Kalokagathia, Vol. 1. No. 1., 2012.
Pregledni rad
Constructing the Identity of Comparative Education Attempt at Reducing the Prosopognosia of Comparative Education Rather Than an Exercise in Professional Narcissism
C. C. Wolhuter
; North-West University Potchefstroom, South Africa
Sažetak
The aim of this paper is the explication of the identity of Comparative Education and a critical reflection thereof, by means of a journal analysis of articles published in the Comparative Education Review and the Canadian and International Education, two eminent journals in the field. Articles published in the two journals, up to the end of 2006 were analyzed under the following rubrics:
- levels of analysis of articles
- number of units covered by articles
- geographical area which articles deal with
- mode of education articles deal with and
- themes/topics focused on.
The analysis revealed two equally strong trends – a remarkable resilience/constancy amidst a broadening. The nation-state persists as the main unit of analysis, in spite of a slight increase and strong calls for both smaller and bigger geographical units of analysis. Most articles are single unit studies, despite the advantages of explicit comparisons of two or more units. Geographical foci have shifted – from the cold war post-Sputnik interest in the USSR, to the post-Vietnam USA’s inward orientation to the contemporary foci on countries undergoing noteworthy societal and educational changes such as South Africa and China. On super-continental and continental levels, articles on developing countries outnumber those on developed country. This trend is reversed on the country and sub-country levels. A case could be made to bring preschool education as well as non-formal and informal modes of education in the focus of Comparative Education research, given the dominance of published research focusing on the formal mode of education. Comparative Education still has the “black box” character, whereby things outside educational institutions (ie shaping forces of education and societal effects of education) are studied more than that which takes place inside educational institutions. Of that which are outside education, shaping forces draw more attention than the effects of education, despite the fact that the massive educational expansion project of modern history has been launched based on a very strong belief in the societal upliftment potential of education.
In contrast to the consistency of historical patterns and even the expansion that has taken place over a wide front in Comparative Education during the same time, there is much scope for expansion along new lines. Some of these are pointed out.
Ključne riječi
comparative education; identity of comparative education
Hrčak ID:
83464
URI
Datum izdavanja:
2.5.2012.
Posjeta: 1.591 *