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Educational Transfer in Situations Affected by Conflict: Towards a Common Research Endeavour
Abstract
This article argues that the field of education and conflict is, in many ways, ‘stuck in its emergence’ because it has yet to develop common theoretical understandings, useful analytical tools, and shared conceptual frameworks to unify and sustain a mutual endeavour by scholars working on a diverse range of topics and cases. In a curious, tentative and collaborative way, therefore, this article seeks to explore potential solutions to this problem by searching for common ground between the fields of education and conflict and educational transfer. Its foremost question is: to what degree can analytical tools recently developed by those interested in policy transfer illuminate the investigations of those interested in education and conflict? To explore this question, two young scholars, one primarily engaged in research into processes of educational transfer and one focused on the dynamics of education and conflict, come together to argue first for the potential of collaboration between the subfields. The article then introduces a series of transfer models and presents examples wherein those models may be useful for the study of education and conflict. Finally, aspects of these models are combined with work done by scholars interested in conflict and transition to present a new conceptual device: ‘Educational Transfer in Situations Affected by Conflict’. The purpose of presenting the new model herein is to elicit critique and feedback from researchers, policy makers and practitioners that, it is hoped, will lead to its further refinement and to an understanding of its potential for establishing common ground.
... To date, however, few studies have examined the phenomena of policy transfers in the context of post-conflict nations. One study that did attempt this is that of Rappleye and Paulson (2007). According to them, an 'interim stage' typically occurs following a cataclysmic event wherein a peace process in conflict-affected contexts occurs. ...
... As an alternative, discursive institutionalism has the potential to deepen our understanding of post-conflict education systems as it pays attention to the 'ideas' of relevant actors. It also provides us with a fresh look at the phenomenon of education policy transfer in a post-conflict society, differentiating itself from the perspective provided by Rappleye and Paulson (2007) who attempted to describe policy formation across a time period but did not pay sufficient attention to the key stakeholders' ideas that shaped the formed institutions. While typical discursive institutionalist studies focus on policy leaders' ideas, this paper shows that a wide range of constituencies, from international and national participants to grassroots actors, contribute to the development of educational institutions. ...
This study aims to outline the educational reforms that have been taking place in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) since the late 1990s and to explain the ideological and social dynamics shaping their implementation at the local level. The theoretical framework informing the analysis is in line with institutionalism, in particular three of its currently much-discussed variants. While sociological neo-institutionalism and historical institutionalism tend to focus on macro-level dynamics, discursive institutionalism rather focuses on actors’ ideas and their interactions. Discursive institutionalism is useful in analysing the case of BiH— in particular, in discussing its system of community-based school governance because a diverse range of actors, including international agencies, national policymakers, school leaders, and community representatives, have been involved in enacting global norms and reforms. This paper then outlines how the current community-based school governance system has reached an institutional standoff wherein these diverse actors’ motives, behaviours and meaning-making processes all intersect.
... The second model discussed here has been presented by Rappleye and Paulson (2007) and is unique in that it actually stems from an exploration of the overlap of literature on global education policy and education in conflict. Per the model presented in this case, a period of conflict is followed, first, by a peace process and then by subsequent stages during which policies are formulated, implemented, indigenized and then reformed. ...
... A further implication relates to the findings previously presented by Rappleye and Paulson (2007). These authors suggested that policy formation tends to occur after conflict, once the peace process has begun, and while this may happen in many cases, the research presented here actually demonstrates the opposite: The World Bank and Minister Gallardo took advantage of a lack of transparency in the two years prior to the Peace Accords in El Salvador in order to explore, select and commit to a new educational governance reform strategy. ...
This paper explores the relationship between the emergence of global education policies and conflict-affected contexts by analysing the trajectory of community-level education decentralization within and beyond
El Salvador from the 1980s, during the country’s civil war, to the 2000s, by which point this approach to education governance was being widely promoted and adapted around the world. The findings – based on two
years of data collection – demonstrate not only the way these contexts can be particularly susceptible to intervention by foreign governments and international organizations but also how, in certain historical-structural
moments, those contexts can be transformed and leveraged to experiment with and to entrench certain policies.
... Overall, the theoretical literature in the field of education and conflict is thin and underdevelopedsomething that has been pointed out in the literature (e.g. Rappleye and Paulson, 2007). At the same time, there are some theoretical ideas that point to different ways in which education might fuel violent conflict. ...
... However, the concentration on ethnic conflict cases might also be related to the history of the field. It has 'emerged' largely through the advocacy of the practitioners in humanitarian aid and developmental work (Kagawa, 2005;Winthrop, 2009;Rappleye and Paulson, 2007). As such, it may also be related to the 'dilemma' of the international community (see Smith, 2009). ...
Some argue that the field of study of ‘education and conflict’ has yet to be solidified since its emergence in the 1990s, partly due to the weak theory base. This article reviews the literature on the ‘contribution’ of schooling in contemporary violent conflict, via three strands of theoretical ideas, to demonstrate the validities and limitations of the current theoretical ideas available in the field. The article shows that the literature is skewed toward cases of ethnic conflicts and limited to theoretical ideas that fail to explain the complexities of contemporary conflicts captured by the case studies. It also shows the still insufficient engagement of the literature in the field with the dynamics and the root causes of contemporary conflict that have been demonstrated by scholars across social sciences.
... Building upon earlier work in comparative and international education on "education transfer" (Beech, 2006(Beech, , 2011(Beech, , 2012Fryer & Jules, 2013;Jules, 2008;Rappleye, 2006;Rappleye & Paulson, 2007;Robertson, Bonal, & Dale, 2002), this paper examines the uniqueness of the Tunisian case of wholesale policy transfer gone wrong, even when the core fundamental, institutional, and cultural attributes for the transferred policy exist in the form of a vibrant post-colonial apparatus. However, we use the notion of "indirect coercive transfer" (Bazbauers, 2017;Evans, 2009;Jules & Silva, 2008;Stone, 2001) to exemplify path dependency through the ways in which governments are pressured to enact educational reforms when they are dependent on donor support and aid from former colonies. ...
The proposed paper seeks to add a different dimension to the educational borrowing, lending, and transfer literature by examining the consequences of educational reforms that are implemented under dictatorships and their lasting impacts. In using Tunisia as an example, we assess the effects of the 2008 Licence-Maitrise-Doctorat ([LMD] Bachelor-Master-PhD) reform under Tunisia’s former dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (from 1987 to 2011). The use of coercive transfer and subsequent implementation of LMD reforms by Ben Ali’s government were in response to the creation of the European Higher Education Area in 1999 under the Bologna Declaration, which was adopted by twenty-nine European countries. The justification for the indirect coercive transfer of the Bologna model was to ensure the quality of higher education, to encourage student and teacher mobility, to facilitate both the equivalence of diplomas and young people’s integration into the labor market. In what follows, we seek to construct a typology of the consequence of wholesaling adopting a reform without tailoring it to the local needs. In this typology, we account for the processes of policy mobilization, local articulation and ownership, structural factors, and path dependency by discussing the power relations through which indirect coercive transfer occur. In doing this, methodologically, we use a comparative-historical approach to Tunisia’s higher education policy discourse. Theoretically, we seek to advance the literature of indirect coercive transfer by concluding as to the different factors that should be considered in North-South policy borrowing and transfer.
... Nevertheless, our theoretical and conceptual understanding of how education can play into the root causes of conflicts in lowincome and weak states is still limited and the strengthening of this aspect is seen as necessary to further solidify the field (Rappleye and Paulson, 2007;Davies, 2005). Therefore, building on the literature above, this article focuses primarily on two tasks. ...
... Use of 'best practice,' or 'good practice,' models seemed to have become popular among international humanitarian actors. However, a few scholars criticized that the dependency on best practice could obscure the complexity of local realities and relevance, and suggested not to rely on such rhetorical assumptions solely but to back them up with further critical scholarly inquiry and research using solid theoretical and analytical tools needs (Burde, 2004a;Rappleye & Paulson, 2007). ...
The 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami suddenly took the homes, family members, friends, and familiar neighborhoods away from the children of Iwate. In the midst of this difficult situation, early childhood development (ECD) programs provided protective environments for the young children to access continuous care and development opportunities. This case study examines how these daycare centers in Iwate prepared for, responded to, and coped with the severe natural disaster, providing physical, cognitive, and psychosocial protections to these children.
The study re-affirmed that daycare centers in Iwate had integrated the national standards for disaster risk reduction (DRR). On the day of the disaster, personnel safely evacuated the children while practicing monthly drills. Despite the challenges, the daycare programs quickly re-established normalcy in children’s lives, ensuring continuous access to care. Not only did daycare personnel act in loco parentis for these children, but also re-installed daycare programs during the recovery.
The study revealed that local governments also faced serious challenges in their leadership and coordination roles. Their response capacities had been severely affected by the disaster. Governments’ appropriate and timely guidance was most beneficial for the daycare providers. Among other recommendations, I assert that in the future, local governments could take more active roles in coordinating the massive influx of humanitarian organizations.
This interpretivist research was based on my one-year fieldwork in Iwate immediately after the disaster, and employed a series of survey instruments (questionnaires and interviews). This case study contributes to the field of education and ECD in emergencies through the use of qualitative, ethnographic research. It also recognizes significant and complimentary contribution of qualitative inquiry methods, including on-site fieldwork, ethnographic analyses, and follow-up interviews, for better understanding of crisis situations.
While pre-school programs are not compulsory in Japan, the study calls attention to the valuable protection that they provide for both young children and their childhoods in emergencies. A recovery strategy that focuses on protective environments for children has great potential as a harmonizing approach, rather than as a parallel one, in the complex nature of humanitarian assistance.
... Given the Caribbean's history of slavery and colonialism and its lack of institutional capacity to implement policy decisions, regional leaders have recognized the strategic importance of regional cooperation and coordination and have used policy transfer as a mechanism without historically defining it as such. Thus, the scholarship on "educational transfer" (Beech, 2006(Beech, , 2011(Beech, , 2012Phillips and Ochs, 2004;Rappleye, 2006;Rappleye and Paulson, 2007) may provide some insights as to how we view educational exceptionalism. In other words, educational transfer is what defines educational exceptionalism at the regional level. ...
Since 2002, the 15 member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have shifted human resource development reforms from focusing on providing basic, mass primary and secondary education and limited tertiary education toward diverting resources to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to accommodate labor mobility. This shift fixated on facilitating the creation of the Caribbean Single Market (CSM) in 2006, which was premised upon the free movement of service, capital, goods, people, and the right to establishment (ability of any CARICOM national to establish a business). The motivation was to create an optimal frontier at the regional level to aid in the development of the 'ideal Caribbean person.' This article will examine how CARICOM members relied upon the non-economic policy process of functional cooperation and the policy tool of what I call 'cooperative educational transfer' at the regional level to move ideas and practices collaboratively to stimulate national education reform. A summative content analysis shows that the rise of cooperative educational transfer at the regional level was a direct consequence of dialectic, dynamic, and fragmentary effects of globalization, since emerging markets in the small (and micro) states of CARICOM cannot insulate themselves from global economic pressures individually. In an analysis of 13 national CARICOM educational policies, findings show that during the 2002–2010 policy period, decisionmaking was distrait, since national governments incorporated both national mandates and regional aspirations and commitments in their reform agendas.
... Dazu gehören, bezogen auf den politischen Diskurs, 1. Aufmerksamkeit auf die Bildungspraxis in anderen Ländern lenken, 2. Glorifizierung des Erfolges von Bildung im eigenen Land im Vergleich zu anderen (Steiner-Khamsi 2004), 3. Rechtfertigimg der Übernahme von Best-Practices in die eigene Bildungskultur (Harpin/Troyna 1995; Gonon 1998, Steiner-Khamsi 2004 oder 4. Skandalisierung der Bildungspraxis zu Hause, um eine notwendige Reform zu begründen (Ochs 2006;Steiner-Khamsi 2004). Letzteres ist meist als Folge der Unzufriedenheit mit den Auswirkungen vorheriger Policies zu verstehen (Rappleye/Paulson 2007). Ochs (2006) unterscheidet in ihrer Analyse zwischen dem bildungspolitischen Diskurs (siehe oben) und den Motiven für die Verwendung ausländischer Policy-Texte als Vorlage fur die Gestaltung eigener Policies. ...
... Der Einfluss der Weltbank auf die Gestaltung von Bildungsstrukturen und Bildungspolitik in sogenannten entwicklungsländern wird seit mehr als zwei Dekaden kritisch analysiert (Chossudovsky 1997;Brandecker 2007), insbesondere auch hinsichtlich der Verberuflichung von Bildungsgängen ( Lauglo und Lillis 1988;Watson 1994;Heyneman 2003). rappleye und Paulson (2007) ...
Zusammenfassung Die internationale Praxis des Transfers von Berufsbildungsstrukturen, Curricula oder Best Practices, kurz zusammengefasst
in dem englischen Begriff ‚Policies‘, findet seit mehr als 40 Jahren zwischen Deutschland und zahlreichen anderen Ländern
statt. Wir werden in diesem Artikel zunächst den theoretischen Rahmen zur Analyse des Policy Transfers erläutern. Im zweiten
Teil wird das Modell der Arbeitskultur als ein Entwicklungsansatz vorgestellt, der als theoretische Grundlage bei weitergehenden
empirischen Studien zur Erklärung der Kontextfaktoren des Policy-Transfer-Prozesses herangezogen werden könnte. Dieses Modell
wenden wir exemplarisch auf die Analyse des Policy Transfers im Bereich der Berufsbildung auf die Länder China und Türkei
an und betrachten Hintergründe, Akteure und Ziele beziehungsweise tatsächlich erfolgte Transferleistungen.
... It is important, however, for audiences to be alert to gaps in meanings and translations in order to keep track of the unintended consequences that can accompany such borrowing (see, for example, Ferguson, 1990). Further, and of particular importance for education, it is necessary to note the mechanisms and processes behind such borrowing, given that policy logics and framing influence, if not dictate, the policy-making process (see Rappleye & Paulson, 2007) along with the solutions institutional and individual actors are able to put forward (White, 2002;Green, 2003). With a focus on these frameworks, therefore, the next section will examine how the bank represents the category of 'youth' in developing countries. ...
This article examines the World Bank's recent World Development Report on youth and development (2007) as an empirical example to explore the links between the employment of ‘group identity’ and the use of policy frameworks. Drawing on feminist theory to analyse the representations of young people put forward within the report, this article demonstrates how the report privileges economic indicators, elevates formal institutions, and obfuscates structural inequality and power. The article argues that the report's failure to indicate the partiality of its perspective on youth and development problematically narrows the policy options the World Bank is able to present.
This book analyses the global diffusion of key competencies-based education (CBE) as a “global education policy” (GEP), focusing on China’s process of adoption and adaptation.
Based on a six-year empirical study combining interviews, observations, and document analysis, it examines how national and local actors interpret, modify, and resist CBE. Constructing and applying a four-stage framework for the GEP transfer process, the book integrates macro-level analysis of global forces with micro-level analysis of specific policy changes at the national level, and bridges theoretical and practical perspectives through both macro-level policy analysis and micro-level case studies.
The book provides valuable insights and implications of policy formulation and educational practice for educators, policy makers, and researchers interested in the dynamics of global policy transfer, localised educational reforms, and the complexities of reform in a globalised world. The case study of China’s implementation and localisation of CBE will also inform global efforts to adapt and integrate CBE in diverse educational contexts.
Die vorliegende Schrift ist eine ausgewählte Zusammenstellung von Veröffentlichungen, die aus konkreten theoretischen wie auch praktischen Arbeiten des Autors entstanden sind. Sie lassen sich einer international ausgerichteten Berufspädagogik zuordnen. Aus diesem Gegenstandsbereich werden vier verschiedene Facetten durch die Aufsätze näher beleuchtet. Aufgeschlossen wird die Darstellung durch die retrospektive Betrachtung einer international orientierten Berufspädagogik. Einige m.E. wichtige zukünftige Entwicklungsrichtungen der Wissenschaftsdisziplin Berufspädagogik, wenn sie unter dem Prisma einer internationalen Ausrichtung betrachtet wird, werden im ersten Abschnitt zusammengetragen. Auf der Basis der hier vorgenommenen Retrospektive werden dann drei weiterführende Perspektiven für die akademisch verortete Berufspädagogik formuliert. Diese bilden sozusagen eine übergeordnete Ebene, unter die die verschiedenen, bereits veröffentlichten Beiträge, eingeordnet werden. Die Perspektive besteht (1) in einer theoretischen Öffnung der Disziplin hin zu einer Pädagogik des Erwerbs. (2) Die Forderung nach einer vertieften Entwicklung einer methodologischen Flexibilität, um die Begrenzung auf das Berufskonzept und die Schlüsselkategorie des Berufes zu erweitern und das Andere der Berufsbildung zu erkennen, ist ebenfalls angesprochen. Damit wird es möglich, sich der Frage anzunähern, wie in Gesellschaften die Reproduktion des gesellschaftlichen Arbeitsvermögens organisiert ist. (3) Zum Erkennen fremder Ordnungen der Erwerbsqualifizierung bedarf es verstehender Methoden. Die weiterentwickelten Vergleichsverfahren, auf der Basis interpretativer Sozialforschung, spielen dabei eine sehr zentrale Rolle. Die Berufspädagogik ist aufgefordert, den bisher von ihr sehr wenig genutzten mehrperspektivischen Vergleich weiterzuentwickeln und als Instrument für das Verstehen fremder Ordnungen der Organisation des gesellschaftlichen Arbeitsvermögens einzusetzen. (Verlag).;
The publication is a collection of articles, discussion papers and contribution to anthologies which the author rearranges to present some international perspective of technical and vocational Education in a broad range. Base of the collection is the former and current practical and scientific work in the field of international TVET cooperation. Starting with a retrospective of the history of the German Academic discipline "Berufspädagogik" the author deploy three more internationally coherent perspective of the German "Berufspädagogik". First he claims for a more theoretical grounding of the Technical and Vocational Education to drive the views towards pedagogy of employment. Secondly in combination with the larger theoretical assumption as vocation can be, to open to a better understanding how a given society will organise its societal obligation to reproduce their workforce and labour. Third the author formulate the obligation to develop more as before a methodology of a multi- level-comparison to come to a deeper understanding of foreign labour and employment regulations to facilitate an internationalisation of the German TVET education. (Orig.).
Cross- national Attraction is a fundamental issue in educational transfer. This article first elaborates the theory of cross- national attraction developed by David Phillips and Kimberly Ochs, and its limitations as well. Then it analyzes Conceptual Map of the Context of Cross- national Attraction proposed by Jeremy Rappleye. The contribution and development of Map are discussed afterwards. It concludes that Map reflects the feature of educational transfer in globalization and advances the research by analyzing the complex context and roles of actors.
This book investigates the effects of social and political change on the provision of primary education in post-communist and post-war contexts. Focusing on Bosnia and Herzegovina, the author considers educational developments in post-communist countries of central and Eastern Europe, the effects of the civil conflict that occurred 1992-95 and the consequences of the peace settlement. In order to present a picture of the development of primary education in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the importance of political ideology on education provision, chapters discuss instances of the impact of external political influences, educational provision being drawn from neighbouring countries, and illustrate how the political war is continuing. Political and Social Influences on the Education of Children provides insights into lessons learned for education in countries with a changing political state and considers what the future might hold for primary education provision in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This research examines higher education developments within transitory democratic spaces, using Tunisia as a case study. A document analysis of higher education policies in Tunisia shows a shift from an internal process of Tunisification to a focus on prescriptive global educational agendas. In examining higher education reforms during the past three decades in Tunisia, we attempt to understand the role of higher education in aiding and abiding the ''Arab democracy deficit'' through policies imposed upon the system through strict state intervention. We describe how higher education structures came to be, how policies were created, and detail how the issues and challenges stemming from higher education helped spread sentiments for the Tunisian Jasmine Revolution. Finally, we examine a lack of convergence, which enabled students to galvanize to overthrow a government criticized for its corruption and policy failures.
INTRODUCTION In February 1996, the then Communist Party of Nepal [Maoist] (CPN-M) announced a ‘People’s War’ in Nepal, with the aim of overthrowing the constitutional monarchy and establishing ‘a new socio-economic structure and state’ (Bhattarai, 2003; Maoist Statements and Documents, 2003). The ensuing conflict spread rapidly across the country as a consequence of failing to respond to longstanding social inequality (Murshed and Gates 2005), abject poverty and deprivation (Deraniyagala, 2005; Bhattarai, 2003; Do & Iyer, 2007), and the lack of insights into, or political will to deal with the rising insurgency through peaceful means (Thapa and Sijapati, 2004; Bohara et al., 2006). Over 17,000 people were killed by the war, before the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) was eventually signed between the Government of Nepal and the CPN-M in November 2006. However, while the ‘People’s War’ emerged in the context of widespread public dissatisfaction-(generated by several post-Panchayat [1990s] governments), it also surfaced in response to deep and historically embedded socio-economic divisions. In the last fifteen years, Nepal has suffered a significant loss in social and political stability, resulting in a breakdown or malfunctioning of state institutions and leading to a gradual decline of public trust in state functionality including the capacity to deliver quality education. Yet ironically, such marked political change has led also to improved public participation, where historically suppressed castes and ethnic groups have begun to challenge the dominance of the state that had traditionally been monopolised by socially and culturally privileged groups. In educational terms, the political hegemony of schools and educational processes conveyed through government policies, educational structures and the curricula, which control social, political and cultural meanings, have been seriously challenged, thereby creating an opportunity for educational reconstruction.
Educational progress and advancement is essential to the social and economical growth in Nepal. With 2015 as the goal date for the Dakar Framework for Action, identification of methods to improve student outcomes is fundamental to this goal. Assessing student learning behaviors in order to strengthen and/or remediate a student’s approach to learning facilitates academic achievement. The Learning Behaviors Scale (LBS) provides a behaviorally based assessment instrument for exploring students’ behaviors in the classroom. This study investigated the factor structure, multidimensional structure, and item endorsement of the LBS for a sample of 223 school-aged Nepalese students. A four-factor structure was revealed for this population. The four factors represent: task approach; emotional negativity/sojho; task engagement/thiken; and self-control. In addition, two dimensions of learning behaviors emerge. These represent task approach and level of engagement. Finally, a comparative analysis of the data identified similarities between the US sample and the Nepalese sample. The results of this study indicate a pattern of learning behaviors, as identified by the LBS, which is similar across the two cultures.
This article provides an overview of the methods and data-collection process for a multi-level mixed-methods case study. Data for the study were gathered through phone interviews and electronic surveys from individuals working on the same educational program in Southern Sudan, though some were supporting the program from outside the country. The primary comparison was to examine the varied perceptions held by staff involved in a program, that depended on whether they worked in the field, the program office or the international or regional headquarters. This article examines mixed-method research using remote data collection. It also examines how previous experience working on a different program in Southern Sudan helped to prepare for this study.
A violent conflict between Maoist insurgents and the national government has engulfed Nepal for most of the last decade, a situation that has been complicated by deep-seated instability at the highest levels of the government itself. Even with the declaration of a ceasefire in 2006, violence endures in pockets of lawless banditry and unrest at the hands of separatist groups. During the conflict, education and schools played a central role, with issues such as the neglect of rural schools, the right to mother tongue education, and the expansion of private schooling figuring prominently in the Maoists' list of grievances. Both sides used intimidation and violence to gain support from rural schools, which acted as one of the lone advocates of community interests during the upheaval. This article argues that throughout the conflict formal education in Nepal has simultaneously presented many faces: on one hand it contributed to the conflict by reinforcing social inequalities while on the other it mitigated the effects of the conflict by maintaining social cohesion and mediating between opposing sides. In other cases it seemingly did both at once: acting as an egalitarian force by expanding basic education and literacy at an astounding rate while simultaneously excluding certain groups from sharing the benefits of the country's development. Building upon the work of Bush & Salterelli, the article shows that in the case of Nepal education presents not two but many faces that are highly contextual and remain relevant in the post-conflict environment.
The imperative to provide education for communities affected by man-made or natural disaster has been strongly articulated. Since the mid 1990s, a growing body of literature and research has emerged in the fledgling field of ‘education and instability’; however, there is still a pressing need for high-quality, applicable research. The article argues that a scholarly attention to the insights and questions of ‘education and instability’ that privileges practitioner involvement may deepen and add rigour to existing insights. Such research may also raise questions and create critical discussion concerning assumptions about conflict, emergency, aid, policy, participation and service provision, and other issues in education and instability. A budding scholarly community at the University of Oxford is the Conflict and Education Research Group (CERG), comprising researchers who have practical experience of working with development agencies and in crisis situations. The group studies what role there might be for education, broadly defined, in promoting stability, peace and development. The article outlines the CERG's emerging research agenda along with its commitment to moving beyond the policy-practice divide to produce meaningful scholarly research with applicable findings and clear dissemination strategies.
The English immersion program in China is a case of educational mode transfer from foreign language immersion in North America.
This article analyzes the process of the transfer from the perspective of comparative education, using the model of “four
stages of educational borrowing.” First, it revisits the recent research on educational transfer and briefly introduces the
model. Then, it highlights the stages of English immersion program transfer in China. Finally, it concludes that the transfer
initiated actively by innovative Chinese scholars, occurs at local and micro levels, with structural context factors and supra-national
and sub-national actors playing significant roles in the process. It argues that the model may be applicable in analyzing
other educational modes with some adaptations when necessary.
KeywordsChina–English immersion program–educational mode transfer
Victims of warfare, famine, slavery, and isolation, the Southern Sudanese are one of the most undereducated populations in the world. Since the inception of formal education in southern Sudan a century ago, schooling has largely consisted of island-like entities surrounded by oceans of educational emptiness. 'Islands of Education' is the first book to comprehensively examine this harrowing educational reality. Featuring field research undertaken near the end of the civil war, this book examines the Southern Sudanese education situation in its three primary wartime contexts: within southern Sudan, in refugee asylum countries, and in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
This article analyses notions of ‘transfer’ in the literature of comparative education, searching for continuities and discontinuities in the way that the process of educational transfer has been construed. The analysis shows that the theme of transfer has been fundamental in comparative education from the early nineteenth century until the present day. Although some of the questions addressed in the field since its origins are still crucial today, it is suggested in the final part of the study that these problems should now be addressed in a world in which educational space has become more complex, as supra-national and sub-national actors become increasingly important in the production and reproduction of specialised knowledge about education.
Focusing on the post war reconstruction of the education systems in Japan and Germany under U.S. military occupation after World War II, this book offers a comparative historical investigation of education reform policies in these two war ravaged and ideologically compromised countries. While in Japan large-scale reforms were undertaken swiftly after the end of the war, the U.S. zone in Germany maintained most of the traditional aspects of the German education system. Why did Japan so readily accept ideas and values developed in the allied countries while Germany resisted? Masako Shibata explores this question, arguing that the role of the university and the pattern of elite formation, which can be traced back to the period of the formation of Meiji Japan and the Kaiserreich, created the conditions for differing reactions from educational leaders in each country; this had a decisive impact on the proposed reforms. By examining these reactions through a sociological, cultural, and historical frame, an explanation emerges. Japan and Germany under the U.S. Occupation will prove to be a valuable resource both to scholars of history and education reform.
This book addresses students, practitioners and scholars in educational policy studies. The authors use Mongolia as a case to illustrate how global influences shape domestic developments in education, and how imported education reforms are locally modified, re-contextualized, or 'Mongolized'. © Gita Steiner-Khamsi and Ines Stolpe, 2006. All rights reserved.
A generous endowment of natural resources should favour rapid economic and social development. The experience of countries like Angola and Iraq, however, suggests that resource wealth often proves a curse rather than a blessing. Billions of dollars from resource exploitation benefit repressive regimes and rebel groups, at a massive cost for local populations. This Adelphi Paper analyses the economic and political vulnerability of resource-dependent countries; assesses how resources influence the likelihood and course of conflicts; and discusses current initiatives to improve resource governance in the interest of peace. it concludes that long-term stability in resource-exporting regions will depend on their developmental outcomes, and calls for a broad reform agenda prioritising the basic needs and security of local populations.
This article highlights some of the current methodological issues surrounding how to analyze and understand educational transfer with particular reference to cross-national attraction. It reviews the resurgent interest in the themes of attraction and transfer and evaluates new models and typologies that describe those complex processes. It argues that gaps in the current research and new challenges posed by ‘globalization’ necessitate a new interpretive framework. To that end, a contextual map of cross-national attraction is presented and its component parts are described in considerable detail. Examples from the author's previous work on Chinese and American attraction to Japanese education are used to illustrate the uses of this new analytical framework. The article concludes by suggesting the various ways the device may assist in analyzing attraction and transfer and in opening up new areas of research.
This paper addresses questions of policy 'borrowing' in education. Building on the authors' previous work, it proposes some explanatory and analytical devices to assist in the exploration of the processes involved in 'cross-national attraction' in educational policy and its consequences in terms of decision making, implementation, and 'internalisation'.
This article, firstly and briefly, suggests that there is no single or unified 'comparative education' but that there are multiple comparative educations. How may such a variety of comparative educations be distinguished? Rather more importantly and secondly, what might an 'interesting' comparative education constructed in universities look like, and on what criteria would it be interesting? The specific suggestion offered here is that at least one kind of comparative education, for a decade or so, should concentrate on exploring moments of educational metamorphosis, rather than assuming that the equilibrium conditions and the dynamic linearities of development of educational systems can be predicted. Thus for the moment the correct answer to the question, how far can we learn anything of practical value from the study of foreign educational systems is: 'not a lot'. The correct question is, why have we as scholars taken that question so seriously for so long?
The article compares the educational policy trajectories of four societies in the South‐west Indian Ocean: Madagascar, Mauritius, Ile de la Réunion and South Africa. The main purpose is to trace the political pathways and differing educational policy trajectories of former colonies of Britain and France. Five metaphors are invoked in this paper to describe the political and economic forces that shape the educational policy trajectories of developing countries. Together they form a conceptual model which provides the basis for comparative analysis of the post‐colonial educational policy choices between countries and allows for a more detailed examination of one or a cluster of polices. The methods employed in the research reported here draw on the discipline of comparative history and the resultant trajectories seem to offer a good heuristic device for generating, recording, and graphically illustrating data.
This article examines the World Bank's recent World Development Report on youth and development (2007) as an empirical example to explore the links between the employment of ‘group identity’ and the use of policy frameworks. Drawing on feminist theory to analyse the representations of young people put forward within the report, this article demonstrates how the report privileges economic indicators, elevates formal institutions, and obfuscates structural inequality and power. The article argues that the report's failure to indicate the partiality of its perspective on youth and development problematically narrows the policy options the World Bank is able to present.
This article investigates the impact of the educational recommendations made by Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (SLTRC) while exploring broader questions regarding the potential of truth commissions to contribute to post-conflict educational reconstruction and reform. The complex interrelationships between education and conflict in Sierra Leone's civil war are explored, as is the current situation of educational reconstruction in the country. Using data gathered during field research in Sierra Leone, the contribution of the SLTRC educational recommendations to identifying post-conflict educational needs and to the educational reconstruction process is assessed. While the article suggests that truth commissions present potential to contribute to post-conflict educational reconstruction, it also points to the limitations of this process in Sierra Leone.
Following political turmoil and rising socio-economic difficulties, Côte d'Ivoire has been split into two since September 2002. The rebellion controls the northern part of the country and the main towns of Bouaké, Korhogo and Man, while the government controls the southern part with Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, Daloa and all the ports in the coastal area. At the beginning of the war, civil servants who were in place in the north of the country were called back to Abidjan to be redeployed in government-controlled areas. These included many teachers and education officials, but not all, as some of them chose to stay in the war-affected areas to continue their initial work. This article focuses specifically on governmental and local non-governmental initiatives related to education which were put in place at the onset of the crisis. What type(s) of education have been offered to the children in war-affected areas and to the displaced children in government-controlled areas? What have been the difficulties of organizing national examinations in war-affected areas? How have educational attainments been certified on both sides? The study covers the period 2002-06, and is based on document analysis, grey literature collected on site and interviews with key informants.
When Marc-Antoine Jullien put together the questionnaires appended to his Esquisse d'un ouvrage sur l'6ducation comparde [1] of 1816-17 with the express intention of identifying good educational practice and aiding its transfer to other systems, he sparked off an interest in the concept of educational 'borrowing' which has continued until today. Yet while one of the aims of comparative studies in education must indeed be to seek out and analyse good practice in other countries in the way Jullien intended, and to relate findings to the situation "at home", the processes involved are fraught with problems-and open to considerable misuse. When such studies are undertaken by or on behalf of governments the use to which they are put must be subjected to very close scrutiny. The British example is of current interest.
In recent years there has been a growing body of literature within political science and international studies that directly and indirectly uses, discusses and analyzes the processes involved in lesson‐drawing, policy convergence, policy diffusion and policy transfer. While the terminology and focus often vary, all of these studies are concerned with a similar process in which knowledge about policies, administrative arrangements, institutions and ideas in one political setting (past or present) is used in the development of policies, administrative arrangements, institutions and ideas in another political setting.
Given that this is a growing phenomenon, it is something that anyone studying public policy needs to consider. As such, this article is divided into four major sections. The first section briefly considers the extent of, and reasons for, the growth of policy transfer. The second section then outlines a framework for the analysis of transfer. From here a third section presents a continuum for distinguishing between different types of policy transfer. Finally, the last section addresses the relationship between policy transfer and policy “failure.”
Also available as periodical : Oxford Studies in Comparative Education, Vol.13/2, 2004. Incl.bibl.
Incl. bibl. references and appendices This study looks at how schooling in East Timor was affected by the political violence and large-scale human displacement that followed the popular consultation held in September 1999 to decide its constitutional future. The book makes a critical examination of the steps taken to re-establish education once order was restored under the auspices of the United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor (UNTAET) in 2002, and East Timor became the independent nation of Timor-Leste. The author explores how political disputes and general governance issues slowed down the educational reform process, and how a declared focus on system reconstruction in reality emphasized physical infrastructure to the detriment of policy. She highlights the role played by donors, noting that geopolitical considerations influenced the support provided. The study also examines the implications of language policy, and other challenges facing the nascent national education system, including poor qualifications of teachers, high attrition rates in primary school, limited access to secondary school, widespread adult illiteracy, limited classroom resources and struggles to provide tertiary education.
First-place winner of the Society for Education Studies' 2005 book prize, Education and Conflict is a critical review of education in an international context. Based on the author's extensive research and experience of education in several areas afflicted by conflict, the book explores the relationship between schooling and social conflict and looks at conflict internal to schools. It posits a direct link between the ethos of a school and the attitudes of future citizens towards 'others'. It also looks at the nature and purpose of peace education and war education, and addresses the role of gender and masculinity. In five lucid, vigorously argued sections, the author brings this thought-provoking and original piece of work to life by: Setting out the terms of the debate, defining conflict and peace and outlining the relevant aspects of complexity theory for education, Exploring the sources of conflict and their relations to schooling in terms of gender/masculinity, pluralism, nationalism and identity, Focusing on the direct education/war interface, Examining educational responses to conflict, Highlighting conflict resolution within the school itself. This is the first time that so many aspects of conflict and education have been brought together in one sustained argument. With its crucial exposure of the currently culpable role of formal schooling in maintaining conflict, this book will be a powerful and essential read for educational policy makers, managers, teachers and researchers dealing with conflict in their own contexts.
Incl. tables, bibl. and appendices
Changing geopolitical relations, the acceleration of globalisation and major advances in information and communication technology have all transformed and revitalised international and comparative research in education. This multidisciplinary book critically examines the implications of this change for those engaged in such work worldwide. Groundbreaking and insightful, it draws on the latest research and developments in the field to give a comprehensive overview and analysis of the contemporary condition of this valuable form of research. Drawing upon the authors' extensive international experience, the text: Re-assesses the diverse and multidisciplinary origins of this field of study: Documents the increased orientation towards research; Explores the changing nature of the problems and issues faced by both new and experienced researchers; Puts forward a coherent and well-informed case for a thorough reconceptualisation of the field as a whole. The book argues eloquently for increased cultural and contextual sensitivity in educational research and development in order that the field might make a more effective contribution to educational theory, policy and practice. This multidisciplinary work will be welcomed by a wide range of theorists and researchers in education and the social sciences, as well as teachers, policymakers and anyone concerned with improving dialogue and understanding across cultures and nations.
Whole issue. Incl. bibl. In countries that are moving from what might be generally described as 'authoritarian' styles of government to various styles of liberal democracy, education systems pass through certains stages or 'processes'. But is it possible to identify any common features that might be observable in systems that are, on the surface at least, very diverse, such as Latvia, South Africa, and the five new Länder (states) of the Federal Republic of Germany that correspond to the former German Democratic Republic. This issue tries toanswer this question through a model that might be applicable both to the countries underconsiderationand to other countries in similar - or comparable - states of transition.
Incl. 1985 country classifications appendix
54-page PDF study which, "should be considered as a first attempt to explore a set of highly complex and controversial issues. Its potential contribution is twofold: a focused and critical examination of the peacebuilding and peace-destroying role of education; and the placement of children on the mainstream peacebuilding and reconstruction agenda in a way that goes beyond their necessary but narrow inclusion as child soldiers ... The project began with the observation that formal education is often viewed as a neutral or technical process of information dissemination set within a given societal context. It found that this starting point inhibited consideration of the role of education in the creation of a âconstructedâ â rather than âgivenâ â societal context. The broadening of the analytical focus reveals that implicitly and explicitly, intentionally and unintentionally, education inevitably has a societal impact â for good or for ill."
The Two Faces of Education in Ethnic Conflict challenges a widely-held assumption -that education is inevitably a force for good. While stressing the many stabilizing aspects of good quality education, editors Kenneth Bush and Diana Saltarelli show how education can be manipulated to drive a wedge between people, rather than drawing them closer together. After analyzing the increasing importance of ethnicity in contemporary conflicts, this Innocenti Insight outlines the negative and positive faces of education in situations of tension or violence, including the denial of education as a weapon of war (negative) and the cultivation of inclusive citizenship (positive). It emphasizes the need for peacebuilding education that goes further than the 'add good education and stir' approach, aiming to transform the very foundations of intolerance.
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Unspeakable Truths: facing the challenge of truth commissions
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Diamonds and Conflict: problems and solutions
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National Curricula: world models and national historical legacies
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