At a crossroads? Comparative and international education research in Asia and the Pacific
Abstract
Purpose
Historical studies of comparative education have been available and utilised in Europe and North America to justify and legitimise comparative and international education research in present day contexts (Cowen; Masemann et al.; Psacharopoulos; Schriewer). However, a review of the literature of comparative education research in Asia and the Pacific discloses that very little is known about its own history, purpose, or direction. The aim of this paper is to explore the idea that part of this circumstance stems from the fact that these fields of study are often perceived as undefined.
Design/methodology/approach
This analysis suggests that in the Asia and Pacific region, research in comparative and international education is generally perceived as narrowly defined.
Findings
This article points out that the “fields” differ in terms of paradigmatic representation but are both change‐dependent, and that while comparative education research does not necessarily require an international dimension to it, international education must contain comparative elements for critical analysis and reflection.
Originality/value
The first study of its kind to review the history of comparative education research in the region.
Keywords
Citation
Denman, B.D. and Higuchi, S. (2013), "At a crossroads? Comparative and international education research in Asia and the Pacific", Asian Education and Development Studies, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 4-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/20463161311297590
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited