Comparative education research framed by neo-institutional theory: a review of diverse approaches and conflicting assumptions

The rise in globalisation studies in comparative education places neo-institutional theory at the centre of many debates among comparative education researchers. However, uncertainty about how to interpret neo-institutional theory still persists among educational comparativists. With this uncertainty comes misinterpretation of its principles, variations and explanatory power. Two problematic misconceptions prevail: (1) the belief that the ‘world culture’ strand is the only version of neo-institutional theory applicable to comparative education research; and (2) the assumption that the global homogenisation of society, culture and schooling is a goal of researchers applying neo-institutional theory to comparative education phenomena. This article addresses these misconceptions, elucidating neo-institutional theory and its applicability to comparative education research. Our findings suggest that neo-institutional frameworks for comparative education research are useful, but that complementary approaches and methods are also necessary.     

正确理解和把握马克思的"世界历史"理论

全球化的出现 ,对人类生活和当代社会发展产生了巨大而深远的影响。重新认识马克思的“世界历史”理论 ,对于正确理解和把握全球化及当代社会发展 ,具有重要的理论意义和实践价值。为此 ,必须对马克思“世界历史”理论研究中一些存在分歧的问题给予必要的解释和说明 ;同时 ,要从今天全球化现实出发深化对马克思“世界历史”理论的理解 ,拓展研究视野 ,加强与国外全球化理论的比较研究 ,使马克思理论的内在精神真正趋向现实     

The Holocaust as history and human rights: A cross-national analysis of Holocaust education in social science textbooks, 1970–2008

This article examines Holocaust education in secondary school social science textbooks around the world since 1970, using data coded from 465 textbooks from 69 countries. It finds that books and countries more connected to world society and with an accompanying emphasis on human rights, diversity in society and a depiction of international, rather than national, society are more likely to discuss the Holocaust. Additionally, textbooks from Western countries contain more discussion of the Holocaust, although the rate is increasing in Eastern European and other non-Western countries, suggesting eventual convergence. We also find a shift in the nature of discussion, from a historical event to a violation of human rights or crime against humanity. These findings broadly support the arguments of neo-institutional theories that the social and cultural realms of the contemporary world are increasingly globalized and that notions of human rights are a central feature of world society.     

全球化:一种意识形态?-全球化语境下大学与民族国家间的关系

我们认同当今世界政治、经济和文化的全球性事实 ,即不否认全球性的内在逻辑与民族国家社会结构调整、制度和文化变迁间存在着一定的相关性。但对于全球化本身存在的意识形态倾向却不能不加以警惕 ,因为在一个作为现代性的延伸而不是超越的全球性时代 ,民族国家的整体利益依旧是第一位的 ,这是作为一个政治、利益和文化意义共同体的国家在全球格局中免于被边缘化的前提 ,也是缓解共同体内部不断加剧的张力、保证社会持续稳定健康发展的必备条件。由此 ,从民族国家利益角度来反省全球化语境中大学的立场、大学与民族国家新的关系构型 ,对于理解所谓后现代大学的本质和功能特征 ,具有丰富的理论价值和政策实践意义     

World culture in the capitalist world-system in transition

World culture theory (WCT) offers an explanatory framework for macro-level comparative analyses of systems of mass education, including their structures, accompanying policies and their curricular and pedagogical practices. WCT has contributed to broader efforts to overcome methodological nationalism in comparative research. In this paper, we acknowledge the contributions of world culture theory in these terms, but develop the case for an alternative explanatory framework – world-systems analysis (WSA) – rooted in the historical development and contemporary crises of the capitalist world-economy. This case is built on two major points of critique of world culture theory: first, that its consensus orientation is inadequate for a macro-level accounting of social reality; and second, that its analysis of the economic functions of mass education, in isolation from the capitalist world-economy, further weakens its explanatory power. Working from this critique, we elaborate the capacity of world-systems analysis to overcome these shortcomings by providing a more comprehensive, historical perspective. This alternative approach incorporates the identification and analysis of shared cultural understandings underpinning policy and institutional practice, linked to the development of the capitalist world-economy. We conclude this paper by affirming the value of WSA as an alternative approach for comparative research, and its potential contribution to the development of more enlightened educational policy and a more just and democratic world-system.     

Education,nation states and the globalization of information networks

The rise of information technology coupled with the globalization of the economy has thrust the identity and sovereignty of the nation-state into sharp focus over the last two decades. Against this fast-changing background, the response of many countries has been to develop policies aimed at creating national information infrastructures (NII) - often with educational networking initiatives as an integral or pioneering element. Given the emerging global policyscape (Ball 1999) towards creating educational information networks this paper presents a comparative analysis of policy-making across Europe, East Asia and the USA. In analysing education networking in seven case-study countries, the paper emphasizes a political economy perspective; thus focusing attention on the role of the state and the varying relationship between education, economy and society. Having explored the varying motivations and objectives behind countries' education networking programmes the paper concludes by outlining an educational research agenda for future examination of NII policies as they continue to be implemented in developed nations over the next decade.     

论国别教育比较研究类型的划分

国别教育比较研究是比较教育研究中的重要组成部分,划分国别教育比较研究的类型对促进比较教育研究的发展有重要意义。基于"比较"概念的理解和马克思人类社会发展学说,可将国别教育比较研究的类型划分为单一民族国家教育比较研究、国别间教育比较研究、国际教育比较研究、发展教育比较研究。     

论我国少数民族教育研究工作的原则与任务

民族教育研究在推进民族地区教育发展和和谐社会建设中具有基础性、前瞻性、先导性作用。新时期我国民族教育研究工作的原则是：坚持以科学发展观统领民族教育研究工作 坚持实事求是,理论联系实际,大力推动民族教育研究的理论创新 坚持为民族地区教育发展和和谐社会建设服务的方向 坚持传承与发展、继承与创新相结合,坚持立足中国,面向世界。新时期我国民族教育研究的主要任务有：民族教育学理论体系的研究与构建,民族地区基础教育问题的深化研究,民族高等教育和职业教育问题研究,民族教育的特殊政策研究,民族地区双语教学模式的研究,民族地区多元文化课程问题研究,多元文化教育理论的国际比较研究,民族认同与民族地区青少年心理教育问题研究。     

The formalization of the university: rules, roots, and routes

This article examines changes in the formal organization of two universities and two schools within these universities, the University of Oslo and Stanford University. We focus on role differentiation, rule formation, and resource seeking structures and describe organizational developments along these dimensions. We find that both these universities travel similar routes involving greater role differentiation, rule formation, and resource seeking activities. Both universities more explicitly function as organizational actors influenced by a global environment that favors the more socially embedded and the more managed university. However, we also find persistent differences in how these universities respond to the global environment, differences that reflect the different historical roots of different universities. A tradition of professorial self-governance at the University of Oslo, for example, fosters greater resistance to the managed university ideal. The latter emerges earlier and develops to a greater degree at Stanford University. We conclude that university routes are influenced both by common (now globalized) rules of the game and by their different organizational roots. We use ideas from the neo-institutional and path dependency perspectives to make sense of both growing commonalities and persistent differences.     

当代西方比较教育研究中的社会地图学

20世纪70年代,特别是90年代以来,西方比较教育研究者将社会地图学引入比较教育研究中,取得了丰硕的研究成果。社会地图学实质上是后现代主义中表陈现实、阐释社会的一个学术流派,是地图学原理在其他社会科学中的应用。它以其独特的魅力为当代比较教育研究提供了一个有效的空间工具和崭新的研究视角。波斯东绘制的比较教育理论图即是将社会地图学运用于比较教育研究中的一个经典范例。尽管社会地图学已经受到一些学者的质疑,但作为一种研究工具,其在当代西方比较教育研究中似乎仍有很大的发展空间。     

The expansion of compulsory education in Turkey: local and world culture dynamics

Drawing on world culture and local culture explanations of educational change, this article aims to understand the dynamics of educational reform in Turkey in 1997 that expanded compulsory primary education from five to eight years. To do so, speeches given by opponents and proponents of the reform in the Turkish parliament were analysed. Imam-Hatip schools, vocational secondary schools for educating religious functionaries, were central to the debate. In support of world culture explanations, both sides of the debate made references to Western educational models and universal values such as democracy and human rights to frame and legitimise their arguments. However, all these arguments were embedded in local cultural and political issues. This article therefore proposes that both world culture and local culture should be considered when analysing national policy changes since local actors can easily appropriate global developments to support their local cultural and political interests.     

论民族国家的生存方式与比较教育和国际教育研究模式

民族国家是当代世界最基本的组织形态,是国际关系的基本主体,而比较教育和国际教育又是以民族国家为基本单元开展研究的。本文着重指出了国际教育的双重性,并重点探讨了民族国家的生存方式如何决定或影响着比较教育和国际教育研究模式,最后强调民族国家对于比较教育和国际教育的重要性。     

比较教育研究中的“民族国家”:历史、挑战与应对

在比较教育研究中,"民族性"概念是"民族国家"分析框架的前身,格林通过"国家形成"研究深化了"民族国家"的方法论蕴含。当代基于"民族国家"的比较教育研究面临着内部裂变与外部消融的双重危机。为应对这一危机,一方面需要还原教育发展逻辑,以"民族国家"生存方式多样性为研究起点;另一方面需要立足复杂性思维,采取多维度的研究层次和关系互动的动态研究视角。     

新媒体语境下中国动画电视剧的生产、播出与创 作

新媒体语境下,中国动画电视剧的生产、播出与创作发生了诸多变化。运用实证与规范分析的研究方法,拟通过厘清这些变化的表现、产生的原因以及由此带来的种种影响等,为认清当前中国动画电视剧的产业现状提供一种新的角度,即媒体形态的变化会直接带来内容产业生产、播出与创作的连锁反应。     

经典命题逻辑的本体论承诺

一个理论的本体论承诺就是按照那个理论有什么东西存在的问题。经典命题逻辑是现代形式逻辑的基础。从语义学角度和它对"逻辑真"的定义看,它的本体论承诺是可能世界。存在经典命题逻辑这一本体论承诺是实在论逻辑观的反映,是它研究内容的必然要求。把可能世界存在作为它的本体论承诺对逻辑学自身、对经验科学都有深远而广泛的影响。     

社会科课程中的公民教育新取向及其教学策略

公民资质传递的观点蕴涵着对"公民"概念的基本理解。分别强调社会科学的学习、决策能力的培养和批判思考的养成等三种公民教育取向,在社会科课程中占据了越来越重要的位置。在全球化的背景下,公民资格已经演绎成为一个多维度的概念,公民资格逐步从民族国家拓展到全球社会,从单一的宪政意义上的法律概念演变成为一个以法律、政治为核心的多维度概念;公民权责作为公民资格的核心逐步从单一强调公民责任发展成为强调公民权责的平衡。     

Globalisation,the Learning Society and Comparative Education

Extending the logic of industrialism thesis, it is argued here that the world now has a global infrastructure, information technology empowered by those who control capital. Globalisation has resulted in the development of learning societies as a superstructural phenomenon. Four dimensions of the learning society are analysed in this article and the implications of these are explored for the study of comparative education. The thesis of the article is that the field of comparatives is broader than education itself, and that reasons for comparative studies have changed little since early adult education comparativists met in 1966 and agreed on a number of major themes.     

诠释学视野下的比较诗学

诠释学作为一门指导文本理解和解释的学科，在以前类似于修辞学、语法学、逻辑学，从属于语文学。到了20世纪，诠释学由一种理解和解释的方法论发展成为一种哲学理论。诠释学的哲学转向与世界意义的多元化转向并行。随着古典诠释学向现代哲学诠释学的转换，诠释学不再仅是对经典文本的诠释而具有多元化的意义，从而为自己找到广阔的诠释空间，因此在诠释学的视野下比较诗学也具有更加开放的被诠释可能。以诠释学为背景，进一步探讨比较诗学在学理意义上的可能性和可行性，便会发现：比较诗学之“比较”不是工具论意义上的一种手段而是存在论意义上的一种思维方式，从而为比较诗学学科研究提供一个新的视角。     

论莫言小说的幻觉现实主义

莫言从历史和社会的视角,将现实与梦幻相融合,创造了一个令人联想的幻觉现实主义世界——高密东北乡。这个世界亦真亦幻,似幻似实,孕育着象征、变形、怪并及意识流。作品把奇特的主观感觉融进客观描写中,将读者自然而然地带入奇妙的境界里,各臻其妙,尽得风流。