Dimensions of Comparative Education
Dimensions of Comparative Education
Dimensions of Comparative Education
Comparative education has been seen within a number of interrelated sub disciplines.
1. International Education
Comparative education is closely allied to and may overlap with international education.
International education is a comprehensive approach to education that prepares learners
to be active and engaged participants in an interconnected world. Understanding of a
broad array of phenomena is enhanced and deepened through examination of the
cultures, languages, contexts, governments, religions and history of the world.
International education includes knowledge of other parts of the world, familiarity with
international/global issues and programmes and qualifications of the mother institution.
It is mostly common in higher education where several universities open satellite
campuses in other countries to offer academic programmes, joint or dual programs
and virtual institutions.
2. Internationalization of Education
Internationalisation is the process of integrating the international dimension
into the teaching and learning activities of an institution or an educational
system. It includes activities such as incoming students and staff, outgoing
students and staff, collaborative projects, joint researches, internationalisation
of the curriculum, language and area studies and internationalisation at
home. It has both advantages and disadvantages which have to be responded to. It
results into cross-pollination of knowledge, improves quality, develop capacity and
resources while at the same time develop scholars who are citizens of the world.
3 Transnational /Cross-Border Education
The word transnational education and cross-border education are used interchangeably.
It mainly apply to instances where a country or institutions provides educational
programmes within another country. It means the provision of education beyond the
nation-state borders This is therefore a case where an institution could have
a branch in another country offering programmes and qualifications of the mother
institution. It is mostly common in higher education where several universities open
satellite campuses in other countries to offer academic programmes, joint or dual
programs and virtual institutions.
4. Development Education
This dimension looks mainly at the role of education in societal development, social
transformation, change processes, democratisation, promotion of human rights and
sustainable development especially in developing countries. Key in this respect is the
Education for All (EFA) movement and the overall role of education in attaining the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for sustainable development. It also looks into
the role of development partners and international agencies, both positive and negative
in education in developing societies.
5. Multicultural Education
Multicultural education is a field of study whose major aim is to create equal
educational opportunities for students from diverse racial, ethnic, social class and
cultural groups. Its main goal is to enable all students acquire the knowledge,
attitudes and skills needed to function effectively in a pluralistic democratic society and
to interact, negotiate and communicate with peoples from diverse groups in order to
create a civic and moral community. It promotes intercultural understanding and
dialogue. It draws its content, concepts, paradigms and theories from specialised
interdisciplinary fields especially in the social sciences.