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This final discussion chapter will sum up key findings from the chapters in order to synthesize and draw perspectives as to how this volume advances understanding of the Nordic dimension in education and education in the Nordic region. Furthermore, reflections and perspectives will point to issues and discussions where other regions, countries and their educational thinking and systems may learn from the experiences of integration in the Nordic region, potentials as well as pitfalls; and where the Nordic region and countries may learn from other regional collaborations.

In this edited volume key Nordic educational researchers provide detailed insight into how a Nordic dimension in education may be understood and practiced. With a focus on school, pedagogy, and education a rich introduction guides the reader into the complex of historical, societal, cultural, and linguistic contexts that have over time created the small Nordic nations of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden; as well as the entanglements between them that have made a Nordic dimension meaningful in discourse and practice. In the first part of the book -‘Reflections upon the Nordic as a dimension’- four chapters problematize the Nordic dimension as a methodological metaspace to amass critical mass from the particularities of five nations; surveys the plethora of formal and informal Nordic collaborations in education; explores how the Nordic dimension can inspire beyond (e.g. Scotland); and captures Nordic pedagogy vis à vis Anglo-Saxon approaches with action research as an example.In the second part of the book - ‘Comparative cases in Nordic education policies and practice’ – seven chapters focus sharply on what empirical comparative studies of national education policies and practice can tell us about the emergence of a Nordic dimension, be it as myth or realities: How did universal compulsory schooling evolve? Can a Nordic welfare dimension prevail as quasi-market approaches to organization and documentation invade early childhood education and care? What happens to ‘the Nordic Model’ when it becomes an education export commodity? How do Nordic welfare and equity ideals fare when largely homogeneous Nordic countries face the challenge of inclusion of immigrant children from other ethnic backgrounds in education? And can quality education in sparsely populated vast geographies be distributed equally among urban centres as well as rural settings? A discussion chapter synthesizes findings about the Nordic dimension in education and concludes about its status between myth and reality. It reflects upon the significance of Nordic integration experiences for a wider European and global education community.

© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited This article addresses teacher autonomy in different models of educational governance using quantitative data from the OECD TALIS 2018 and qualitative data from a study on teacher autonomy conducted in Norway and Brazil. In this article, teacher autonomy is seen as a multidimensional concept referring to decision-making and control in relation to state governance. Further, the different degrees of implementation of accountability measures across countries determine the models of educational governance. The quantitative data reveals no clear pattern between teacher autonomy and models of educational governance. In general, teachers perceive that they have good control over teaching and planning at the classroom level. However, teachers report that they participate to a lesser degree in professional collaboration in schools, which could allow for collegial teacher autonomy. Teachers also report low perceived social value and policy influence, which may provide insight into professional teacher autonomy at the policy level. This article also shows the relevance of a detailed description of the country cases to gain a better understanding of the multiple dimensions of teacher autonomy.

From a critical comparative perspective (far from more naive and resolute trends) this study delves into the problematisation that comes with recognising comparative education as ‘the science of the difference’ (Nóvoa, 2018). Despite the cementation of discursive, regulatory, and normative governance, of a new higher education regime (Zapp & Ramirez, 2019) revealing the growing isomorphism in the global political and educational discourse of academics, some idiosyncratic characteristics can be detected as a result of the policy implemented in each context. The aim of this article is to compare the beliefs and attitudes of professors from seven Spanish universities regarding diversity, as well as the level of inclusion in higher education, by means of an exploratory, descriptive, and comparative survey. A total of 977 educators participated in a purposive sampling. Descriptive techniques, contrasting differences and comparing proportions allowed us to detect that, although there are no major differences between the teachers’ beliefs and attitudes, some of the minor ones are still worth highlighting. Some of these are the commitment to incorporate diversity in methodologies and teaching resources, in their attempt to meet the needs of diverse people, or the way they perceived personal or institutional commitment to diversity. In conclusion, it is necessary to take a stance on diversity and inclusion that supports the need to stop and reflect on the richness they can provide, from a comparative position and constantly distancing ourselves (Kim, 2020) from today’s university system.

Until their conceptual, systemic and substantive reform in the 1990s, preschool institutions in Slovenia were recognised predominantly as care institutions, on the one hand, and as “preparatory institutions” for school or pre-primary school, on the other. This paper presents an analysis of preschool education in Slovenia based on theoretical starting points, international comparative analyses of quality indicators for preschool education and curricular documents, as well as the results of Slovenian and foreign empirical research on early child development and learning. The analysis was conducted from the viewpoint of conceptual, systemic and curricular solutions. In particular, we emphasise the need to update the Curriculum for Preschool and resolve any professional dilemmas related to the efficiency and equity of preschool. In conclusion, we specifically highlight certain possibilities for improvements in Slovenian preschool education.

This paper discusses the findings of a research study that gathered and analyzed recruitment and retention strategies employed by 50 teacher education programs (TEPs) in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and Australia to increase the number of Indigenous teachers. It discusses several recruitment and retention strategies that were found to be successful in this regard, highlighting the importance of facilitating access, eliminating financial barriers, and offering Indigenous-centric programs.

This article is a commentary on the seven articles in this special issue of EJTE on teacher quality from international perspectives. In the article, Marilyn Cochran-Smith points to differences as w...

Esse artigo tem como objetivo argumentar comparativamente sobre os cursos de Pedagogia na Espanha e no Brasil, destacando a historicidade, o modo como se organizam, a proposta curricular, as características previstas para os egressos(as) e, ainda, destacar as convergências e diferenças. Realizou-se estudo comparado. A educação comparada consiste em comparar, mas ir além, também entender por que a educação se constituiu nas diferentes culturas, como se organiza para responder às demandas sociais. Analisou-se o Curso de Pedagogia, inserido nos contextos de produção espanhol e brasileiro, tendo por base sua historicidade, objetivos, características, proposta curricular e o trabalho dos egressos. Observou-se diferenças quanto à abrangência das propostas, quanto ao grau, bacharelado e licenciatura, e quanto ao sentido de Pedagogia impresso no Curso. This article aims to argue comparatively about Pedagogy courses in Spain and Brazil, highlighting the historicity, the way they are organized, the curricular proposal, the characteristics expected for the graduates and, also, to highlight the convergences and differences . A comparative study was carried out. Compared education then consists in comparing, but going further, also understanding why education was constituted in different cultures, how it is organized to respond to social demands. The Pedagogy Course was analyzed, inserted in the context of Spanish and Brazilian production, based on its historicity, objectives, characteristics, curriculum proposal and the work of the graduates. Differentiation was observed in terms of the scope of the proposals, in terms of the bachelor's degree and licentiate´s degree, and in the sense of Pedagogy printed in the Course.

Pedagogical studies – related to teaching didactics and methodologies – are fundamental in the globalized world, especially in the complex field of comparative education (Morin, 1999. Os sete saber...

This review investigates how the scholarly fields, themes and concepts of ‘inclusive education’ are applied in the research and educational contexts of Finland, Iceland and the Netherlands. It identifies and outlines which thematic areas of research and sub-fields of study are referenced in each country by applying a systematic, multilingual approach. We reviewed literature in the local languages of each of these countries over the past decade, from 2007 to 2018, paying particular attention to (a) micro-level, in-depth, classroom interactions; (b) social and political contexts; and (c) social categories. Results of this review emphasise that across all three countries (a) there are similar conceptualisations of inclusive education dominated by categories of disability and special needs, and (b) there is a similar lack of attention to modes of exclusion based on social class, gender, ethnicity and geography as well as to how these can be addressed by more advanced research on inclusive education in these local spheres.

Since 1999 South African learners have participated in various international studies but sadly the learners have continued to perform dismally, which brings to question the quality of their education. Meanwhile, Singaporean students have been among the top achievers in all these competitions. Many comparative studies have been done between different nations and Singapore, but in few, if any, of these studies the focus has been on comparisons regarding gifted education. Singaporean policies and practices on gifted education generally prioritise a commitment to engaging learners from all ability levels with appropriately challenging curricula and instruction. In this article we report on a comparative study between the Singaporean and South African education systems. Three frames, (a) political context (b) curriculum structure and (c) loose coupling shaped the analysis. Results show that both countries had similar challenges at the point of independence from colonial rule and yet, they responded differently to those challenges. Singapore implemented inclusive education driven by excellence while South Africa’s inclusive education is driven by equity without excellence. South Africa has a one-size-fits-all curriculum, whereas Singapore has alternatives that create multiple pathways for learners to reach their full potential. Although gifted education is being proposed in current South African pronouncements, there is no evidence of coherence in terms of its implementation. Meanwhile, Singapore has a coherent system that ensures their policies move from theory into practice. All these are lessons that South Africa can learn. Keywords: comparison; coupling; frames; gifted education; inclusive education; Singapore; South Africa

With the adoption and ratification of the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006, inclusive education became an international human right and a global norm. But, “Education for All” remains a worldwide challenge. It appears that some countries achieved higher inclusive education rates than others. Why this is the case has barely been empirically investigated. To address this gap, this study analyzes cross-national differences in inclusive education coverage in over 50 societies. First, the data gap is addressed by providing an overview of inclusive education rates in 52 societies. In the theoretical part of the paper, hypothetical causes for the cross-national differences are discussed from a new institutionalist perspective, before concrete, testable hypotheses are derived. Third, a secondary meta-analysis based on self-assembled data from national and international sources is conducted predicting the cross-national differences by means of ordinary least squares regressions. Findings show that national income or educational expenses have no impact on the level of institutionalization of inclusive education in a society; the cross-national differences in school inclusion are mainly due to the structural conditions of the school system and its own institutional logic (especially the degree of institutional differentiation); and the definition of what is recognized as special educational needs and promoted in a national education system largely affects the extent of inclusive education coverage. The findings of this analysis prove to be a good start for future endeavors in macro-sociological and educational analyses of international inclusive education and have major policy implications.

Due to the overemphasis of traditional sports at the expense of other movement domains in physical education (PE) programmes, there is a need to consider what factors might enable or limit PE teachers’ incorporation of some of these other domains that can support student learning. The focus of this article is on one such marginalized domain – alternative environment activities (AEAs). AEAs can afford students a breadth of opportunities for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in different environments (i.e. land, snow and ice, water, air) and improve environmental awareness and stewardship. This article reports on a comparative investigation of Nova Scotian (Canadian) and Irish PE teachers’ incorporation of AEAs in their PE programmes. To understand what similarities or differences might exist with respect to these PE teachers’ incorporation of AEAs, along with existing enablers and barriers, a self-selected sample of current PE teachers (Nova Scotia = 53; Ireland = 64) completed a 22-item online questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were employed to conduct comparisons among the two data sets. PE teachers’ understandings of curricular requirements for AEAs were found to be an issue in both Nova Scotia and Ireland. Reported significant differences include: AEA-related professional development participation; most important factors for deciding not to include AEAs; and feelings of school administrative support towards AEA incorporation. Findings also suggest that various issues may be hindering incorporation of AEAs in PE programmes, and that some of these issues do differ based on where the PE programme is situated.

Increasing the supply of qualified teachers is a priority in many nations as a prerequisite to accomplishing UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) to ensure inclusive and equitable qualit...

El estudio de la Pedagogía como disciplina en Inglaterra ha sido un ámbito de investigación que, hasta tiempos recientes, ha permanecido prácticamente inexplotado, incluso para los investigadores ingleses. Es una disciplina que, en este contexto, goza de una irrefutable juventud y en la que todavía es menester seguir investigando. El objetivo del presente trabajo consiste en contribuir a este ámbito de conocimiento mediante un análisis de las fortalezas y flaquezas de la formación pedagógica universitaria en Inglaterra. Empleando el método comparado se contrastan las titulaciones actuales de dos universidades prestigiosas: una a distancia (The Open University) y otra presencial (The University of Cambridge). Los resultados muestran que en todos los ciclos del EEES y en ambas universidades existen titulaciones pedagógicas que cubren las necesidades formativas y demandas del contexto inglés. Las principales diferencias halladas con respecto a factores como la flexibilidad, los contenidos, la excelencia académica y el prestigio universitario, entre otros, corresponden a disparidades acorde al ethos de las propias universidades, tanto presencial como a distancia. Se concluye que a partir de 1980 la Pedagogía se considera finalmente una disciplina académica en Inglaterra y, con el EEES se han solventado carencias formativas pedagógicas de antaño. The study of Pedagogy as a discipline in England has been a field of study that until recent times has remained practically unexplored even for English researchers. It is a discipline that, in this context, has an irrefutable youth, and in which it is still necesary further research. The objective of this work consists on contributing to this field of knowledge through an analysis of the strenghts and weakenesses of the university pedagogical training in England. Using the comparative methodology it contrasts the current degrees of two prestigious universities: a distance university (The Open University) and a face-to-face university (The University of Cambridge). Results show in all cycles of the EHEA and in both universities there are pedagogical degrees that cover the training needs and demands of the English context. The main found differences are in relation to aspects like flexibility, contents, the academic excellence and university prestige, among others, belong to disparities in accordance with the ethos of the universities themselves, both the face-to-face and the distance one. In conclussion it is from 1980 that Pedagogy has finally considered an academic discipline in England, and with the EHEA some pedagogical training lacks from yesteryear have been solved. O estudo da Pedagogia como disciplina na Inglaterra, e tudo relacionado a ela, tem sido uma área que até algumas décadas atrás apenas os próprios acadêmicos ingleses haviam investigado. É uma disciplina que, neste contexto, goza de uma juventude irrefutável e na qual é necessário continuar a pesquisar. O objetivo deste trabalho é contribuir para esse campo do conhecimento por meio de uma análise das potencialidades e fragilidades da formação pedagógica universitária na Inglaterra. Por meio do método comparativo, são contrastados os graus de uma instituição com metodologia a distância (The Open University) e outra presencial (The University of Cambridge). Os resultados mostram que nos três ciclos do EHEA e em ambas as universidades existem licenciaturas pedagógicas, contemplando as necessidades e exigências formativas do contexto inglês. As principais diferenças encontradas no que diz respeito a fatores como flexibilidade, conteúdo, busca de excelência acadêmica e prestígio universitário, entre outros, correspondem a disparidades de acordo com o ethos das próprias universidades, presencial e remotamente. Conclui-se que a partir de 1980, a Pedagogia passou a ser considerada uma disciplina acadêmica na Inglaterra e, com o EHEA, foram sanadas as deficiências formativas que outrora existiam.

The Corona virus (COVID-19) crisis forced many countries to follow strict protocols ordering schools to close. With schools under lockdown, homeschooling has become the only form of schooling avail...

In this article, I discuss the status of teaching as a profession using Gardner and Shulman’s framework emerging from their empirical examination of the professions in America and use Bernstein’s s...

The aim of this study is to analyze the internationalization policies from the perspective of participative management in two institutions of Professional and Technological Education in Brazil and Peru. The theoretical-methodological approach presupposes comparative exercise and the treatment of cases. Interactions between global, economic and cultural forces and local contexts are demonstrated in the field of comparative education by the authors Aguilar (2018), Arnove (2012), Cowen (2012), Han (1971), Kazamias (2012), Lourrenco Filho (2004), Mazon (2015). Professionalization policies and participative school management in the researched institutions are presented regarding the conceptions and strategies adopted by them. We concluded that there is a little participation of students in the management of school institutions and spaces, such as School Clubs or Students’ Unions, Parents and Teachers Associations, Athletic Associations or, still, School Councils and Congregations in the two institutions researched.

The aim of the paper is the presentation of the research results of the scientific work of the Comparative Education Department (Institute of Pedagogy NAES of Ukraine) “Trends of School Education Development in the EU countries, USA and China (2018-2020). The Department staff – O. Lokshyna, Dr. Sc., Prof. (research director); O. Glushko; A. Dzhurylo, PhD; S. Kravchenko, Ph.D; N. Nikolska, PhD; M. Tymenko, PhD; O. Shparyk, PhD – studied the transformations of the school education in the European Countries (Germant, Poland UK) in USA and in China/ The authors recealed the unification character of the globalization on the development of education in these countries; stated the impact of the strategic benchmarks of the international organisations (UN, UNESCO, OECD, EU) on education policies; underlined the importance for Ukraine to harmonise its education development with the global and European tendencies within the framework of equal access to education and quality education.

This article provides an analysis of contemporary comparative research on pedagogy, as published since 2000. It explores this sub-field of comparative education inquiry over this period, including how it has responded to new global movements, changing balances of power, and methodological advances. While these have shaped the field in recognisable ways, differing responses to these among researchers from contrasting research traditions have resulted in divergence as well as convergence. This divergence has created distinct typologies of studies that reflect particular epistemic communities of researchers, depending on how context and the purpose of research are perceived. The scoping review is based on a survey of 51 articles identified through a systematic search of 10 English-language journals in the field of comparative and international education.

Today’s teacher operates in a globalised space where people everywhere are inextricably connected, and whose lives no longer exist in an isolated vacuum, but intersect and collide as part of a dyna...

This paper analyses reflections upon the nature of recent educational policymaking in Singapore. Drawing upon the authors’ individual and collective autoethnographic analyses of a series of reflect...

Australia and New Zealand have participated in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment since 2000. Reading literacy was the main focus of the Programme for International Student Assessment in 2000, and at that time both countries’ students generally performed well above the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average. Nearly 20 years later, in the latest cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment in 2018, reading literacy was again the main focus. Students’ average reading performance has tracked down in both countries. Large inequities persist between socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged students, indigenous and non-indigenous students, and genders. The Programme for International Student Assessment gathers a wealth of contextual information that highlights key educational challenges facing both countries, including poor disciplinary climates, declining attitudes towards reading and sense of belonging at school, and increasing bullying. While there are similarities among the two countries’ 15-year-olds, evidence shows practices are diverging at the middle primary schooling level, which may be impacting positively on younger Australian cohorts; these differences are also discussed with respect to early reading experiences.

Early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS) is becoming internationally recognised as an important means for young children to develop their attitudes and behaviour towards sustainability....

Asian countries have discussed for decades the necessity of implementing multicultural education as their societies are becoming more global. With the dramatically increasing number of foreign and multiracial/biracial populations in South Korea, public education has a great need for multicultural education and Korean language teaching. However, current assimilation-centered curriculums and a lack of understanding of multiethnic students, their cultures, and their histories have created numerous difficulties in the education practice for both teachers and multiethnic students such as dropping out of schools. Moreover, it hardly narrows the disparities between multiethnic students’ academic gaps and daily life problems in Korea. This study examines general multicultural education in public education in Asian countries with the goal of building more sustainable and inclusive education systems for all learners in South Korea. First, the study focuses on three East Asian countries: South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan to compare the differences in multiculturalism and multicultural education. Then, the study summarizes their characteristics and approaches to multicultural education. The analysis shows that the three countries have common limitations such as building inclusive curriculums and granting the privilege of using a specific language. Next, this study reviews the critical role of language teaching and learning in multicultural education. Finally, the purpose of this study is to raise awareness about multicultural education and the importance of developing and implementing a better system based on language education.

In this article, the authors refer to key national policies, and associated politics, in the Swedish, Finnish and Australian contexts, to reveal the key discourses that characterise how ongoing tea...

Cross-national analyses of university curricula are rare, particularly with a focus on internationalization, commonly studied as impacting higher education through the mobility of people, programs, and campuses. By contrast, we argue that university knowledge shapes globalization by producing various sociopolitical conceptions beyond the nation-state. We examine variants of such a globalized society in 442,283 study programs from 17,129 universities in 183 countries. Three variants stand out, which vary across disciplines: an interstate model (prevalent in business and political science), a regional model (in political science and law), and a global model (in development studies and natural sciences). Regression models carried out on a subset of these data indicate that internationalized curricula are more likely in business schools, in universities with international offices, in those with a large number of social science offerings, and in those with membership in international university associations. We discuss these findings and their links to changes in universities’ environment, stressing the recursive relationship between globalization and higher education.

This article provides a comparative examination of teachers’ experiences of both participating in Catholic teacher education programmes and teaching within Catholic schools in the Republic of Ireland and the United States. This mixed-methods study consisted of surveys and interviews with 22 teachers who are graduates of both Irish and US teacher education programmes and have taught in Catholic schools in both countries. This distinct cohort of Irish Catholic educators reveals how faith and Catholic identity are experienced in two distinct education systems that share a common mission. The research underscores how context powerfully shapes the lived experience of teachers in both Catholic teacher education programmes and in Catholic schools, and it highlights implications for those responsible for Catholic teacher education programmes and also for the leaders of Catholic schools. The extent to which members of a school community explicitly identify and choose to embody the Catholic identity greatly shapes outcomes.

Purpose This paper aims to present the case of a semester-long study-abroad education class in Italy. This course explored place-based methods that classroom teachers (K-12) might use to connect students’ outdoor surroundings to extend the lessons they learn in school about environmental sustainability. The experience of the university instructor and students outlined in this paper highlights the promise of place-based education to provide a potent approach for conveying principles of education for sustainable development (ESD). Design/methodology/approach An American university course enacted the approaches of place-based education and learning outdoors (harnessing student curiosity, building community partnerships, etc.) to investigate the natural and civic systems at work in the city of Florence. The participants deepened their understanding about the natural environment, economic health and well-being of inhabitants and compared the findings about local sustainable resource management to international settings. Through a deliberate practice framework, the students designed classroom lessons. Findings This discussion of university students’ work in an education course illuminates the possibilities for place-based applications in elementary and secondary schools. The pedagogical principles applied in this course also highlight the multidisciplinary strengths of ESD. Originality/value This paper provides an inside look at choices educators must make to provide relevance in classrooms, to connect the curriculum content that is standardized by governments with the systemic dilemmas that challenge communities. The author details the pedestrian topics that the university students examined during the semester. These lessons show that place-based inquiry situated in the outdoors can present clear lessons about sustainable development. An international comparative perspective can enhance learners’ perspectives about local surroundings.

O presente artigo tem como objetivo tecer compreensões sobre políticas públicas de formação continuada de professores em larga escala, tomando como base informações sobre dois programas de formação continuada de professores que ensinam matemática: o Gestão da Aprendizagem Escolar II (GESTAR II) e o Curso de Formação Docente (CFD). Tendo em vista que as ações se desenvolvem em países diferentes, o primeiro deles no Brasil e o segundo em El Salvador, foram utilizados alguns aportes da área de Educação Comparada, com vistas a considerar o contexto histórico, social, político-administrativo, geográfico e educativo de cada país. Os resultados obtidos apontam uma tendência da formação de uma rede de formadores com vistas a atingir a maior porcentagem dos professores, além da necessidade do diálogo constante com a sala de aula, ao mesmo tempo em que se percebem distanciamentos quanto aos conteúdos elencados como necessários à formação de professores que ensinam matemática.

This article investigates the possibilities of a vocational pedagogy for undergraduate popular music education which is grounded in site and city. The value of work-integrated curricula in tertiary music environments is well established; however, often absent from such discussions is consideration of how geospatial contexts mediate the opportunities and resources available to universities. In response, we provide a critical comparison of how work-integrated learning (WIL) has been developed in two undergraduate popular music degrees in Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand. Through comparison, we consider how the geographic locations of both programmes have shaped WIL, as well as identifying the specific economic, cultural and political tensions that emerge.