Assignment 2 +

name

UTW2001M: Sport and Socialisation

Lecturer: Dr. Mark Brooke
 An individual’s lived experience of social access through sporting capital, through the
DSA system in Singapore

Purpose framing & primary objective of the research

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of social access through one’s
accumulated sporting capital. Through the lived experience of an individual, I wish to explore the
effects and implications of the Direct School Admission (DSA) system in Singapore, in which
sporting abilities are used to enter a higher academic institution. Even though sporting capital
may allow individuals access into a prestigious school, they may still experience strain and
alienation, as the Singapore education system is inherently academic, and places more emphasis
on academic merits. If so, I wish to find out how individuals deal with this anomic experience,
through construction of their own identity or by joining a sub-cultural group.

Background
Social context
According to the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) guide on the DSA-sec, this is a programme that
“allows students to seek admission to a secondary school on the basis of talents and achievements
that may not be demonstrated at the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE)” (MOE, 2017).
Under such a programme, students with these co-curricular achievements are considered on a case
by case basis, and they are often allowed to enter their desired schools with a lower score than
their peers. Yet, as a merit-based society with its roots in Confucianism, it is evident that academic
success is prioritized.

Literature review
Current literature on capital acquisition focuses on a class-based acquisition of habitus (Bourdieu,
1986). Literature propounds that different SES children acquire different kinds of habitus which
allow them access into different social positions (Stuij, 2013; Lareau, 2011). Studies do not
address assimilation and integration after access into these social positions. Furthermore,
literature tends to only focus on a single form of capital allowing access into a single community,
such as linguistic capital for access into a linguistic community (Silver, 2005) or sporting capital
for access into a sport community (Coakley, 1993). Yet, there is a gap in the literature that studies
socialisation as multidimensional, whereby a variant form of capital is able to allow an individual
access into a community (Synder and Purdy, 1982). My paper is an investigation of this in modern day
Singapore where there is prevalent government support for sports participation for all social classes
(McNeil, Sproule & Horton, 2003).
Theoretical framework
Using theoretical triangulation (Denzin, 1970), I will first apply Bourdieu’s (1986) theory on
Cultural capital to understand how habitus, when translated to capital, confers social power to an
individual. Bourdieu’s theory focuses on the assumption that capital allows for access to as well
as acceptance in a community where the particular form of capital is valued. In this research
however, this is complicated by the fact that individuals who use DSA to enter the schools are
using sporting capital to enter academic institutions. Hence, while they have the capital that
garners access, most institutions place priority on a different form of capital. Therefore, access
does not promise assimilation or success there. Using Merton’s (1938) Strain theory, we can
understand how certain individuals lack the means to achieve socially acceptable goals, and hence
experience “strain” or “anomie” (Merton, 1938). When there is a gap between an individual’s
desired material needs and their ability to reach these cultural goals, these individuals may assume
deviant roles through rituals, retreating or rebelling. I wish to investigate the most relevant theory.

The Study
Research phenomenon & objectives
John first picked up Wushu, a Chinese martial art, as a co-curricular activity in his primary school.
Having done well with only the support from his trainers in school, he used Wushu for Direct
School Admissions (DSA) into both his secondary school and junior college. As such, he was
able to enter his desired elite schools with lower points than his peers. Thus, sporting capital
allowed him access into a position of social power. Yet, I would like to find out if there are times
when he feels alienation or representative of a “Wushu boy” rather than a “Victoria Junior College
student. In this research, I hence aim to find out, through his lived experience, the pros and cons,
as well as the unintended consequences of the DSA programme. I wish to investigate habitus as
a complex issue of identity and understand how individuals cope with tensions between their
material aspirations and ability to achieve them.

Research methodology
Interpretivism recognizes that subjective meanings play a crucial role in social actions (Smith &
Caddick, 2012; Walliman, 2005), and thus sees the role of agency in shaping social structures,
just as these structures influence individuals. I will use the hypothetico-deductive method, to test
my hypotheses deductively at first and then retesting new theories from further interview in
relation to the results I receive (Walliman, 2005).
Data collection
I would like to analyse the effects and consequences of the DSA programme through a narrative
inquiry approach (Smith & Caddick, 2012). I will be interviewing one individual using semi-
structured interviews to uncover his lived experience of being a Singaporean DSA student. Such
a qualitative enquiry allows me to produce a thick description (Geertz, 1973) and understand
subjective meanings in a broader social context.

Data analysis
I will conduct directed content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005) to organize and describe the
data collected. I will be identifying, analyzing, interpreting and reporting patterns (Saldano, 2015)
related to the theories (Bourdieu, 1986; Merton, 1936) I am using. I intend to systematically theme
the findings in relation to my initial and ongoing hypotheses.

Possible Outcomes and Discussion Topics

The DSA programme allows one to use their sporting capital to gain access to an academic
institution. At such an institution, access is traditionally granted by academic results and
performance. As education is highly valued in Singapore schools, focus may be placed more on
institutionalized capital then sporting capital. As the individual may not have the capital required
to excel, he may feel strain or alienation from his peers, or associate himself with subcultures and
formulate alternative identities.

Main Limitation of the research

I am only interviewing one person and as the social structure is complex, and individuals have a
unique experience, the data may be limited. Yet, I believe this thick description will shed light on
the broader social and cultural context and reveal aspects of its web of meaning (Geertz, 1973).

References
Bairner, A. (2007). Back to Basics: Class, Social Theory, and Sport. Sociology of Sport Journal,
24(1), 20-36. doi:10.1123/ssj.24.1.20
Coakley, J. (1993) Sport and Socialization. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 21: 169-200.
Colson, E., & Geertz, C. (1975). The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays. Contemporary
Sociology, 4(6), 637. doi:10.2307/2064031
Critical Pages. (2013, July 29). Retrieved February 11, 2018, from
http://www.criticalpages.com/2013/unequal-childhoods/
Denzin, N. K. (1970). The Research Act in Sociology. Chicago: Aldine.
Elling, A., & Knoppers, A. (2005). Sport, Gender and Ethnicity: Practises of Symbolic
Inclusion/Exclusion. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34(3), 257-268.
 doi:10.1007/s10964-005-4311-6.
Geertz, C. (1973). Thick description. In The interpretation of cultures. New York: Basic Books,
(pp. 3-30).
Hsieh, H. F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis.
Qualitative health research, 15(9), 1277-1288.
Marginson, S. (2011). The Confucian Model of Higher Education in East Asia and Singapore.
Higher Education Dynamics Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific, 53-75.
doi:10.1007/978-94-007-1500-4_3
Ministry of Education, Singapore. (2017). Direct School Admission – Secondary (DSA-
Sec). Retrieved from: http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissions/dsa-sec/
Ng, I. Y. H. (2013; 2014). Education and intergenerational mobility. Singapore Educational
Review, 66(3), 362-376.
Smith, B., & Caddick, N. (2012). Qualitative methods in sport: a concise overview for guiding
social scientific sport research. Asia Pacific Journal of Sport and Social Science, 1(1), 60-
73.
Silver, R. E. (2005). The discourse of linguistic capital: Language and economic policy planning
in Singapore. Language Policy, 4(1), 47-66.
Singapore Sports Council (2018). About SEP. Retrieved February 21, 2018, from
https://www.sportsingapore.gov.sg/sports-education/school-programmes/about-sep
Smith, B., & Caddick, N. (2012). Qualitative methods in sport: a concise overview for guiding
social scientific sport research. Asia Pacific journal of sport and social science, 1(1), 60-
73.
Snyder, E. E., & Spreitzer, E. (1975). Basic Assumptions in the World of Sports. Quest, 24(1), 3-
9. doi:10.1080/00336297.1975.10519839
Walliman, N. S. R. (2005). Your research project: A step-by-step guide for the first-time
researcher. London: SAGE
Appendix

Interview questions
1. How did you first pick up Wushu?
2. Please describe your DSA experience. Was it a positive or negative experience?
3. What do you think about the DSA programme?
4. How has wushu made your academic experience different?
5. Would your life be different if there wasn’t a DSA programme in Singapore?
6. How has using the DSA programme to get into schools shaped you? (Identity
formation)
7. Does your sport identity play a big role in your formulation of your self-identity? (Is
doing sports a big part of your life?)
8. Has the DSA programme negatively affected your life in anyway?