Trends in Ethics and Comparative Education, Seen from an Ex-Communist Country

Abstract

Abstract In this chapter, I have attempted to highlight several aspects from two perspectives. The former is the perspective of the researcher who remembers his or her past as a student in a communist country, interpreting her lived experiences in light of their impact upon her education and teaching profession. The second perspective is that of the researcher who looks to the future, initially lacking in resources but willing to connect to the global research in his or her field of interest, educational ethics. The international studies that substantiated and inspired our research in the domain of educational ethics include philosophical works, moral psychology studies, and resources from sociology and organizational psychology as well as from pedagogy. Regarding the trends expected in comparative and international education, I have grouped them into three categories: (1) Trends related to the research themes in comparative education: many major themes of education have already been filtered or will be filtered through the comparative lens (the history of education, philosophy of education, curriculum and didactics, sociology of education, politics and economy of education and psychology of education); (2) Methodological trends – joint quantitative and qualitative methodology will support the research processes in comparative education; and (3) Trends regarding the impact of the research in comparative pedagogy: global models will inspire local initiatives, without being copied.