Comparative and International Education Entering a New Century: Impressions Gleaned From the Review

Abstract

This paper takes stock of developments in, and the state of, the field of comparative and international education at the beginning of the 21st century, using as data base articles published in the journal Comparative Education Review during the second decade of the 21st century and to compare results with a content analysis done on the first 50 years of the existence of the Review and which was published in 2008. The 246 articles that were published in the Comparative Education Review during the decade 2010–2019 were analyzed under the following metrics: levels of analysis of articles; number of units covered by articles; research methods; narrative basis; phase of education articles cover; and mode of education articles deal with. Compared to the first 50 years of the existence of the Review, single-unit national-level studies still dominate the field, though less so. A case can be made out for a deconcentration to allow more space for research at geographic levels both larger and smaller than the nation-state. The most prominent narrative in which articles are framed is that of the social justice narrative. The neo-liberal economic narrative stands strong too, while the poor standing of the human rights narrative is disappointing. Turning to modes and phases of education is concerned, the shadow education system has registered on the comparative and international education research agenda, while there seems to be a modest upswing in interest in pre-primary education. Thoughts about the future trajectory of the field are suggested.

Citation

Wolhuter, C.C., Espinoza, O. and McGinn, N. (2024), "Comparative and International Education Entering a New Century: Impressions Gleaned From the Review", Wiseman, A.W. (Ed.) Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2023 (International Perspectives on Education and Society, Vol. 48), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 3-18. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-367920240000048001