Michael Crossley Professor of Comparative and International Education Research Centre for International and Comparative Studies Graduate School of Education

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Michael CrossleyProfessor of Comparative and
International EducationResearch Centre for
International and Comparative StudiesGraduate
School of Education

• Rethinking Context in Comparative and
  International Education

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Aims of the presentation

• Examine how context has long played a central
  role in the intellectual history of the field of
  Comparative and International Education.
• Develop a case for increased attention to context
  in contemporary educational research.
• Demonstrate ways in which context sensitivity has
  been used to good effect in recent examples of
  comparative and international studies.
• Identify innovative possibilities for the future.

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Historical reflections and paradigmatic tensions

• Origins of the field in the Parisien intellectual
  climate of 1817 and Marc-Antoine Julliens
  positivistic Plan for Comparative Education.
• Julliens influence is alive and well today
  reflected in the statistical work of
  international agencies such as the OECD and
  UNESCO and in large scale comparisons of
  student achievement (IEA studies or OECD PISA
  surveys).Continued

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• Much to be gained from such work, but it also has
  significant limitations.
• Especially notable are failures to take adequate
  account of contextual and cultural differences
  between participating systems.
• For South Africa often at the bottom of the
  international league tables Reddy (2005) argues
  that the potential benefits of such studies will
  only be realised if

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• participating countries contribute more
  towards the shaping of such studies to meet their
  own needs. The power relations inherent in
  cross-national research also deserve greater
  recognition, and mechanism need to be set in
  place to help diminish these differentials.
  Information derived from multi-country studies
  needs more careful analyses if it is to be
  relevant to specific local contexts and it is
  also important for the culture of the
  international organisations that promote and
  co-ordinate such work to change so that they can
  better accommodate the implications of different
  experiences and contexts.
• V J Reddy (2005 76) Cross-national achievement
  studies learning from South Africas
  participation in the Trends in International
  Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Compare
  35(1) 63-77

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Challenges to positivistic foundations

• Critiques of 19th century transfer and
  borrowing of educational policy and practice
  influenced Michael Sadlers (1900)
  socio-political challenge to positivistic
  assumptions.
• Acknowledging the influence of culture and
  context upon educational development.
• Emergence of interpretive-hermeneutic paradigm
  within the field pioneered by Sadler, Isaac
  Kandel (1933), Nicholas Hans (1964) and Vernon
  Mallinson (1975).
• Drawing upon philosophy and history

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• We cannot wander at pleasure among the
  educational systems of the world, like a child
  strolling through a garden, and pick off a flower
  from one bush and some leaves from another, and
  then expect that if we stick what we have
  gathered into the soil at home, we shall have a
  living plant
• (Sadler 1900 49)

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Resurgence of positivistic assumptions

• Post-World War II developments inspired by
  scientific approaches to research in the social
  sciences and fields such as political science
  and economics.
• Seeking law-like generalisations to assist
  systematic educational planning in recently
  independent developing countries.
• Harold Noah and Max Ecksteins 1969 book titled
  Toward a Science of Comparative Education.
• Brian Holmess (1965, 1981) problem approach in
  the UK.
• Reflecting changes in other fields of research at
  the time and also contributing to the paradigm
  wars of the day

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Resurgence of context sensitivity

• Lawrence Stenhouses (1979) Presidential Address
  for CESE Crossley Vulliamy (1984).
• Case study for comparative education and renewed
  context sensitivity
• New units for analysis and qualitative fieldwork
  at the micro-level. Observed practice, lived
  experience and new voices.
• A diversity of paradigms critical theory,
  action research, postmodernism, post colonialism
  
• Challenges to the uncritical international
  transfer of educational policy and practice.
• And contemporary concern with powerful global
  influences.
• But all wrestling with the place of context in
  theoretical and empirical comparative and
  international research.

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The contemporary research context

• Despite many and varied paradigmatic advances,
  the global research context is currently one in
  which positivistic conceptions of the social
  sciences are being prioritised once again.
• This is the research context in which many must
  now work, St Clair Belzer (2007) Comparative
  Education 43(4)
• The big science approach to evidence-based
  policy (Furlong, 2004).
• Vulliamys 2003 BAICE Presidential Address need
  to defend diversity of qualitative approaches.
• Especially in cross-cultural educational research
  where different world views add to the
  contextual, ethical and political implications.
• Context matters more than is realised

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Emergent trends and new possibilities

• Two examples drawing upon my own research and
  that of colleagues working in both the North and
  the South.
• International, collaborative partnershipsFocusing
  upon the impact of globalisation on educational
  reform in different low income countries.Designed
  to- combine insiders familiar with the
  cultural contexts involved, with outsiders who
  can bring fresh and challenging perspectives-
  engage practitioners in the research process-
  strengthen research capacity within the South
  (process goals)- bridge micro and macro-level
  levels of analysis (global, national, local)
• Pioneered such collaborative strategies and
  influenced development principles underpinning
  ongoing DFID/RPC initiatives led by colleagues in
  Bristol.

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Research and Evaluation Capacity Partnerships
1994-2005

• Project
• The Belize Primary Education Development Project
  (1994-1999)
• The Kenyan Primary School Management Project
  (1996-2000 2001-2005)
• Globalisation and Skills for Development in
  Rwanda and Tanzania (2000-2002)
• All projects were funded and supported by the UK
  Department for International Development

• Main Partnership Organisations
• University of Bristol Belize Ministry of
  Education Belize Teachers College University
  College, Belize National Curriculum Development
  Unit district education offices participating
  schools
• University of Bristol Kenyan Ministry of
  Education Science Technology Kenyatta
  University Centre for British Teachers
  participating schools other private research
  agencies and consultants
• University of Bristol University of Bath
  University of Dar es Salaam Kigali Institute of
  Education, Rwanda

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2. Advances in narrative research

• Building upon qualitative traditions and
  incorporating postmodern concerns for reflexivity
  and voice.
• Bridging social sciences and arts based
  investigations (life history, story,
  autobiography, etc) to understand education in
  context (Trahar, 2006).
• Holmes Crossley (2004) the arts, poetry and
  Calypso in the Caribbean
• Bainton (2007) and local understandings of
  tensions between Western and indigenous knowledge
  in Ladakh. Working with local artists, priests
  and farmers, as the wellspring for policy
  critique.
• Context as both the focus and the methodology of
  research!

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Conclusions

• The field of CIRE has long recognised the
  importance of context in educational research and
  development.
• In a rapidly globalising world increasingly
  dominated by positivistic assumptions and the
  emergence of an evidence-based policy movement,
  attention to context is especially important.
• Without this the dangers of uncritical
  international transfer of educational policy and
  practice will increase and of theories and
  research methodologies.
• Examples of innovative CIRE clearly demonstrate
  the benefits to be gained from context sensitive
  research strategies.
• And there is much that mainstream educational
  research can learn from this comparative
  experience.

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References

• Crossley, M (forthcoming) Rethinking context in
  comparative education in R Cowen and A Kazamias
  (eds) International Handbook of Comparative
  Education, Dordrecht Springer
• Crossley, M and Watson, K (2003) Comparative and
  International Research in Education.
  Globalisation, Context and Difference, London
  New York Routledge