Comparative Education Research Research Articles

Comparative pedagogy: changing research perspective

Introduction. Given dramatic changes in social, cultural priorities and values taking place across the globe today, with all around changing strategic partners, it becomes apparent that comparative pedagogy desperately needs its methods to be updated. Post modern research paradigm resources are running out. We need new data, approaches, and methods to enhance the comparative analysis. The paper aims to propose rationale for new comparative pedagogy avenues via expanding its subject fields. Methodology. The methods employed show the author’s stand on updating scholarly knowledge in comparative pedagogy. Within the frame of conventional historical approach this research relies on the diachronic and synchronic analysis method, coupled with axiological and cultural approaches and complemented with the contextualization method. The anthropological approach is based on the biographical method. The discursive approach was used as a narrative in the form of commentary of authentic texts – their interpretation, the main source of knowledge in comparative pedagogy. Findings. Modern discourse of comparative research in education contains certain inconsistences which might be put down to an inadequate analysis of upsides and downsides of foreign education system, which eventually restricts our opportunities to rely on overseas experience. It is also true as concerns correlating values demonstrated by foreign practices with national mentality and traditions, use of appropriate conceptual semantics and comparisons. Some questions also arise about the limits of the author’s interpretation. The ways of handling these issues were sought during the review of modern works devoted to the problems of education in different social and cultural contexts. Most problems stem from the language, communication, cultural codes, symbolic forms conveying identity, knowledge and values in Latin America, Middle East, South-East Asia, Africa and some European countries. Conclusion. Comparative pedagogy equipped with updated methods is presented in the paper as one of the up-todate research avenues in interdisciplinary humanities. It helps integrate national education systems allowing for their ethnically and culturally specific differences. A comparative perspective enabled to look into foreign pedagogical experience as another worldview based on historic, cultural, spiritual potential of these countries and their significance. Comparative analysis opened door to a scholarly dialogue in the educational space to promote better understanding and international cooperation.

Uncovering the landscape of cross-national UK education research: an exploratory review

ABSTRACT Background Internationally, research comparing education systems across countries and jurisdictions is valuable and can elicit nuanced insights into how particular systems operate. This paper’s interest lies in considering the scope and content of research comparing education systems across the four UK nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales). Purpose This study sought to determine the coverage of UK cross-national comparative education research (‘home international’ research) between 2000 and 2022. We chose this time period as 1999 marks the devolution of education policy to each UK nation. We aimed to investigate what educational issues had been discussed in the literature and identify any gaps in the content covered by the research. Method An exploratory, high-level review of ‘home international’ education research was conducted, based on the review of abstracts. We searched several research databases using a variety of keyword combinations to identify relevant literature published since 2000. Our search identified 53 studies that met our selection criteria. Using a meta-synthesis approach, we coded the content of each abstract to build a picture of the range and thematic coverage of research involving comparisons between at least two of the four UK nations. Findings The analysis of abstracts identified that, over the last two decades, UK ‘home international’ research has tended to include comparisons of all four nations, coverage of multiple educational phases and a focus on national education policy reviews. Furthermore, we pinpointed a number of gaps in coverage that might not have been anticipated (e.g. relatively little cross-national research focusing on assessment). Conclusion This high-level review uncovers the landscape of recent ‘home international’ research, allowing us to view issues that are driving the cross-national research agenda in the UK and recognise implications relevant to education systems that may resonate with jurisdictions beyond these four UK nations.

Comparative Analysis of The Development of Chinese Language Teaching in Indonesia and Malaysia——Focusing on Bereday's Four Step Method of Comparative Education Research

Comparative Analysis of The Development of Chinese Language Teaching in Indonesia and Malaysia——Focusing on Bereday's Four Step Method of Comparative Education Research

Trends and Determinants of Intergenerational Educational Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa for Birth Cohorts 1974 to 2003

This article expands the scope of comparative social stratification research in education to rapidly developing, largely low-income sub-Saharan Africa. First, we investigate trends in the association between parental socioeconomic status (SES) and children’s chances to attend and complete primary education, exploring whether and where educational expansion of the early twenty-first century led to equalization of educational opportunities. Drawing on data from 153 Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (1990–2017) from 40 countries, findings indicate that inequality in attendance declined, but inequality in completing six grades largely persisted. Cross-country analyses reveal a large variation in inequality levels and trends. We explore the role of national contextual factors and find that underweight prevalence, fertility rates, school fees, public spending on education, and the ratio of pupils to teaching staff systematically explain variation in SES gaps across countries and cohorts. Findings underline the importance of absolute material deprivation and school teaching resources in the stratification of educational opportunities in this region.

“Old Wine in New Bottles”: Colonial Education in Southeast Asia (1850—1950)

Colonial education in Southeast Asia is hardly a new debate under the traditional framework of area studies. However, recent research has shown new attempts and breakthroughs by offering new angles and further interpretation of colonial educational legacy and, more significantly, by undertaking the comparative approach. The paper first argues that the search for new interpretations stems from recognizing the diverse regional contexts. Under the globalized background, it further suggests the comparative approach as the future trend, bringing rejuvenation of the topic and area studies. The article ends with a summary of the current research’s strengths and weaknesses and some recommendations for future comparative research in colonial education in Southeast Asia.

Comparative education concepts, methods and practices in the emerging anthropocene educational space: from ‘measuring the other’ to ‘supporting the other’?

ABSTRACT Climate change threatens human well-being and planetary health but is hardly addressed in education. Comparative education research has advised governments about education reforms since the nineteenth century, so what must change to sustain a liveable earth? I use the concept of ‘educational space’ to understand how comparative knowledge building has steered education. Then I re-read three volumes of the World Yearbook of Education (WYB) to show how comparative education has embedded knowledges that have steered governing, neglected experiences that complicate powerlessness, and constrained learning through measurement. I argue current education compromises humans facing challenging climate futures but could provide knowledges to support ‘the other’.

Comparative Education and (De)Colonial Entanglements: Towards More Sustainable and Equitable Learning Futures

The last several decades have seen a global resurgence of academic engagement with decolonial, postcolonial, anti-colonial, and southern scholarship as a way to confront the persisting modern/colonial legacies in education. This special issue brings together a collection of nine articles to critically interrogate (de)colonial entanglements in comparative education by addressing three questions. Who benefits from and who is punished by the colonial legacies of knowledge production in comparative education? How can the professionals and scholars in the field generate more sustainable and just (trans)local and multilingual research practices that act as epistemic disobedience against coloniality? How might we learn from this uncertain time to construct new comparative genres that extend beyond the Western modern/colonial logic? The articles in this special issue challenge the current preoccupation of many researchers, educators, and policy-makers with global education trends – student achievement tests, competitive education league tables, global ranking exercises, and “best practices”– inviting comparative education researchers to articulate decolonial, antisexist, antiracist, and regenerative alternatives that recognize the interdependence of people, place, and planet, as well as the importance of cultural change. Collectively, this special issue aims at creating a space for welcoming critical and creative scholarship to radically reimagine – and ultimately transform – education for more sustainable and equitable global futures.

Performance and satisfaction during the E-learning transition in the COVID-19 pandemic among psychiatry course medical students

BackgroundIn the field of medical education, students faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Abrupt alterations were made in the form of preventative precautions. Virtual classes replaced onsite classes, clinical placements were canceled, and social distance interventions prevented face-to-face practical sessions. The present study aimed to assess students' performance and satisfaction before and after the transition of a psychiatry course from onsite to entirely online during the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsA retrospective, non-clinical, and non-interventional comparative educational research study included all students registered in the psychiatric course for the academic year 2020 (pre-pandemic/onsite) and 2021 (during the pandemic/online).To assess students' satisfaction, we utilized the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA) students' satisfaction survey used by the academic quality unit at KSU, College of Medicine.Satisfaction was assessed in six domains: course organization, learning resources, faculty experiences, clinical teaching, practical sessions, and overall satisfaction. The reliability of the questionnaire was measured using Cronbach's alpha test.To assess their performance, students’ grades from both periods were obtained from the exam center. ResultsA total of 193 medical students enrolled in the study; 80 received onsite learning and assessment, while another 113 received full online learning and assessment. The students' mean indicators of course satisfaction for the online courses exceeded their corresponding indicators significantly compared to the onsite courses. These indicators included students' satisfaction in terms of course organization, p < 0.001; medical learning resources, p < 0.050; faculty experience, p < 0.050; and overall course, p < 0.050. There were no significant differences regarding satisfaction in both practical sessions, p > 0.050, and clinical teaching, p > 0.050. The students' performance mean was significantly higher in the online (M = 91.76) compared to the onsite courses (M = 88.58) (p < 0.001), and the Cohen's D statistic showed there was a medium level of enhancement in students' overall grades (Cohen’s d = 0.41). ConclusionStudents perceived the switch to online delivery methods very favorably. Students’ satisfaction significantly improved regarding the themes of course organization, faculty experience, learning resources, and overall course satisfaction, while a similar level of adequate student satisfaction was maintained in terms of clinical teaching and practical sessions during the transition of the course to e-learning. In addition, the online course was associated with a trend toward higher students’ grades. However, the assessment of the achievement of course learning outcomes and the maintenance of this positive impact warrants further investigation.

Overview of Communist Countries, Comparative Ethical Tendencies and Islamic Religious Education

Throughout this chapter, my aim has been to emphasize different aspects of two distinct perspectives. The first perspective belongs to a researcher who recollects his past as a student in a communist country, and interprets his life experiences through the lens of his impact on his education and teaching profession. The second perspective is that of a researcher who looks to the future, despite limited resources, with a desire to connect with global research in his area of interest: educational ethics. Our research in the field of educational ethics draws inspiration and support from international studies such as philosophical works, moral psychology, and resources from sociology, organizational psychology, and pedagogy. As for expected trends in comparative and international education, I have divided them into three categories:: The trends in comparative education research can be categorized into three main themes: the application of a comparative lens to various educational themes such as history, philosophy, curriculum, sociology, politics, and psychology; the integration of quantitative and qualitative methodologies to support research; and the potential impact of global models on inspiring local initiatives that cannot be replicated.

Problem-Based Learning: A Learner-Centered Approach to Upsurge Academic Triumph in Social Science Classroom

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a useful learner-centered approach in which learners collaborate within small groups to solve an authentic ill-structured problem that has no right or wrong answer. However, facilitating and designing PBL can be challenging for teachers as well as for learning environment with learners with diverse needs. The main purpose of this action research is to upsurge the academic triumph of Grade 12 Senior High School Learners using PBL in teaching Social Science Classroom. Specifically, this action research sought to answer the following questions: (1) what is the level of learners academic performance in terms of their quarterly grades in UCSP as to their 1st Quarter Grade and 2nd Quarter Grade? (2) what is the mean difference between learners academic performance in terms of their 1st and 2nd quarter grade in UCSP? and (3) how do the learners describe their lived experiences during and after the implementation of problem-based learning as a learner-centered approach in teaching social science classroom? The study is limited to Grade 12 learners from Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics Class of Sta. Catalina Integrated National High School from September 2022 to October 2023. In the conduct of the action research, Mixed Method Research was used to gather necessary data and information. Mean and standard deviation were analyzed using descriptive statistics for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative data gathered from focus group discussions. The findings have shown that PBL as a learner-centered approach to teaching social science, had a large and positive effect to upsurge the academic triumph of Grade 12 learners which marks Very Satisfactory on the level of their academic performance in UCSP Class. For an instance, the conduct of more studies on the different factors affecting PBL integration and specific effects of PBL on various learner domain is recommended to facilitate comparative educational research in the future.

비교교육연구에 있어서 담론적 제도주의 접근의 활용 가능성 탐색

[Purpose]This study aimed to explore the possibility of using discursive institutionalism as one of the new approaches for post-national comparative education research.&#x0D; [Methods] In this study, domestic and international literature were analyzed to explore the characteristics of the discursive institutionalism approach and the use of this approach in comparative education research, and the possibility and significance of the discursive institutionalism approach in comparative education research were discussed.&#x0D; [Results] The study revealed the following. First, the core argument of discursive institutionalism is that the discursive interactions between actors in the process of policy formation can lead to policy change or maintenance. Second, in the study of the discursive institutionalisml approach, the focus is on analyzing the discourse, that is, the coordinative discourse and communicative discourse communicated in the policy formation process. Third, the discursive institutionalism approach can be a useful theoretical framework for comparative education research to understand the transition and change of global education policy by allowing analysis of the translation and recontextualization process of global discourse in each country's policy context.&#x0D; [Conclusion] Based on the research results, this study suggested the active use of the discursive institutionalism approach in the field of comparative education and the analysis of the re-contextualization of global education discourse in Korea based on the discursive institutionalism approach.

한국 비교교육학의 연구 동향

[Purpose]This article aims to analyze the trend of comparative education research in South Korea since the 2010s, when it entered a period of qualitative sophistication. With the purpose we tried to grasp the characteristics of comparative education research in the context of South Korea.&#x0D; [Methods]For this purpose, we analyzed 581 papers published from 2010 to 2022 by Korean Journal of Comparative Education which is one of the most representative comparative education research journal in South Korea with Bray&amp;Thoams(1995) analysis frame.&#x0D; [Results]First, the systematic aspect of comparative education research has been gradually secured since 2010 as the number of English issues was increased. Second, from the academic aspect, it was found that the diversity of Korean comparative education research has relatively increased compared to before 2010. There was a significant increase in the number of studies applying literature research methods. At the geographic/locational levels, interest in developed countries was maintained, while interest in developing countries also expaneded. In aspects of education and of society, it was expanded while maintaining the tradition of educational administration. In terms of nonlocational demograhpic groups, it showed that there was a high level of interest in higher education and teacher groups.&#x0D; [Conclusion]The research trend since 2010 showed a shift of viewpoints in relation to the changes in the position of South Korea in the international community. For the qualitative growth of Korean comparative education research, it is necessary to make effort to secure diversity.

Comment on “Emerging and Near Future Challenges of Higher Education in East Asia”

Higher education in East Asia has undergone a miraculous transformation in just over two decades since the turn of the century. Its quantitative expansion, qualitative improvement, and the rapid advances in academic productivity in this century are impressive achievements. Philip Altbach, a leading authority on comparative education research, once described Asian higher education from the perspective of dependency and neocolonialism, placing it on the “periphery” of the international knowledge and higher education system (Altbach, 2004). However, the argument that a structurally hierarchical “center-periphery” relationship exists between the Western and non-Western higher education systems has lost its relevance in the contemporary context. Although Horta (2023) argues the dynamic development of the East Asian higher education system from the perspective of massification and globalization, he mainly discusses its problems and challenges from a comprehensive and diverse range of perspectives. Having fully recognized the persuasive arguments presented, I humbly make the following three comments, particularly from the perspective of globalization and the internationalization of higher education. When considering the breakthrough of higher education in East Asia, the focal point is Chinese higher education. Horta (2023) suggests that China's and other East Asian academic production systems need to be more internationalized, noting the relatively small proportion of international co-authored publications of East Asia compared with those of Western Europe. Horta also explains its background as “the governance, organisation, understanding, and application of academic freedom among other characteristics of Chinese institutions are essentially national, shaped and associated with the Chinese political regime. Moreover, these factors may not be particularly appealing to other higher education systems in the region”. Although I completely agree with Horta's observations and arguments, a more in-depth discussion of higher education in China would allow for further consideration of the development of higher education in East Asia as a whole. For example, how was China able to achieve such rapid growth in academic research productivity without “academic freedom,” which has been deemed essential for research promotion in the history of Western academia? How can China's remarkable progress of scientific and technological research be used to solve various global issues such as preventing global warming and tackling infectious diseases collaborating with the international society in the current political and diplomatic context? East Asian intra-regional student and faculty mobility and university partnership-based cross-border activities are increasing rapidly and represent the de facto integration of higher education in the region (Kuroda & Passarelli, 2009). Policy discussions on Asian regional cooperation in higher education are progressing and becoming increasingly vigorous. Referring to Fedorova and Skobleva (2020), Horta (2023) also suggests “HEIs and accreditation agencies in East Asia may also play crucial roles in adopting new technologies, such as the ones related to blockchain, that can improve the governance of HEIs by simplifying bureaucracies and administrative processes, can produce digital academic certifications”. This is a very insightful discussion in the contemporary context, but it requires more discussion of the actual prospects and possible regional arrangements needed to achieve these innovative visions. Horta (2023) clearly indicates that “the human development model in the East Asian setting (for example, the J-Model; see Cummings & Altbach, 1997) continues to rely on strong human capital formation, STEM fields, and governments coordinating manpower and job planning as well as coordinating science and technology”. Indeed, Cummings explained the core of a human resource development strategy common throughout Asia which he named the J-model, or Japanese Model. Although recognizing that this model has no great difference from the arguments of “The East Asian Miracle” (World Bank, 1993)—which sees the cause of East Asian economic success as due to the role of strong government and human capital formation of the region and that the Japanese Model has been stagnant for last three decades, I would be most interested in how the fast development of East Asian higher education in the 21st century can be newly modeled and if there is any different understanding from the “J-model”.

Encountering works by Nyerere and Freire

This conceptual paper presents an encounter of a work regarding education on self-reliance by Tanzanian educator Julius K. Nyerere (1922–1999) with a work by Brazilian educator Paolo Freire (1921–1997) on education for liberation to explore their relevance for contemporary radical popular education. To this end, the study aligns with the methodological approaches used in qualitative comparative education research. Entering into a comparative dialogue between both contributions contextualises the respective features of each contribution and allows a systematic dialogue between commonalities and differences and for conclusions to be drawn regarding radical popular education. Solidarity and sustainability serve as guiding categories in this endeavour. They point conclusively to the benefits of further theoretical encounters (with, for example, the philosophy of ubuntu), to the risks of neoliberal reinterpretations and, against this background, to the quest for nurturing contemporary approaches in radical popular education in adult education academia, research and practice under the auspices of social change and transformation.

Critical education for sustainable development: exploring the conception of criticality in the context of global and Vietnamese policy discourse

ABSTRACT This paper analyses how ‘criticality’ is negotiated in the global policy frameworks on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and re-conceptualised in Vietnamese ESD policymaking. Taking the context of Viet Nam, this paper reflects on what constitutes criticality in education in the light of cultural and historical contexts of the education systems. The comparative perspective helps explore whether (1) universal or decontextualised ‘criticality’ exists or (2) whether ‘criticality’ is culturally negotiated based on the premise that educational imaginaries of societal formation and transformation are historically and contextually embedded and contingent. In addition, this paper connects the ongoing debate on the critical potential of ESD within the field of environmental education (EE) research to comparative education research by highlighting both what a comparative perspective might offer to EE research and what recent developments in EE research might contribute to comparative education research.

Learning From the United States?: Policy Transfer and the Development of Chinese Higher Education Since 1978

PurposeThe paper tries to analyze the impact of the American higher education model on China's higher education since the reform and opening-up, enriching the research on policy learning in comparative education by adding a Sino-U.S. case.Design/Approach/MethodsThis study focuses on three cases of policy learning: undergraduate education reform, the transformation of polytechnic universities into comprehensive ones, and the introduction of the tenure-track system, using academic archives, oral interviews, and policy texts.FindingsThis study identifies several characteristics of policy learning. First, while the influence of the United States remains dominant, other countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, and France have also become learning targets. Second, policy learning from the United States reflects the characteristics of selective adoption, suggesting that the foreign model is partially copied and reinterpreted in the Chinese context.Originality/ValuePolicy transfer is a classic theme of comparative education research. Although the Western model—and the U.S. model in particular—has had a profound impact on China's higher education reform, research on the impact of the U.S. model since 1978 is limited. This study addresses this gap.

Thinking through Arguments on Comparative Education Topics: Contemporary Learning Approach in Teacher Education

This study was conducted to examine contribution of producing argument in comparative education topics to the preservice teachers’ process of constructing knowledge. Toulmin's Argument Pattern (TAP) was followed. This article is different as it is a synthesis of comparative education research interests and argumentation topics. In addition, it offers a learning way in comparative education for teacher education. The study was carried out with 22 senior university students studying at the department of English Language Teaching during 2018-2019 academic year. The data were collected via observation records and written documents of four preservice teachers who had opposite claims, selected among those students. As a conclusion, it was found that TAP guided the preservice teachers on the components of claiming an assumption, backing claims with evidence, applying scientific sources, rebuttal and generating new arguments for the topics of comparative education. The study also included implications on thinking through argument.&#x0D; Anahtar Kelimeler&#x0D; Toulmin's Argument Pattern (TAP);, Teacher training, Comparative education;, Contemporary Approach

중국 초등교사들의 융합수업에 대한 인식과 실행

In order to understand the recent education trends in China, this study attempts to figure how integrated education, which has become the center of education reform, is being practiced in Chinese elementary school. A survey was conducted with elementary school teachers in China, pursuing how teachers perceive the current state of the operation and practice of integrated curriculum, and how they thought to improve it.&#x0D; As a result, almost Chinese teachers participated in survey positively supported the implementation of the integrated curriculum and thought that they should practice it. Chinese elementary school teachers differed from Korean teachers in that they recognized the competency of ‘knowledge and information processing' as the most important core competency among core competencies, but both teachers had similar perception in recognizing ‘aesthetic and emotional competency’ as the least important. It was found that the degree to which integrated classes were being practiced in Chinese school education did not show a very high level of awareness.&#x0D; In general, Chinese elementary teachers considered that the educational conditions were not yet suitable for adopting integrated curriculum, in particular, and that integrated curriculum would make lower their students' academic ability because it did not carry the evaluation of student’s academic achievement. It was emphasized that the formation of the Teacher Research Cooperation Group was more necessary than on-line or off-line education for integrated education in order to improve the practice of intergrated classes. It was also raised that translating educational research terms that were interpreted reflecting the socio-cultural context of each country and compiling an annotation dictionary were necessary for the development of international comparative educational research.

Looking Back, Looking Forward: Reflections and Hopes for Inclusive Comparative and International Education

In my 2021 CIESC presidential address, I considered the question “What can inclusive comparative and international education research look like?” I situated my own experience to consider three “Cs” for the future of comparative and international education: complexity, care, and cautions. Complexity refers to the divisive and challenging global issues that exist and in which comparative education research takes place. As comparative and international education researchers, we need to practise an ethic of care in engaging in research in increasingly complex times. I concluded by providing three cautions for the future of research: transparency, positionality, and ethical relationality.

A Comparative Study About Teaching Pedagogical Courses - A Sample of England, USA and Turkey

Pedagogic courses of teaching in USA, England and Turkey was aimed to analyze comparatively in the study. So, the pedagogic courses of the universities presenting each one of the countries which are selected according to the university success rankings were analyzed. The study is a comparative educa-tion research which is one of the types of qualitative research. Document analysis were used in the study as data collection and analysis method. The reports and written documents about the courses and the contexts of them were used as data collection instrument in document analysis. The compared co-untries were analyzed in terms of educational aims, the contexts of the courses, their practice forms and credits in the study. According to the results of the study, while turkey have some similarities with USA in terms of the contexts of the courses, it is seen to be parallel with England in terms of educational aims. Another result shows that the compulsory and selective courses in three countries have differenti-ated in terms of their practice forms besides their similarities.