Sociology of international education – an emerging field of research

Abstract

This article points to international education in elementary and post-elementary schools as an emerging and promising field of enquiry. It describes the state of art of this new field and sets out the nature of the research. The rapid development of international networks in recent decades; the contribution of international education policies to the expansion of international education; the growing number of international students and its implications for school life; and the different meanings of international curriculum are the main topics in this literature. Issues of globalisation, social stratification, multiculturalism, identity formation, and the link between education and the nation state are closely related to international education. Scholars adapt classical theoretical frames and advance new concepts and methodologies in order to clarify this new phenomenon and highlight the deeper meanings of the expansion of international education. For this reason the study of international education has the potential of enhancing our sociological understanding concerning new developments in education in particular and in society in general.