Comparative Education Society of Nepal Sharing series 2

Comparative Education Society of Nepal Sharing series – 2 Comparative Education Research: Direction for Change Mahesh Nath Parajuli August 2015

This presentation q Introduction on comparative perspective and comparative education research q Arguments: q need for bringing localized perspective in comparative education/development studies for theorizing based on local processes q need for contributing towards fulfilling cultural gap in education Mahesh Parajuli 2015 2

Comparative perspective q Comparison for understanding and sharing q Understanding strengths and weaknesses q q societies, nations, cultures, processes q comparison across time and space Realize the variations across and within cultures and nations q Comparative perspective – expressed or implicit Mahesh Parajuli 2015 3

Comparative perspective q Long tradition of comparative perspective q our parables and fables (Panchatantra) use comparative perspective through metaphors q Metaphor – the story of snake and rope q nachna najanne aangan tedho q q song – ‘himal, pahad, taraiko desh hamro sansarmai ramro’ Vedic text - the concept of prakriti and purusha illustrate comparative perspective Mahesh Parajuli 2015 4

Comparative research q Comparative research is for q finding pattern, trends, categorization q identifying problems, problem areas q finding solutions of those problems q seeing effects of programs q contextualization – increasingly in practice q unique perspective – being called for Mahesh Parajuli 2015 5

Comparative concerns q Are societies comparable? q Are data comparable? q Can there be common understandings on constructs, variables/themes? q q q Individual or team of researchers? The solution: standardization of variables/ themes and data Still problem, because of contextual variations Mahesh Parajuli 2015 7

Comparative education – a field of study q French educator – first comparativist, 1817 q Different understanding q q q by different people q in different areas Differences are mainly on q area/levels of comparison q units of comparison q methods of comparison A debate of little value? Mahesh Parajuli 2015 8

Comparative methods q No different methods for comparative studies q International comparative studies - large scale, cross-national surveys are common q National or international q well-structured, standardized q secondary, primary data q descriptive, correlational, explanatory q multi-stage: first case, then survey; first survey, then case; some other combination Mahesh Parajuli 2015 12

Comparative methods q Contextualized approaches are also important q Emphasis on uniqueness or specificity and on exploring the reasons, meanings, implications q q searching for multiple explanations Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary q political studies q social and cultural studies q developmental studies q educational studies Mahesh Parajuli 2015 13

Comparative theories q Similar trend as in other field of studies q 1950 s-70 s – Functionalists and positivist; q q q modernization of education system q cultural/historical perspectives (weak form) 1970 s onwards – critical approaches – Marxism, Neo Marxism – interpretive and humanist 1990 s onwards – post-foundational – postmodern, post-structural, post-colonialism q Mahesh Parajuli 2015 (Ninnes & Mehta, 2004) 14

Comparative education – a field of study q Comparative education q q International education q q comparison of national systems of education describing and analysing situations in one or more countries and making proposals for one or more countries International development / development studies q changing socio-economic and political context in developing countries Mahesh Parajuli 2015 15

Comparative education Increasing international understanding through diversity of cross-national and cross-cultural studies/activities Comparative education Development studies International education Extended dialogue between ideas and evidence (Ragin) Mahesh Parajuli 2015 Emphasis on examining and explaining educational systems and cultural practices Source: Evans & Robinson-Pant, 2010 Emphasis on contextualized understandings of change with development aims of (eg) poverty reduction 16

Comparative educational research q Research with the purpose of seeing in educational processes and phenomena q q patterns and trends; and uniqueness building theory on the basis of what is happening borrowing from theory to explain what is happening explaining and addressing the concerns Mahesh Parajuli 2015 18

Time Comparative cubes Time Source: Bray & Thomas, 1995, as cited in Bray, Adamson, & Mason, 2014 Mahesh Parajuli 2015 19

Comparative education – is it a clear field? q A question often asked q comparative education a clear field of study? q what contribution? q q q bringing some pieces together and by seeing their similarities and differences? same thing on international education High popularity of comparative / international education journals, books, research works, etc. reject this blame Mahesh Parajuli 2015 20

Comparative education in Nepal q Comparative perspective has been there q q q not in an explicit manner Practice of carrying out education and other research/survey across different geographic and socioeconomic groups and presenting data/analysis on these bases International education and other studies with Nepal as one of the study country Mahesh Parajuli 2015 21

Comparative education in Nepal q Hugh B Wood, 1965, with ‘Comparative’ in title, probably the first such work q q An article with comparative perspective, 2010, in Compare (40 th year issue), by M Parajuli, MWagley - in an international journal Comparative works (by Nepali and non-Nepali writers) in national/international comparative conferences, journals, books Mahesh Parajuli 2015 22

Comparative Education Society of Nepal q Comparative Education Society of Nepal (CESON) in 2013 – the first in Nepal q q q a professional organization Understanding how education, a key social process, interacts with other social processes like development, politics, culture, economy, etc. Develop comparative perspectives in education aiming to contribute to social transformation through knowledge building and sharing Mahesh Parajuli 2015 23

Comparative Education Society of Nepal q Website (ceson. org. np) – CESON Forum (info@ceson. org. np ceson. nepal@gmail. com) q CESON Sharing Sessions q One international symposium in 2014 q Planning for the First CESON conference in 2016 q Aiming to organize CESA conference in 2018 q discourse and debate q knowledge building q policy contribution Mahesh Parajuli 2015 24

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Challenges and opportunities q Globalization q growing marketization q blurring of national boundaries q homogenizing cultures q Internet and computing revolution q Access to data and information q Growing comparative research and publication q Increasing multi-disciplinarity Mahesh Parajuli 2015 26

Challenges and opportunities q q q World is facing several challenges q poor life quality q inequity, discrimination, and exclusion q war and conflict q deteriorating physical environment How comparative education research address these concerns? Research and theorizing – localized and grand Mahesh Parajuli 2015 27

Localizing the comparative perspective q The need for localizing the research q local everyday perspective and cultural values q q q Theorizing on the basis of local research Contributing towards social justice and transformation The need for looking into historical, local treasure of knowledge and wisdom Mahesh Parajuli 2015 28

Localizing the comparative perspective q q Fulfilling the gap – the cultural gap q in education q in development Highly diverse people and their context q q q different learning styles and strategies Unbelievably isomorphic schooling and development policy and practice Culturally incompatible schooling/education and development Mahesh Parajuli 2015 29

Localizing the comparative perspective q Building synergy with international perspective q Agency and actor oriented perspective q q willingness to act upon and contest q capability to build q networking q resilience and contestations Developing local comparativists for developing localized frame and perspective Mahesh Parajuli 2015 30

References Bray, M. , Adamson, B. , & Mason, M. (2014). Comparative education research: Approaches and methods. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre and Springer. Evans, K. & Robinson-Pant, A. (2010). Compare: Exploring a 40 -year journey through comparative education and international development. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education. 40(6), 693 -710. Ninnes, P. & Mehta, S. (2004). A meander through the maze: Comparative education and post-foundational studies. In P. Ninnes & S. Mehta (Eds. ). Re-imagining comparative education: Postfoundational ideas and applications for critical times (pp. 1 -18). New York: Routledge. Falmer. Parajuli, M. N. & Wagley, M. P. (2010). Comparative education and development: Reflections from Nepal. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education. 40(6), 835 -840. Wood, H. B. (1965). The development of education in Nepal - Studies in comparative education. Bulletin 1965, No 5, Office of Education, Washington, D. C. ERIC document no ED 164375. Mahesh Parajuli 2015 31