Originally published in 1992. This work provides insight into comparative and international education work in Australia and New Zealand, where an emerging local style may be developing into a full blown national approach. The 14 essays address issues such as education in third-world Asia, sexism, and culture and power. There is recurring focus on ethics in research, education development, the role of international agencies, inequality, legitimacy and the link between comparative education and education practice. This a great reflection on the field as a whole, with contributions mostly from one area of the world but with a complete international spread of consideration.

Comparative and international education / Brendan Bartram -- Alternative education provision : international perspectives / Paul Wiseman -- Pedagogical outlooks underpinning early-years education and workforce training in England and Hungary / Tunde Rozsahegyi and Mike Lambert -- Spiritual, moral, social and cultural education in Dutch and English primary schools / Sarah Elsey -- The technical and vocational provision in England : a comparative study with the Austrian secondary system / Sean Starr -- The rise of private supplementary tutoring : contemporary issues and international perspectives on shadow education in China / Roy Y. Chan, Hei-Hang Hayes Tang, Patrick Delaney -- The impact of austerity in further education : cross-cultural perspectives from England and Ireland / Matt O'Leary and Justin Rami -- Academic, vocational and pre-vocational education origins and developments / Patrick Ainley -- Comparative issues and perspectives in adult education and training / John Field -- International comparisons in mathematics : perspectives on teaching and learning / David Burghes -- Higher education : from global trends to local realities / Richard Budd -- Some final reflections on educational comparison / Brendan Bartram

The currency of social capital serves as an important function given the capacity to generate external access (getting to) and internal accountability (getting through) for individuals and institutions alike. Pierre Bourdieu (1986) defines social capital as “the aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition or in other words, to membership in a group” (p. 251). Social capital contains embedded resources as a tool for manifesting opportunities and options among individuals and groups. Inevitably, the aforementioned opportunities and options become reflective of the depth and breadth of access and accountability experienced by the individual and institution. As educational stakeholders, we must consistently challenge ourselves with the question, “How do K-12 schools and colleges and universities accomplish shared, egalitarian goals of achieving access and accountability?” Such goals become fundamental toward ensuring students matriculating through K-12 and higher education, irrespective of background, are provided the caliber of education and schooling experience to prepare them for economic mobility and social stability. To that end, the volume, Contemporary Perspectives on Social Capital in Educational Contexts (2019), as part of the book series, Contemporary Perspectives on Capital in Educational Contexts, offers a unique opportunity to explore social capital as a currency conduit for creating external access and internal accountability for K-12 and higher education. The commonalities of social capital emerging within the 12 chapters of the volume include the following: 1) Social Capital as Human Connectedness; 2) Social Capital as Strategic Advocacy; 3) Social Capital as Intentional Engagement; and 4) Social Capital as Culturally-Responsive Leadership. Thus, it becomes important for institutions of education (i.e. secondary, postsecondary, continuing) and individuals to assume efforts with intentionality and deliberateness to promote access and accountability.

For decades, politicians, businessmen and other leaders have been concerned with the quality of education, including early childhood education, in the United States. While more than 50% of the children between the ages of three and five are enrolled in preschool and kindergarten programs in the United States, no state, federal, or national standards exist for science or technology education in preschool or kindergarten programs. Knowledge about science and technology is an important requirement for all in contemporary society. An increasing number of professions require the use of scientific concepts and technological skills and society as a whole depends on scientific knowledge. Scientific and technological knowledge should be a part of every individual’s education. There are many ways to enhance young children’s scientific thinking and problem-solving skills as well as their technological abilities. The purpose of this volume is to present a critical analysis of reviews of research on science and technology education in early childhood education. The first part of the volume includes contributions by leading scholars in science, while the second part includes contributions by leading scholars in technology.

Assessment and evaluation have always been an integral part of educational process. Quality and purposeful assessment can assist in students’ learning and their achievement. While there has been a rapid growth in international, standardized student assessments in the past few decades, a large number of education systems participating in these assessments are now focusing their attention on developing new national, within-country assessments to evaluate educational standards and to modify the curriculum to better suit to the demands of the 21st century. Education systems that are successful in linking the national curriculum and assessments directly to international standards are performing better on international standardized assessments of reading, mathematics, and science. This book covers studies related to educational assessment in addressing quality of education and performance improvement. The book presents the distinguished and exemplary works by educators and researchers in the field highlighting the contemporary trends and issues, creative and unique approaches, innovative methods, frameworks, pedagogies and theoretical and practical aspects in assessment processes in various educational settings.

The purpose of this volume is to present a selection of chapters that reflect current issues relating to children’s socialization processes that help them become successful members of their society. From birth children are unique in their rates of growth and development, including the development of their social awareness and their ability to interact socially. They interpret social events based on their developing life style and environmental experiences. The children’s socialization is influenced by several important social forces including the family and its organization, their peer group, and the significant others in their lives. In “Theories of Socialization and Social Development,” Olivia Saracho and Bernard Spodek describe the children’s socialization forces and the different developmental theories that have influenced our understanding of the socialization process. These include maturationist theory (developed by Arnold Gesell), constructivist theories (developed by such theorists as Jean Piaget, Lev S. Vygotsky, and Jerome Bruner), psychodynamic theories (developed by such theorists as Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Harry Stack Sullivan, and Alfred Adler), and ecological theory (developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner). Each theory provides interpretations of the meaning of the children’s social development and describes the different characteristics for each age group in the developmental sequences.

This engaging text examines issues in education and curriculum theory from multiple critical perspectives. Students are encouraged to look at education from the "inside" (the complex processes, methods and relations that operate within schools) and from the "outside" (the larger social, economic, and political forces that have affected schools over time). Each essay begins with "Guiding Questions" and concludes with "Questions for Discussion," "Teachers as Researchers" activities, and "Suggested Readings."