Comparative Education

7PE519
Session 1

Sensitivity: Internal
 Session Objectives
By the end of the session you will be able:
• To familiarise yourself with the module content and assessment;
• To develop an understanding of what is comparative education and
how the field has developed over the years;
• To discuss the purpose of comparative education and;
• To consider the nature of comparative education research.

Sensitivity: Internal
 Module Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

• Critically analyse the academic field of comparative education in

relation to theory, research and policy.

• Identify an education system and undertake a comparative critical

analysis and evaluation of that system.

Sensitivity: Internal
 Assessment
Summative Assessment: Report: 3500 words (+/- 10%) - 100% coursework
In your report you will:
• Identify an issue/debate/problem in education in the UK or a country of your choiceand;
• You will undertake a comparative critical analysis of the issue/debate/problem with regards to the UK
and/or that country of your choice.
You will need to consider the following;
• What research and data is available on this issue/debate/problem in both countries? How does it
compare?
• What theories are used to explore/analyse the issue/debate/problem? What theories could be used?
• What policies are in place or should be in place with regards to the issue/debate/problem in both
countries?
• How does the field of comparative education contribute to our understanding of the
issue/debate/problem?

Sensitivity: Internal
 Assessment Key Dates
Assignment submission date on Turnitin is by 11:59pm on 14th July,
2022 Postdate for feedback is 4th August, 2022
• Submission of drafts
• Tutorials
• Attendance

Sensitivity: Internal
 Activity:
• Write down a definition of what you think Comparative Education is
before moving to the next few slides.

Sensitivity: Internal
 What is Comparative Education?
Comparative
Education

A B C D

Comparative International Development

Education Abroad
Studies Education Education

Intra-educational Study of the work

Comparative International
& intra-cultural of international
pedagogy
analysis pedagogy educational
institutions

Sensitivity: Internal Hall’s typology of comparative education (Halls 1990, p. 23 cited in Marshall, 2019, p. 15)
 Defining the field
Definition 1 (Manzon 2011, p. 215) Definition 2 (Epstein 1992, p.409)

An interdisciplinary subfield of …a field of study that applies

education studies that social scientific theories and
systematically examines methods to international issues of
similarities and differences education.
between education systems in
two or more national or cultural
contexts, and their interactions
with intra- and extra-educational
environments.

Sensitivity: Internal
 Activity:
• Using Halls (1990) typology, look through various journals such as
Compare, Comparative Education Review and Comparative Education
Research. Scan the titles of the articles and abstracts. Can you classify
the type of article according to Halls’ model? Do studies fit neatly into
the categories?

Sensitivity: Internal
 Activity:
• Find other definitions in either books, journal articles or on the
internet. Compare and contrast these to the definitions previously
discussed. Can you then synthesise (combine) them to produce one
that demonstrates your own understanding of what comparative
education is? Be prepared to justify it.

Sensitivity: Internal
 Noah & Eckstein (1969)
• 1st stage Travellers’ Tales
• 2nd stage (beginning of 19th century)
• Encyclopaedic descriptions of foreign school systems, subjective in nature
• 3rd stage (middle of 19th century)
• Encyclopaedic accumulation of info
• 4th stage (end of 19th century)
• Social science approach
• 5th stage (after WWI)
• Empirical approach

Sensitivity: Internal
 Marc-Antoine Jullien (1775-1848)

• The ‘Father of Comparative Education’

• First scientifically minded comparative educator
• The Esquisse d’un Ouvrage sur l’education comparee (1817)

Sensitivity: Internal Photo source: resistence-histoire-drome.fr.

 Comparative Education Societies and
Journals
Comparative and International Societies (1950-1970) Dates

founded

Comparative and International Education Society (formerly Comparative 1956

Education Society) (CIES)

Comparative Education Society in Europe (CESE) 1961

Japan Comparative Education Society (JCES) 1965

Comparative and International Education Society of Canada 1967

Korean Comparative Education Society (KCES) 1968

Source: Marshall, 2019, p. 9

Sensitivity: Internal
 Activity
Comparative education societies
Have a look at the following comparative education society websites and their
respective journals:
• The Spanish comparative education society (SEEC) available at:
www.sc.ehu.es/sfwseec/index_en.htm
• The Oceania Comparative and International Education Society, (previously
ANZCIES) available at: https://ocies.org/
• The Comparative and International Education Society of Canada (CIESC) available
at: http://ciescanada.ca/
What are the stated objectives of these societies? What topics are published in
their journals? To what extent do you feel they meet these objectives?

Sensitivity: Internal
 Activity
Purpose of Comparative Education

• Before looking at the next slide, what do you think the purpose of
comparative education is? Make a list then compare.

Sensitivity: Internal
 Purpose of Comparative Education
• To learn about our own education system and that of others
• To enhance our knowledge of education in general
• To improve educational institutional; their content, processes and
methods
• To understand the relationship between education and society
• To promote international understanding
• To find possible solutions to educational issues
(Marshall, 2019, p. 17)

Sensitivity: Internal
 Are you next?

Sensitivity: Internal
 References
Epstein, E.H. (1992) Editorial. Comparative Education Review, 36:4, 409-16
Gautherin, J. (1993) Marc-Antoine Jullien (‘Jullien de Paris’) Prospects: the
quarterly review of comparative education, 23: 3/4,757–73
Halls, W.D. (ed) (1990) Comparative Education: Contemporary Issues and
Trends, London: Jessica Kingsley/UNESCO
Manzon, M. (2011) Comparative Education: The Construction of a Field.
Hong Kong: CERC/Springer
Marshall, J. (2014) An Introduction to Comparative Education, London: Sage
Noah, H. & Eckstein, M. (1969) Toward a Science of Comparative Education,
New York: Macmillan

Sensitivity: Internal