crucial reason for delayed and low marriage rate in Singapore, calling for reduced working hours and a more family-friendly working environment. However, the impact of working hours on marriage is not yet theorized and empirically tested due to the endogenous relationship between marriage and working time. This proposed research aims to theorize long working hours as an institutional constraint and examine whether removal of the constraint (via shorter working hours policy enacted by the government) can improve young people's marriage intentions. Using an online survey experiment, this research has three objectives. (1) This study aims to explore how the marriage intentions of Singaporean people may change under different degrees of institutional constraints by experimentally manipulating hypothetical scenarios of working hour arrangements (vignettes). (2) This study also aims to explore how the relationship between working hour arrangement and marital intentions vary across people from different gender, ethnic and educational groups, who tend to have different attitudes towards marriage. (3) This study aims to test mechanisms through which shorter working hours policy affects marriage intentions using mediation analyses. Overall, this study provides a new perspective to understand low marriage rates in Singapore and holds significant implications for population and work policies.

Effects of Bilingualism on Linguistic, Cognitive and Social Functioning

PI: Associate Professor Leher Singh, Department of Psychology, NUS

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: 30 April 2023

Abstract:

“Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education: they grow there, firm as weeds among stones.” ~ Charlotte Brontë

Race discrimination and bias present serious and pervasive threats to our society. A common misperception about racial bias is that children are initially free of bias and that they grow into prejudiced behavior. However, a growing body of psychological research argues persuasively against this misperception: race bias is evident very early in life. Some forms of racial bias can be observed as early as infancy (e.g., Singh, Quinn, Xiao, & Lee, 2019; Singh, Tan, Lee, & Quinn, 2020; Xiao et al., 2018) as well as in early childhood (Qian et al., 2016; Singh, Quinn, Qian, & Lee, 2020). Nevertheless, particular conditions have been shown to exacerbate or attenuate bias. Empirical evidence on the origins and determinants of bias aligns with Charlotte Brontë’s prescient quotation in demonstrating that the potential for bias is present at the earliest stages of life, yet under the right conditions, the experience can counteract these early predispositions.

The overarching goal of this project is to identify effective mechanisms to curb racial bias and to cultivate inclusive attitudes in our youngest citizens. We plan to implement a randomized control trial to reduce racial bias in young children. This question has high theoretical significance in that it asks how attitudes are shifted in order to promote inter-group harmony. It also has high practical value in asking how the early formation of racial bias in young children can be curbed to promote inclusiveness at a societal level. In this study, we investigate both implicit and explicit bias. Implicit bias refers to bias that operates outside of conscious control. Participants who engage in implicit bias often claim to be non-biased and are not always aware of their own biased responding (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995). Although knowledge of implicit bias may not be available to the individual, implicit biases predict prejudiced behavior towards others (Dovidio, Kawakami, & Gaertner, 2002). Explicit bias is more controllable, easier to monitor and therefore, potentially easier to suppress. Implicit bias is typically seen as more harmful as it is less tractable by the individual engaging in it. For this reason, reversing implicit bias is thought to be a more challenging endeavor (Devine, Forscher, Austin, & Cox, 2012). Our primary goal is to determine how interventions reduce each type of bias and determinants of receptiveness to intervention in young children.

The specific aims of this project are as follows:
1. To determine how the use of language serves as an effective intervention tool to reduce racial bias in children.
2. To determine how responsiveness to intervention interacts with internal cognitive processes.
3. To determine the long-term effects of interventions to reduce racial bias.

2019

Digital Aging: Examining Factors Influencing eHealth Adoption Among Older Adults in Singapore

PI: Assistant Professor Jiang Shaohai, Department of Communications and New Media, NUS

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: 30 September 2021

Abstract:

Singapore’s healthcare system is facing the increasing challenge of the nation’s aging population. It is important to adapt healthcare services to this growing segment of society in Singapore. The Internet may provide a viable avenue for the elderly to obtain health information and receive healthcare services. However, eHealth is still novel among the Singaporean aging population. Thus, this study aims to investigate (1) what eHealth functions (e.g., using the Internet to look for health information, buy medicine or vitamins, look for a health care provider, communicate with a doctor, make medical appointments, track health care changes and cost, download health-related mobile apps, and monitor personal health) older adults in Singapore are currently using, and (2) what motivating factors (e.g., social support: emotional, informational, tangible support), and inhibiting factors (e.g., digital divide: mental access, material access, skill access, and user access) may influence their eHealth adoption. This project will use a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. The first phase is conducting a quantitative survey, and the second phase is performing an in-depth interview. The earlier survey data will provide a general understanding of the research problem, while the interviews will refine and explain those statistical results by exploring participants’ views in more depth.

2018

The Role of Moral Stories and Encouragement in Promoting Honesty in Young Singaporean Children

PI: Assistant Professor Ding Xiao Pan, Department of Psychology, NUS

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: 30 July 2020

Abstract:

Honesty is necessary for developing trusting relationships within the family unit, but research has shown that children start being able to tell lies at 3 years of age, and their lies grow increasingly frequent and nuanced over time. Given the ubiquity of childhood deception and its negative consequences later in life, it is crucial to find effective ways of reducing lie-telling in children. However, the scientific literature provides surprisingly few studies on this topic. The main goal of this project is to discover new and empirically proven methods of promoting truth-telling in young Singaporean children. Specifically, we intend to investigate the effects of moral stories and encouragement on children’s decisions to lie or tell the truth about a transgression. The results from the present project will contribute to our understanding of how children’s socio-cognitive skills develop, shed light on potential cross-cultural differences in this development, and allow us to examine the effectiveness of combining several honesty-promoting methods.

2017

A Surface Brain-Image Study on Family and Neuro-correlates of Behavioral Addiction among Depressed and Non-depressed Adults

PI: Associate Professor Roger Ho Chun Man, Consultant Psychiatrist, Department of Psychological Medicine, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

Co-PI: Professor Catherine Tang, Department of Psychology, NUS

Co-PI: Dr Koh Yee Woen Yvaine, Research Fellow, CFPR, NUS

Amount: S$9,994

Completed: October 2020

Abstract:

Given that we reside in a fast-paced society where our mental health may be easily compromised, increasing research has been focusing on behavioral addiction (BA) as it has been known to be closely related to poor mental health outcomes. The rising prevalence rates across countries has also demonstrated the urgency to increase our understanding within this field of study. However, there is currently still a paucity of Asian research on the role of family and brain-imaging on “newer” forms of BA, including gambling, smartphone, social media, and unhealthy eating addiction. Moreover, the weak focus on family and brain-imaging research on the depressed population may limit prevention and intervention frameworks which could have been more effectively implemented.

The current proposed study thus aims to: (1) identify family factors related to BA among a healthy community sample compared to a group of outpatients who are clinically diagnosed with depression; (2) identify the neuro-correlates of BA among the community sample compared to the outpatient group; (3) determine how family factors may interact with neuro-correlates in influencing BA when comparing the two samples.

Characterizing Student Course Satisfaction and Academic Success with Social Media: A Big Data Approach

PI: Dr Rongjun Yu, Department of Psychology, NUS

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: December 2019

Abstract:

The objective of the proposed project is to utilize big-data retrieved from Singaporean university students’ social media usage to derive meaningful predictions about their course satisfaction and how it mediates academic performance (CGPA). At the core of our research plan is to harness the benefits of a digital-age where individual preferences, thinking style, intelligence and everyday activities are exponentially represented in social media interactions. We aim to utilize the immense magnitude of this data from social media and demonstrate that such data can be strategically used to provide meaningful inferences about student’s module satisfaction and academic performance. Our research will create new knowledge on how big-data from social media can be effectively used to make more reliable, ecologically valid and dynamic inferences to enhance students’ learning satisfaction and academic success.

Translation of Tools for Demographic Estimation: a Joint Project between IUSSP and CFPR

PI: Associate Professor Feng Qiushi, Department of Sociology and CFPR's Deputy Director, NUS

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: October 2018

Abstract:

Although increasing data availability from new censuses, vital registrations, and surveys have reshaped the discipline of demography in last few decades, data accuracy and completeness remain questionable in most developing countries, including China. There is a continuing need for the use of indirect methods in estimating demographic indicators. Tools for Demographic Estimation is a major manual of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), introducing cutting-edge methods to measure demographic parameters from limited and defective data. This manual has 37 chapters of 207,900 words plus more than 34 excel files that are used for illustration. Dr Feng Qiushi as the principal investigator, together with Dr Gu Danan at United Nations Population Division (UNPD) as the coordinator lead a team to translate this manual from English to Chinese. The translation is intended as a joint project between the IUSSP and CFPR. The translation also receives support from other interested institutions such as the Chinese Population & Development Research Center (CPDRC).

Book of the Chinese translation of the Tools for IUSSP

Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Emotion and Cognitive Functioning among Singaporean Elderly

PI: Dr Keng Shian-Ling, Assistant Professor, Division of Social Sciences (Psychology), Yale-NUS College

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: February 2019

Abstract:

Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to improve emotional well-being as well as cognitive functioning among the elderly. However, further research is needed to assess the impact of mindfulness training on other psychological outcomes, such as cognitive functioning, which is known to decline with age and is particularly relevant for the elderly population. This proposed study aims to evaluate, using a randomized controlled trial design, the effects of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program on a range of health and psychological outcomes, including cognitive functioning, in a sample of healthy Singaporean elderly. The study would have implications for developing psychosocial interventions for improving well-being and preventing cognitive declines in the elderly population.

2016

Problematic Internet Use and the Role of Family among Adolescents and their Parents in Singapore

PI: Dr Koh Yee Woen Yvaine, Postdoctoral Fellow, ARI and CFPR, NUS

Co-PI: Prof Catherine Tang, Department of Psychology, NUS

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: June 2018

Abstract:
The current study aims to answer the following research questions:

(1) Do parents’ Internet and social media addiction predict adolescents’ Internet and social media addiction and do parent-children conflicts moderate this relationship?
(2) Do adolescents’ Internet/social media addiction significantly predict parents’ poor mental well-being? Does the relationship also apply the other way around?

Relationships between Childhood Bilingualism and Early Word Learning

PI: Associate Professor Leher Singh, Department of Psychology; and Deputy Director of CFPR, FASS, NUS

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: January 2019

Abstract:
The proposed research endeavors to expand the evidence basis in child development to incorporate multilingual children and in doing so, to lay a foundation for a larger research program that could inform theory, practice - and potentially policy - on the early influences of multilingualism on the developing child. The study will employ experiments that involve children learning new words in different languages and testing children’s comprehension of words in different languages. For all experiments, children from the three primary bilingual groups (English-Mandarin, English-Malay and English-Tamil) will be tested in proportion to their representation in the general population. All studies are to be conducted in the PI's laboratory at NUS – the Infant and Child Language Laboratory.

Marriage Property Law and Household Behavior: Evidence from Quasi-experiment in China

PI: Dr Yi Junjian, Department of Economics, NUS

Amount: S$9,976

Completed: March 2018

Abstract:
This project aims to study the effect of the Chinese divorce law reform on household behavior and suggests a mechanism to explain the findings. Data for this study will come from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS), which provides detailed longitudinal information on Chinese households. This project will use 3 waves of data from 2010 to 2014.

2015

Tablet Use of Pre-schoolers: Family Dynamics, Parenting Practices and Mediation Strategies

PI: Professsor Lim Sun Sun, Head of Pillar (Dean) of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Singapore University of Technology and Design

Amount: S$9,462.50

Completed: March 2018

Abstract:
This study will examine parental perceptions of mobile devices in families with children of pre-school age. It will uncover the strategies employed by parents to mediate the use of Internet-enabled handheld devices such as iPads by children aged 3 to 5 in Singapore. It will also study how different households manage their children’s use of tablet devices, if these are used for educational or recreational purposes and which mediation strategies are deployed and with what consequences. The research will involve interviews of parents, observations of their children, and an innovative apps-ploration technique where the team will analyse the content of the tablets used by the children and classify apps that are most widely downloaded and utilised.

Population Ageing, Old Age Labour and Financial Decisions in Singapore

PI: Associate Professor Liu Haoming, Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS

Co-PIs: Dr Song Chang Cheng and Dr Zhu Shenghao, Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: November 2017

Abstract:
This project looks at the existence of bequest motives in Singapore, understand the reasons and determinants for having such, and examines the availability of annuities on labor force participation of the elderly. The team will conduct a household survey collecting information on social and economic information of 54 and 65 year old residents of that household (such as age, gender, education, marital status, number of children, health conditions, relationships with their children, labour market information, etc). Attitudes and satisfaction about CPF LIFE plans will also be included in that survey as well as the measurement of individual risk preference, time preference and social preference. Concurrent with the survey is the conduct of an experiment that will aid in understanding people’s bequest decisions. Testing the potential reasons for intentional bequest will be done through incentivized survey questions.

Protecting and Perfecting the Muslim Family: Marriage and Parenthood Education Programmes in Malaysia and Singapore

PI: Associate Professor Maznah Mohamad, Department of Malay Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS

Co-PI: Dr Suriani Suratman, Department of Malay Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: November 2017

Abstract:
This study examines the origin, rationale, content and impact of a visible and intensive ‘marriage education movement’ among Muslims in Singapore and Malaysia. Data on various workshops and courses available in Malaysia and Singapore will be collected, together with population and demographic data on Muslims in Singapore and Malaysia. The team will also conduct interviews with officials from relevant departments in charge of courses in Malaysia (JAKIM) and in Singapore (MUIS and MSF). Questionnaire surveys and/or poll questions will be distributed to the attendees in selected courses and finally, in-depth qualitative interviews will be done with select married couples who have attended workshops and courses.

Caring for Frail Seniors in the Community: A Solution-based Approach

PI: Associate Professor Thang Leng Leng, Department of Japanese Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS

Amount: S$9,893.75

Completed: December 2017

Abstract:
This proposed project focusing on the caregiving of frail seniors in the community aims to contribute towards our understanding and efforts towards the provision of better eldercare in the community in Singapore context. This is a developmental project expecting to be developed further for a larger scale study. The objectives of the research are as follows:

(1) To understand the caregiving arrangements and needs of families with seniors who are experiencing cognitive and/or physical declines.

(2) To explore and pilot new intervention available to provide holistic support and care of frail seniors in the community.

(3) Through fulfilling objectives 1 and 2, to develop a more comprehensive long term research project with a solution-based approach to enhance community care of frail elderly.

2014

Female Migrants' Transition to Adulthood in China: Marriage and Job Trajectories

PI: Dr Mu Zheng, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS
(former Postdoctoral Fellow, ARI and CFPR, NUS)

Amount: S$10,000

Completed: July 2016

Abstract:

This project provides a systematic examination of the various types of migration and their influences on female migrants’ marriage and job experiences in China. It also investigates how gender, education, and family background moderate the relationship. The team used a mixed- method approach, employing the nationally representative 2012 Chinese Family Panel Studies and 127 in-depth interviews conducted in Beijing in 2015. Outputs from this research include:

(1) For Money or for Life: A Mixed-Method Study on Migration and Time Use in China – invited to revise and resubmit at Social Indicators Research

(2) A Mixed Method Study on Migration and Marriage in China: Timing and Choices – presented at the NUS ARI Conference “Migration and Marriage in Asia” convened by the PI and co-PI in July 2016. Plans are underway to publish selected conference papers as special journal issues

(3) How Migration Influences Cohabitation and Divorce: A Mixed-Method Study in China – accepted for presentation at the Population Association of America annual meeting in April 2017

A list of internal and external research grants available for application can be found via the NUS Staff portal.