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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Comparative Education

Introduction, general overviews.

• The Early Stage
• The 19th Century
• The 20th Century to the Present
• Education and Development
• A Codified Body of Theory and Knowledge Informing the Field
• Shifts in Paradigms
• The Case Study Approach versus Large-Scale Research
• Complexity, Continua, and Transitions
• International Testing Regimes
• Higher Education Programs and Professional Societies
• Scholarly Journals and Publications
• International and Regional Education Databanks and Statistics

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Comparative Education by Robert Arnove , Stephen Franz , Patricia K. Kubow LAST REVIEWED: 29 May 2019 LAST MODIFIED: 29 May 2019 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199756810-0152

Comparative education is a loosely bounded field that examines the sources, workings, and outcomes of education systems, as well as leading education issues, from comprehensive, multidisciplinary, cross-national, and cross-cultural perspectives. Despite the diversity of approaches to studying relations between education and society, Arnove, et al. 1992 (cited under General Overviews ) maintains that the field is held together by a fundamental belief that education can be improved and can serve to bring about change for the better in all nations. The authors further note that comparative inquiry often has sought to discover how changes in educational provision, form, and content might contribute to the eradication of poverty or the end of gender-, class-, and ethnic-based inequities. A belief in the transformative power of education systems is aligned with three principal dimensions of the field. Arnove 2013 (cited under General Overviews ) designates these dimensions as scientific/theoretical, pragmatic/ameliorative, and global/international understanding and peace. According to Farrell 1979 (cited under General Overviews ), the scientific dimension of the field relates to theory building with comparison being absolutely essential to understanding what relationships pertain under what conditions among variables in the education system and society. Bray and Thomas 1995 (cited under General Overviews ) point out that comparison enables researchers to look at the entire world as a natural laboratory in viewing the multiple ways in which societal factors, educational policies, and practices may vary and interact in otherwise unpredictable and unimaginable ways. With regard to the pragmatic dimension, comparative educators have studied other societies to learn what works well and why. At the inception of study of comparative education as a mode of inquiry in the 19th century, pioneer Marc-Antoine Jullien de Paris (b. 1775–d. 1848) aimed at not only informing and improving educational policy, but also contributing to greater international understanding. According to Giddens 1991 , Rivzi and Lingard 2010 , and Carney 2009 (all cited under General Overviews ), international understanding has become an even more important feature of comparative education as processes of globalization increasingly require people to recognize how socioeconomic forces, emanating from what were previously considered distant and remote areas of the world, impinge upon their daily lives. The priority given to each of these dimensions varies not only across individuals but also across national and regional boundaries and epistemic communities. Yamada 2015 (cited under General Overviews ), for example, finds notable differences between the discourses and practices of North American and Japanese researchers, with the former tending to locate their research in existing theories and the latter trying to understand a particular situation before eventually finding patterns or elements applicable to a wider situation. Takayama 2011 (cited under General Overviews ) notes that one reason for differences in research traditions is the Japanese emphasis on area studies. The evolution of comparative education as a scholarly endeavor reflects changes in theories, research methodologies, and events on the world stage that have required more sophisticated responses to understanding transformations occurring within and across societies.

The references cited here include leading English-language textbooks in the field that introduce readers to the principal dimensions of comparative education, including its contributions to theory building, more informed and enlightened educational policy and practice, and international understanding and world peace. They illustrate the increasing focus of the field on how globalization impacts national education systems and, in turn, are refracted and changed by local contexts. Japan, which has one of the longest traditions of comparative studies, is included to point out differences in scholarly traditions.

Arnove, Robert F. 2013. Introduction: Reframing comparative education; The dialectic of the global and the local. In Comparative education: The dialectic of the global and the local . 4th ed. Edited by Robert F. Arnove, Carlos Alberto Torres, and Stephen Franz, 1–26. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.

The global economy and the increasing interconnectedness of societies pose shared challenges for education worldwide. Understanding the tensions between the global and the local is necessary to reframing the field of comparative education. The global-local dialectic is explored in relation to Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States.

Arnove, Robert F., Philip G. Altbach, and Gail P. Kelly. 1992. Introduction. In Emergent issues in education . Edited by Robert F. Arnove, Philip G. Altbach, and Gail P. Kelly, 1–10. Albany: State Univ. of New York Press.

The three editors/authors discuss how the book reflects the field as it emerged in the 1990s. They review the debates over theory that have remained unresolved since they emerged in the 1960s. Issues examined include modernization without Westernization, the role of international donor agencies, the reform of educational governance, public-private relations, the changing patterns of higher education, the education of girls and women, the professionalization of teaching, and the nature of literacy campaigns.

Bray, Mark, and R. Murray Thomas. 1995. Levels of comparison in educational studies: Different insights from different literatures and the value of multilevel analysis. Harvard Educational Review 65.3: 474–491.

DOI: 10.17763/haer.65.3.g3228437224v4877

The initial conceptual framework provided by Bray and Thomas constitutes a seminal contribution to comparative education that alerts scholars to the importance of multilevel units of analysis along three dimensions: geographic/local units (ranging from world/regions/ continents to that of schools/classrooms/individuals); nonlocational demographic units (ranging from ethnic/age/religious/gender groups to entire populations); and aspects of education and society (typically subjects studied, such as curriculum, teaching methods, educational finance, and management structures).

Carney, Stephen. 2009. Negotiating policy in an age of globalization: Exploring educational “policyscapes” in Denmark, Nepal, and China. Comparative Education Review 53.1: 63–68.

DOI: 10.1086/593152

The author explores the processes of policy implementation in Denmark, Nepal, and China. Carney introduces the notion of “policyscape” (one of “hyper-neoliberalism”) as a common context for understanding change efforts at different levels of education in particular localities.

Farrell, Joseph P. 1979. The necessity of comparison in educational studies: Different insights from the salience of science and the problem of comparability. Comparative Education Review 23.1: 3–16.

DOI: 10.1086/446010

In this presidential address, Farrell affirms that all sciences are comparative. The goal of science is not only to establish that relationships exist between variables, but also to determine the range over which they exist. Farrell makes a major contribution in discussing how variables in education-society relations may not be phenomenally identical, but they can be conceptually equivalent. A body of scholarship can be gradually constructed to establish comparative education as a disciplinary field of study.

Giddens, Anthony. 1991. The consequences of modernity . Stanford, CA: Stanford Univ. Press.

Giddens discusses the nature of social institutions at the end of the 20th century. Societies are entering a stage of “high modernity”—not post-modernity—as dominant forms of social and cultural organization have not yet been radically transformed. The current stage of world development provides previously unavailable opportunities for the well-being of humanity; however, it also poses systemic dangers resulting from totalitarian governments, degrading industrial work, environmental destruction, and militarism.

Rivzi, Fazal, and Bob Lingard. 2010. Globalizing education policy . London: Routledge.

The authors critique “the rationalist approach” to policy studies that have a narrow national focus. Instead, they offer insights into how reform trends in curriculum, pedagogy, evaluation, governance, and equity policies are located within a global framework. Their conclusions call for a new imaginary of globalization that challenges the dominance of the “neoliberal construction” of the world based in economics, while strengthening social solidarity and democratic learning within and across national borders.

Takayama, Keita. 2011. Reconceptualizing the politics of Japanese education: Reimagining comparative studies of Japanese education. In Reimagining Japanese education: Borders, transfers, circulations, and the comparative . Edited by David Blake Willis and Jeremy Rappleye, 247–285. Oxford: Symposium Books.

Takayama makes a strong case for viewing a dialogic relation between Japanese and non-Japanese research traditions that enables scholars to draw upon external transformations that have occurred in Japanese society and education in what he calls the “post-post-war time.”

Yamada, Shoko. 2015. The constituent elements of comparative education in Japan: A comparison with North America. Comparative Education Review 59.2: 234–260.

DOI: 10.1086/680172

Yamada analyzes how comparative education has been discussed and practiced in Japan, based on a questionnaire completed by members of the Japan Comparative Education Society and classification of articles published in its journal between 1975 and 2011. This information is then contrasted with North American trends identified by scholars examining research by members of the Comparative and International Education Society and articles in the Comparative Education Review (cited under Scholarly Journals and Publications ).

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Introduction to Comparative and International Education

• Jennifer Marshall - University of Derby, UK
• Description

This book introduces major themes surrounding comparative and international education, giving you a nuanced understanding of key debates, and thinkers, and the tools necessary to conduct comparisons using secondary sources. Social, economic, historical, and cultural factors are examined in order to investigate the varied contexts in which education takes place around the globe. This new edition includes:

• New case studies touching on contemporary issues from decolonising the curriculum to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on education
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• Comparative Education

The Construction of a Field

• © 2011
• Maria Manzon 0

Fac. Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong/PR China

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Part of the book series: CERC Studies in Comparative Education (CERC, volume 29)

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• Academic Disciplines
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Table of contents (6 chapters)

Front matter, introduction: deconstructing comparative education.

Maria Manzon

Disciplines and Fields in Academic Discourse

The empirical substance and mass that constitute the field of comparative education, intellectual histories of comparative education, mapping the intellectual discourse on ‘comparative education’, reconstructing comparative education, back matter.

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Book Title : Comparative Education

Book Subtitle : The Construction of a Field

Authors : Maria Manzon

Series Title : CERC Studies in Comparative Education

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1930-9

Publisher : Springer Dordrecht

eBook Packages : Humanities, Social Sciences and Law

Copyright Information : Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

Hardcover ISBN : 978-94-007-1929-3 Published: 07 July 2011

eBook ISBN : 978-94-007-1930-9 Published: 07 July 2011

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XVI, 304

Topics : International and Comparative Education , History, general , Sociology, general

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New books in Comparative and International Education

Enhancing Values of Dignity, Democracy, and Diversity in Higher Education

Contesting a gradual disregard for the values of Dignity, Democracy, and Diversity in higher education, this volume explores best practices from universities and colleges in Israel and the USA to illustrate how these values can offer a holistic values framework for higher education globally.

Philosophy of Education in Dialogue Between East and West

Available in print at the IOE Library. This edited book opens a dialogue on theories and philosophies of education between the East and the West in the era of globalisation.

Configurations of interdisciplinarity within education : Danish experiences in a global educational space

This book explores how everyday life within educational institutions changes in response to ideas of interdisciplinarity at policy level. It provides new insights into different configurations of interdisciplinarity, which traverses all levels of the Danish educational system.

Teaching India–Pakistan Relations

This open access title explores the attitudes and pedagogical decision-making of teachers in India and Pakistan when teaching India–Pakistan relations

Conflict, Education and Peace in Nepal : Rebuilding Education for Peace and Democracy

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Education to Build Back Better : What Can We Learn from Education Reform for a Post-pandemic World

Focuses on the task of rebuilding education systems post Pandemic. Includes seven international comparative case studies of the implementation of educational change.

The Evolution of Transnational Education

This book examines issues of identity; positionality; community; value and relevance, to explore where transnational higher education is headed and what form it may take moving forwards.

Education and international development: an introduction. Second Edition

Written by leading academics from Canada, India, Netherlands, South Africa, UK, USA, and New Zealand, this second edition has been fully updated in light of recent changes in the field, such as the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals and the increased focus on environmental sustainability and equality. The book includes three new chapters on private providers, decolonisation and learning outcomes as well as a range of pedagogical features including key concept boxes, biographies of influential thinkers and practitioners, further reading lists, questions for reflection and debate, and case studies from around the developing world.

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Global Citizenship Education: Challenges and Successes

Authors in this collection offer underpinnings of global citizenship education by discussing its contemporary theories and methodologies, and specific case studies that illustrate the application of GCE initiatives

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Queer Social Movements and Outreach Work in Schools : A Global Perspective

This book brings together leading scholars researching the field of gender, sexuality, schooling, queer activism, and social movements within different cultural contexts.

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This book examines the practices and effects of emerging international curriculum programs established by Chinese elite public high schools.

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British Scholars of Comparative Education

This book brings together studies of significant British scholars of comparative education from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Palgrave Handbook of African Education and Indigenous Knowledge

This handbook explores the evolution of African education in historical perspectives as well as the development within its three systems–Indigenous, Islamic, and Western education models

Books and e-books: Comparative and International Education

Print resources for the Comparative Education Collection are located on Level 3 of the IOE Library. The collection covers international education systems and processes, and is classified by continent, region or country. 

Print resources for the Main Education Collection are located on Level 5 of the IOE Library. The collection features books that offer an international perspective on educational theory and practice. Books are classified according to subject area.

A useful digest of publications related to global education can be found in the Global Education Digest .

For both the Comparative Education Collection and the Main Education Collection, we try to source e-book versions of items that appear on Reading Lists or are in high demand.

International statistics of education in print are held on our Stores and include annual reports and statistics of education arranged by country or region. These statistics can be retrieved by searching for "statistics of education" as part of your search on UCL Explore. The items in this collection are not fully catalogued, so please contact the subject librarian if you require any further assistance. Please visit the "Useful Websites" page in this guide for more information on how to access statistics of international education online.

The  library catalogue  is the principal tool to find books, journals and other materials (either in print or in electronic format) held in UCL libraries. On the catalogue, you will find the details with the details of the location of the materials you are looking for: library site, collection and shelfmark.

How can you tell if a book is available online?

On UCL Explore , you can look at the results of your search to quickly discover if a book is available in print or/and online:  View Online  means that the book is available electronically, while  Available means that the book is available in print. In some cases a book is available both in print and online. 

Other collections

• Main Library
• Science Library
• Political Science and Public Policy: for political administration and theory.
• Human Rights: for diverse aspects of human rights and freedom.
• Anthropology: for vulnerable groups and political systems in a social context.
• The UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health Library holds a substantial collection on global health and development.
• School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES) Library: includes major holdings of the history and literature of East Germany and other German-speaking areas, Finland and the Baltic region.

Guide to the IOE Library Collection

Finding e-books in explore.

A brief guide to finding and accessing e-books via UCL Explore.

Search Explore

Check out our Explore guide to find out more about how to use Explore for your research.

• Explore guide

Suggest a purchase

• Suggest a purchase Is there a book or resource you would like to see in our collection? Perhaps you've noticed something missing on your reading list? Please let us know by filling out our suggest a purchase form.