Comparative
and Cultural Perspectives on Educational Reform
David
Stephens
Abstract
Attempt is made to review study on “A comparative survey
of Commonwealth experience of efforts to improve the
quality of Basic Education” presented in conference held
in 1991 by the Commonwealth Secretariat in London for
the Commonwealth Ministers of Education Conference in
Barbados. It seems opportune now to review the
comparative landscape of educational reform since then
with a view to identifying models of good practice and
challenges that face us all. Immediate aim is to raise a
number of issues – and in hope controversies – that will
contribute to a lively and informative conference. The
paper is in three parts: In the first it reviews the
milestones along the road of educational reform since
the 1990s with a particular focus upon issues of school
quality, effectiveness and improvement. In the second it
discusses – with examples from a range of countries in
which I have worked – six key challenges we now face.
The third part looks briefly at methodological
developments and in particular the increasing importance
attached to culturally appropriate approaches to
researching and evaluating educational reform. It also
outlines the case for making greater use to two research
methods; life history and narrative enquiry in the quest
for more meaningful evidence-gathering and analysis.
JEL.
Classification: I21; I22; I23; I28; I31; O15
Keywords: Comparative and cultural; educational reforms & quality; economic growth; universal primary education.
