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Understanding International and Comparative Education Research

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A Companion to Research in Education

Abstract

Comparison is fundamental to all forms of educational research. Traditionally, the field of comparative education has had a cross-national focus, though there is no inherent reason why this must be the case and indeed many insights can be gained from cross-fertilisation with the approaches of researchers who make comparisons across different units of analysis within countries. The field of international education is allied to that of comparative education, though has different emphases. This chapter reviews some of the meanings and parameters of the twin fields, and remarks on ways in which they can contribute both to each other and to other domains of enquiry.

Note: This chapter draws on the book Comparative Education Research: Approaches and Methods (Bray et al. 2007). Readers are referred to that book for elaboration of much of the content presented here.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Mark Bray

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  1. Mark Bray
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Correspondence to Mark Bray .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Alan D. Reid

  2. Faculty of Education, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

    E. Paul Hart

  3. Hamilton Campus, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Michael A. Peters

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Bray, M. (2014). Understanding International and Comparative Education Research. In: Reid, A., Hart, E., Peters, M. (eds) A Companion to Research in Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6809-3_45

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