Dimensions of Comparative Education

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Dimensions/ Typologies 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.

Theoretical Approaches in Comparative Education


Comparative education draws its theoretical approaches from an array of other
disciplines, research traditions and educational practices. These are mainly used to
juxtapose and interrelate knowledge and practices. Theoretical approaches in
comparative education have been changing with changes in the representation of
knowledge. The following are some of the theoretical approaches in comparative
education;
i) Functionalist Theory
The Functionalist theory is derived from the wider Consensus theory that postulates
that societies are composed of interdependent parts which have to work together for
harmony. It is also referred to as Structural Functionalism and calls for maintenance
of social order, harmony and consensus in society. The functionalist approach argues
that all these interdependent parts have a role to play to keep the whole society in
equilibrium. Education is seen as an important component of society which has a role
to play to keep society stable. It has to socialise individuals to conform to societal
and political contexts taken into consideration. This view argues that what happens
outside the school system is important in influencing that very system. It sees the
national system of education as a living thing. Emphasis has to be put on the
educational context before borrowings or transplants are made.
ii) Culturalist Approach
Culture is seen as a standardised pattern of activity and beliefs that are learnt and
manifested by the people in a collective life. Culture and educational features are
linked and act reciprocally upon each other. Dominant political or religious
ideologies in society would have an impact on education. Comparative
educationists use such approaches to explain how culture and ideologies
determine education policies in different societies.
iii) Contextual Approach
The contextual approach proclaims that comparative education can be used to
make informed decisions which would be useful for policy making. The
task of comparative educationists is to analyze and recommend reforms
but with the total consideration of the social environment. Comparative analysis must
be undertaken with specific social, economic and political contexts taken
into consideration. This view argues that what happens outside the school
system is important in influencing that very system. It sees the national system of
education as a living thing. Emphasis has to be put on the educational context
before borrowings or transplants are made.
iv) The Marxist Approach
This approach is drawn mainly from the wider Conflict theory. It proposes that society
is always at conflict due to the demands of the different interest groups. It looks
mainly at the social stratification of society mainly in terms of ownership of capital
and the means of production. This theory proposes that most societies are divided
into a dominant group and a subordinate one. The dominant one i.e. bourgeoisie
exploit the poor ones i.e. proletariat and this leads to conflict as the masses aspire
to dislodge the dominant ones. This theory is used in Comparative Education to
explain how education helps in transforming societies. It is also important in analysing
how class factors determine citizens’ access to education. Realists and liberals
disagree with the Marxists theory as being outdated especially after the collapse of
the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war. The Marxist theory has been
developed into the World Systems theory which applies Marxism to contemporary
international relations between the developed and developing countries manly using the
principles of the centre and the periphery.
v) Human Capital Theory
Education in this approach is seen as an integral resource and fabric for the society.
Societies are therefore are expected to invest in the education of their populations
because this is the most valuable resource they could have. The human capital
theory dominated education discourse of most newly independent countries as there
was need to invest more in the education of these new societies. In order to
develop, they had to invest significantly in their education systems. Educated
populations are considered to be more productive to societies than illiterate ones.
Comparative education looks also at how education has been used to add value
to societies.

vi) Modernization Theory


This looks at how education has been used to modernise societies. Most
societies invest in education with the hope that it will enable them modernise and
develop. The main difficulty with modernization theory was its focus on changes within
societies or nations and comparisons between them with Western societies as their main
reference points - to the neglect of the interconnectedness among them, and,
indeed.

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