Approaches and methods in comparative education are of obvious importance, but do not always receive adequate attention. This second edition of a well-received book, containing thoroughly updated and additional material, contributes new insights within the longstanding traditions of the field.
A particular feature is the focus on different units of analysis. Individual chapters compare places, systems, times, cultures, values, policies, curricula and other units. These chapters are contextualised within broader analytical frameworks which identify the purposes and strengths of the field. The book includes a focus on intra-national as well as cross-national comparisons, and highlights the value of approaching themes from different angles. As already demonstrated by the first edition of the book, the work will be of great value not only to producers of comparative education research but also to users who wish to understand more thoroughly the parameters and value of the field.
List of Tables.- List of Figures.- Abbreviations.- Preface.- Introduction: Mark BRAY, Bob ADAMSON & Mark MASON.- I: DIRECTIONS.- 1. Actors and Purposes in Comparative Education: Mark BRAY.- 2. Scholarly Enquiry and the Field of Comparative Education: Mark BRAY.- 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Comparative Education: Gregory P. FAIRBROTHER.- II: UNITS OF COMPARISON.- 4. Comparing Places: Maria MANZON.- 5. Comparing Systems: Mark BRAY & Kai JIANG.- 6. Comparing Times: Anthony SWEETING.- 7. Comparing Race, Class and Gender: Liz JACKSON.- 8. Comparing Cultures: Mark MASON.- 9. Comparing Values: Wing On LEE & Maria MANZON.- 10. Comparing Policies: Rui YANG.- 11. Comparing Curricula: Bob ADAMSON & Paul MORRIS.- 12. Comparing Pedagogical Innovations: Nancy LAW.- 13. Comparing Ways of Learning: David A. WATKINS & Jan VAN AALST.- 14. Comparing Educational Achievements: Frederick LEUNG & Kyungmee PARK.- III: CONCLUSIONS.- 15. Different Models, Different Emphases, Different Insights: Mark BRAY, Bob ADAMSON & Mark MASON.- Contributors.- Index.
