Comparative Education Research: Approaches and Methods

Comparative Education Research: Approaches and MethodsBray, M., Adamson, B., & Mason, M. (Eds.) (2014). Comparative Education Research: Approaches and Methods. Second Edition. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre, University of Hong Kong and Dordrecht: Springer. xvi + 453 p. ISBN: 978-988- 17852-8-2.In the seven years since the publication of the first edition of Comparative Education Research: Approaches and Methods, it is remarkable to see how much has stayed the same yet how much has changed in the field of comparative education. The second edition of the book reflects this, with both the expanded and retained content evolving to address developments in the field. The fact that the vast majority of the first edition has been included in the second edition of the book is testament to its enduring value as a foundational reference text in the field. The editors of the book, as well as many of its contributors, are recognised experts in comparative education and are well qualified to undertake such a wide-ranging project, which continues to leave a lasting impression on the field. Mark Bray is the former Director of the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning and former Chair of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES). Bob Adamson, the second editor, is currently the Head of the Department of International Education and Lifelong Learning and former President of the Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong. Mark Mason, the third editor, is a Professor in the Department of International Education and Lifelong Learning at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. He also serves as Senior Program Specialist in the Curriculum Research and Policy Development of UNESCO. For researchers and students of comparative education, the collaboration between these editors and the contributing authors has resulted in a text that has defined the field, particularly in terms of its contributions to methodology, in a way few other books could.As mentioned above, the second edition reveals both the extent to which the field of comparative education research has evolved over the seven intervening years, as well as the many key aspects that have remained the same. Among the aspects that have changed or intensified in influence over the years, four are particularly worth mentioning. First, while the adoption of neoliberal, freemarket economic policies and the subsequent deregulation of education began in the 1980s, its influence in recent years has only continued to increase. Over the last decade, these trends have continued to put pressure on many education systems throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia. As a result, the increasing gaps between rich and poor on the individual, school, national and international scales are obvious, and they continue to intensify ethnic conflict, cultural disputes and social instability. Second, in this new environment, increasing competitiveness and accountability have become the raison d'etre for many educational institutions. Accelerating competition between and within schools has run rampant and become the norm with which administrators, educators and students must all comply. Emphasis on benchmarking has become increasingly pervasive in all aspects of education systems. For students, this has been realised through international assessments of student academic achievement, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), as well as standardised testing at the national and subnational levels. For educators and higher education institutes, world-class university rankings and the proliferation of publication indices as quantitative indicators of faculty and university performance, described as the SSCI syndrome, have continued to shape policies at all levels. In addition, the rise of information and computer technology has brought forth a new revolutionary trend in learning. …