Comparative education involves the step-by-step study of different educational systems to understand their similarities and differences. It covers components like structure, aims, curriculum, administration, financing and teacher education across geographical areas from individual countries to global systems. Ideological comparisons examine systems based on political, social and economic ideologies, while thematic comparisons focus on specific issues. The historical scope analyzes the discipline's development from early travelers' accounts to modern social science. The purposes of comparative education are to describe systems, assist development, highlight education-society links, and make generalized statements valid across countries.
2. • Nicholas Hans, (1958) -
defines comparative education
as a step-by-step study of
different and often
contrasting educational
systems with a view of
understanding their
differences and similarities.
Definition of Comparative Education
4. The Scope of Comparative Education
The subject matter and content
• This covers the essential components of
educational systems such as structure, aims,
content or curriculum, administration,
financing, teacher education.
Geographical units of study
• These comprises intra-national,
international, regional, continental and global
or world systems studies and analysis.
5. The Scope of Comparative Education
Ideological scope
• This compares countries' educational systems on
the basis of different political, social and economic
ideologies. For example, democratic, communism,
socialist, capitalist, free market and mixed economies.
Thematic scope
• This scope focuses on educational themes, topical
issues or problems and compares them within one
or more geographical units. For example free
primary and secondary education, universal
primary education, education for all and universal
higher education.
6. The historical or spatial scope
• This deals with the study of the historical development of the
discipline from the earliest (pre-historic) phase known as the
period of Travelers' Tales to the modern phase known as the
period of social science perspectives.
The Scope of
Comparative
Education
7. PURPOSES OF COMPARATIVE EDUCATION
According to Harold J Noah and Max Eckstein (1993), Comparative Education has four purposes:
To describe educational systems, processes, or outcomes.
To assist in the development of educational institutions and practices.
To highlight the relationships between education and society.
To establish generalized statements about education those are valid in more than one country.
8. Some
Other
Purposes
Are:
• Description:
The most basic utility of comparative education is to describe
education systems.
• Understanding/Interpreting:
On the next level Comparative Education also satisfies the
need to understand: education systems.
9. • Evaluation:
Comparative education serves the purpose of evaluating education systems: the own
education system as well as universal evaluation of education systems.
• Education problems in world perspective:
Most countries of the world have identical problems in their educational perspective.
Therefore, it is possible for them to learn lessons from each other on how they resolved
a particular problem.
