Culture of certificates: SPARK certification as a symbol of quality preschool education

Abstract

An increasing trend of preschools in Singapore are attaining the Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework (SPARK) certification as a symbol of quality preschool education. With the attainment of such certificates, it begs the question as to the implications it has on the quality of preschool education. With limited scholarships behind SPARK certification, this paper seeks to uncover how SPARK certificate as a symbol influences the quality of preschool education in Singapore through a Bourdieusian lens of field of cultural production. The result of this paper suggests that there is a correlative relationship between SPARK certification and the teachers in terms of their belief systems and preschool leadership. Additionally, the extrapolation of the origin, purpose and unintended outcome of the SPARK certification as a form of cultural capital preschools possess shapes how teachers behave in field, which ultimately influences the quality of preschool education.