Only 39% of Singapore Students Feel Their Family Is Interested in Their Learning. What Should Parents Do?

Singapore Students Are Doing Exceptionally Well. But One Number Should Make Us Think.

Singapore's students are once again among the world's strongest academic performers.

But buried within the latest PISA 2025 findings is a very different statistic—one that deserves the attention of every parent.

According to the latest OECD survey, only 39% of Singapore students said their family showed interest in what they were learning at school, compared with an OECD average of 58%.

Only 49% said they discussed what was happening at school with family members each week, compared with an OECD average of 60%.

Perhaps even more strikingly, the first figure has fallen by 10 percentage points from 49% in 2022.

This doesn't necessarily mean Singapore parents don't care.

Most parents we meet care enormously.

They invest time.

They arrange tuition.

They buy assessment books.

They monitor examination results.

They worry about PSLE.

They plan for secondary school.

So why might so many children still feel that their families aren't interested in their learning?

Perhaps we need to distinguish between two very different things:

Caring about a child's results and showing interest in a child's learning are not always the same thing.

“How Many Marks Did You Get?”

Think about the questions children commonly hear after an examination.

“What did you score?”

“What did your friend get?”

“Why did you lose these five marks?”

“Did you check properly?”

None of these questions is inherently wrong.

Results matter.

Assessments help parents understand whether their children are progressing.

But imagine if most conversations about school eventually return to marks.

Over time, what message might a child receive?

Perhaps:

“What matters most about my learning is the final number.”

Now compare that with another conversation.

“What did you learn today?”

“What was difficult?”

“Was there anything that surprised you?”

“Which question made you think the hardest?”

“What mistake did you make—and what did you learn from it?”

These questions communicate something different:

“I'm interested in how you think.”

That distinction matters.

Parental Involvement Does Not Mean More Parental Pressure

When parents hear “be more involved”, the natural response can sometimes be:

More supervision.

More checking.

More revision.

More reminders.

But that's not necessarily what children need.

Parental involvement and parental control are not the same thing.

Meaningful involvement can be surprisingly simple.

It can mean sitting beside your child for ten minutes and asking what they're learning.

Listening when they explain a difficult Science concept.

Letting them teach you a Mathematics method.

Talking about something interesting they read.

Or simply asking:

“How was school today?”

—and actually staying for the answer.

OECD's earlier PISA research found that students reporting greater family support also tended to report stronger school belonging, life satisfaction and confidence in self-directed learning. More frequent learning-oriented conversations with parents were also associated with greater engagement in problem-solving activities. These are associations rather than proof that one directly causes the other, but they reinforce an important idea: everyday interaction around learning matters.

The Decline Isn't Just a Singapore Story

There is some important context behind the headline.

The decline in perceived family support is not unique to Singapore.

The OECD reports that student-reported family support fell substantially across almost all PISA-participating countries and economies between 2022 and 2025.

In Singapore specifically, other indicators moved in the same direction.

In 2025:

55% of students said their parents or guardians asked at least weekly what they had done at school, down from 62% in 2022.

Only 37% said they had weekly conversations with parents or guardians about problems they might be experiencing at school, compared with 47% in 2022.

So this isn't about blaming Singapore parents.

It's an opportunity to ask:

What has changed in the way families interact around learning?

And Then There Is AI

Here's where the latest findings become particularly interesting.

While reported family interaction around learning has declined, Singapore students are among the world's more active users of AI for schoolwork.

According to PISA 2025:

66% of Singapore students use AI chatbots to help them learn at least once a week, compared with an OECD average of 46%.

Meanwhile:

• 46% use AI for preliminary research on new topics

• 41% use it to summarise texts

• 45% use it to draft writing assignments

Singapore students' AI use for learning is notably high internationally.

That isn't automatically a bad thing.

AI can be a powerful educational tool.

It can explain concepts.

Generate examples.

Provide feedback.

Help students research unfamiliar topics.

And Singapore students are also being taught to evaluate AI-generated information: OECD data indicates 81% report being asked in class to assess the quality of AI-generated information, one of the highest proportions among participating systems.

But there is a bigger question worth considering:

As children increasingly turn to AI when they don't understand something, what role should parents continue to play in their learning?

AI Can Give an Answer. Parents Can Give Something Different.

Imagine a child comes home confused about photosynthesis.

They ask AI:

“Explain photosynthesis to a Primary 5 student.”

Within seconds, they receive an explanation.

That's useful.

Now imagine the child tells a parent:

“Science was really difficult today.”

The parent doesn't need to explain photosynthesis.

They might simply say:

“What part was difficult? Show me.”

That conversation serves a completely different purpose.

AI can provide information.

But a parent can notice frustration.

AI can explain an answer.

A parent can notice that their child is losing confidence.

AI can generate ten practice questions.

A parent can say:

“You struggled with this yesterday, but look—you can do it today.”

Technology and family involvement are not substitutes for each other.

They fulfil different needs.

Parents Don't Need to Become Teachers

This is especially important for Singapore parents.

As children move through upper primary, schoolwork becomes increasingly difficult.

Primary 5 and Primary 6 Mathematics may look very different from what parents remember.

Science answering techniques become increasingly precise.

Chinese can become challenging even for parents who speak Mandarin.

Some parents therefore withdraw from academic conversations because they feel:

“I don't know how to teach this.”

But parental involvement doesn't require you to know the answer.

You don't have to become your child's Mathematics teacher.

You don't need to remember every Science concept.

You don't need to correct every Chinese composition.

Sometimes the most powerful sentence is:

“I don't know either. Show me how you learned it.”

Now your child becomes the teacher.

And explaining something is itself a powerful form of learning.

Replace “What Did You Score?” With Better Questions

Marks shouldn't disappear from family conversations.

But they shouldn't be the only conversation.

Here are six questions worth trying.

1. What was the most interesting thing you learned today?

This shifts attention towards curiosity.

2. What was the hardest thing you did today?

This normalises challenge.

3. Did you make any interesting mistakes?

This helps children see mistakes as information rather than failure.

4. Can you teach me something you learned?

Explaining requires students to organise their understanding.

5. Is there anything you're still confused about?

This gives children permission not to understand everything immediately.

6. What are you proud of today?

Not:

“What did you score?”

But:

“What progress did you make?”

That's a very different learning conversation.

The 10-Minute Learning Conversation

Parents don't necessarily need another complicated parenting routine.

Try ten minutes.

Once or twice a week, put phones aside and let your child choose one thing from school to talk about.

Use a simple structure:

Learn → Challenge → Progress → Support

Ask:

LEARN:“What did you learn this week?”

CHALLENGE:“What was difficult?”

PROGRESS:“What can you do now that you couldn't do before?”

SUPPORT:“Is there anything you need help with?”

That's it.

No lecture.

No comparison.

No immediate correction.

Just conversation.

For some children, that may be far more meaningful than another hour of supervised revision.

When Your Child Gets a Bad Result, Change the First Question

This is perhaps where parental involvement matters most.

Imagine your child brings home a disappointing examination paper.

Instead of immediately asking:

“Why did you get 62?”

try:

“Let's figure out what happened.”

Then examine the paper together.

Was it:

Concept?

They didn't understand something.

Method?

They understood but chose the wrong strategy.

Application?

They couldn't transfer knowledge to an unfamiliar question.

Carelessness?

They knew the answer but made an avoidable mistake.

Now the result becomes information.

Not a judgement.

This also connects directly with something we teach students at Seashell:

Mistakes should tell us what to learn next.

High Expectations and Emotional Support Can Coexist

Singapore's education culture is academically ambitious.

There is nothing inherently wrong with wanting children to perform well.

Parents can have high expectations.

Teachers can challenge students.

Children can work hard.

But high expectations don't have to mean constant pressure.

A child can hear both:

“I know you can improve.”

and:

“One examination doesn't define you.”

They can hear:

“Let's work on this weakness.”

and:

“I'm proud that you kept trying.”

These ideas are not contradictory.

In fact, children often become more resilient when challenge exists alongside psychological safety.

What We See at Seashell Academy

As educators, we frequently meet families at moments of uncertainty.

A child's results have plateaued.

PSLE is approaching.

Chinese has suddenly become difficult.

Science OEQs keep losing marks.

Mathematics problem sums feel impossible.

Naturally, parents want solutions.

But before deciding what a student needs, we believe in understanding the child first.

That's why our learning process considers:

Where is the learning gap?

What does the child already understand?

What strategy are they currently using?

Can they apply the concept independently?

How confident are they when facing unfamiliar questions?

Results are part of that picture.

But they're not the entire picture.

A Child Is More Than an AL Score

Singapore students continue to demonstrate extraordinary academic ability internationally.

The same PISA 2025 findings show encouraging qualities too: 77% of Singapore students reported being curious about many things, while 69% said they put in additional effort when work becomes challenging, both above OECD averages.

Those qualities deserve our attention too.

Curiosity.

Perseverance.

Confidence.

Independence.

Problem-solving.

The willingness to ask for help.

These are harder to print on a report card.

But they may ultimately matter just as much.

Tonight, Ask One Different Question

You don't need to redesign your family's entire routine after reading one survey.

Start with one conversation.

When your child comes home, instead of beginning with:

“Did you finish your homework?”

or:

“How was your test?”

try:

“Tell me one thing you learned today.”

Then listen.

Perhaps the most important message isn't contained in the question itself.

It's what the question quietly tells your child:

“Your learning matters to me—not only your results.”

And in an age where information and answers are available instantly, that human connection may become more important, not less.

At Seashell Academy, Progress Starts With Understanding the Child

We believe strong academic outcomes matter.

But meaningful education should also develop confident, curious and independent learners.

That's why our approach combines diagnostic assessment, structured teaching, purposeful practice and ongoing feedback—helping us understand not simply what marks a student receives, but why they are receiving them and what should happen next.

We are grateful to the 500+ families who have trusted Seashell Academy to support their children's learning journeys.

📍 Seashell Academy @ Eastpoint Mall, Simei

📚 Mathematics • Science • Chinese | K2–P6

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