The article assesses the role comparative research plays from the 1980s in understanding vocational education and training (VET) systems in Europe, driven by political, economic, social and labour market changes. This research has been transformed, moving from national comparisons of VET systems, grounded in institutional theory and engaging with…

This personal, tentative, self-reflective essay explores some Japanese ways of conducting comparative educational research. In this essay, I not only describe a Japanese style of conducting comparative education research but also do so in a Japanese way. The four key elements I discuss are: daijini (taking care), soboku (simplicity), nagaime (long…

Scholars and students of comparative education routinely, and often reflexively, categorize places with labels that have complex and problematic histories, connotations and associations. Both comparative education classrooms and scholarship will benefit from reflecting on the dynamics of labeling places. We seek to provide a framework for…

Comparative education is two centuries old. Many mainstream historical narratives claim that the field began with the iconic opus of Marc-Antoine Jullien de Paris (1817). This article offers to re-theorise the histories of comparative education. It suggests casting a far-sighted and panoramic look at the field's origins. An underlying assumption…

This paper analyses how 'criticality' is negotiated in the global policy frameworks on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and re-conceptualised in Vietnamese ESD policymaking. Taking the context of Viet Nam, this paper reflects on what constitutes criticality in education in the light of cultural and historical contexts of the education…

This paper is a sequel to the author's 2018 BCES presentation in which the rationale was explained for developing a 'new' theory for analytically and critically examining problems in (comparative) education. An outline is given of the steps subsequently taken to develop the theory in more detail. It also sketches practical / pragmatic and…

This article provides an introductory commentary to the papers in this Prospects special issue on inclusive education. In so doing, it stresses the need to be cautious as we read accounts of inclusive education from other parts of the world: whilst lessons can undoubtedly be learned from the accounts in this special issue, they must be adopted…

As scholars we navigate in the fast changing and demanding research environment. The pressure to produce tangible outputs, secure funding, and undertake international collaborations has high implications on individual researchers' work and well-being. The issues brought forefront in scholarly literature showcase the impact of research pressures on…

This article presents a descriptive, critical analysis of the comparability of information concerning students, teachers, and school resources gathered by organisations within government jurisdiction, and the pitfalls for the unwary researcher using government data banks. Differences in the method of compiling information about citizens, and…

The article deals with the issues of determining the theoretical foundations of comparative pedagogical research of education systems in Kazakhstan and foreign countries, analyzes the Kazakhstanis and foreign theories. Studies in the field of comparative pedagogy aimed at studying the status, patterns and development trends of pedagogical theory…

Acrobats, phantoms, and fools. Such experiences often stem from our attempts to 'fit' into the official cartography of Comparative Education, which reflects a particular reading of the formation of knowledge and knowing subjects in the field. Rather than viewing cartographies as universal, we reframe them as embodied and embedded. Combining…

This paper takes a policy-analytical perspective on the evolution of standards of research information (RI) and provides a framework for analysing processes of RI standardisation in different research systems. It focuses on the choice of policy instruments on the macro level (government) and their effects with regard to policy reactions, decisions…

Prizes and awards have received limited attention in scholarly research. The present paper engages with the prestigious "UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development," which annually honours three outstanding projects related to education for sustainable development (ESD). Drawing on biopolitical theory, the paper explores…

One way to look at some of the scholars in English-language comparative education in the 1960s is to see them as being concerned with "methods." They themselves emphasised that they were re-thinking "method" in comparative education. Victories were won and courses were rewritten. That "historic" moment is taught (if…

Existing literature reviews of calculus learning made an important contribution to our understanding of the development of mathematics education research in this area, particularly their documentation of how research transitioned from studying students' misconceptions to investigating students' understanding and ways of thinking per se. This paper…