Comparative and Global Pedagogies Equity, Access and Democracy in Education Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research 12-volume Book Series (Springer) 2008 Series editor: Joseph Zajda (Australian Catholic University, Melbourne Campus) http://www.springeronline.com/sgw/cda/frontpage Book series overview TheGlobalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research book series aims to meet the research needs of all those interested in in-depth developments in comparative education research. The series provides a global overview of d evelopments and changes in policy and comparative education research during the last decade. Presenting up-to-date scholarly research on global trends, it is an easily accessible, practical yet scholarly source of information for researchers, policy makers and practitioners. It seeks to address the nexus between comparative education, policy and forces of globalisation, and provides perspectives from all the major dis- ciplines and all the world regions. The series offers possible strategies for the effective and pragmatic policy planning and implementation at local, regional and national levels. The book series complements the International Handbook of Globalisation and Education Policy Research. The volumes focus on comparative education themes and case studies in much greater scope and depth than is possible in the Handbook. The series includes volumes on both empirical and qualitative studies of policy initiatives and developments in comparative education research in elementary, secondary and post-com- pulsory sectors. Case studies may include changes and education reforms around the world, curriculum reforms, trends in evaluation and assessment, decentralisation and privatisation in education, technical and vocational education, early childhood education, excellence and qual- ity in education. Above all, the series offers the latest findings on critical issues in comparative education and policy directions, such as: • Developing new internal strategies (more comprehensive, flexible and innovative modes of learning) that take into account the changing and expanding learner needs • Overcoming ‘unacceptable’ socio-economic educational disparities and inequalities • Improving educational quality • Harmonizing education and culture • International cooperation in education and policy directions in each country For other titles published in this series, go to www.springer.com/series/6932 Joseph Zajda • Lynn Davies Suzanne Majhanovich Editors Comparative and Global Pedagogies Equity, Access and Democracy in Education Editors Prof. Joseph Zajda Prof. Lynn Davies Australian Catholic University University of Birmingham Melbourne Campus UK Australia Prof. Suzanne Majhanovich University of Western Ontario Canada ISBN: 978-1-4020-8348-8 e-ISBN: 978-1-4020-8349-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2008925087 © 2008 Springer Science + Business Media B.V. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written p ermission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Printed on acid-free paper 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 springer.com To Rea, Dorothy and Nikolai Foreword A major aim of Comparative and Global Pedagogies: Equity, Access and Democracy in Education which is the second volume in the 12-volume book series Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research, edited by Joseph Zajda and his team, is to present a global overview of recent trends in equity and access in education globally. By examining some of the major education policy issues, particularly in the light of recent shifts in education and policy research dealing with equity and access, the editors aim to provide a comprehensive picture of the intersecting and diverse discourses of globalization, education and policy-driven reforms. The impact of globalization on education policy and reforms is a strategically important issue for us all. More than ever before, there is a need to understand and analyse both the intended and the unintended effects of globalization on educa- tional systems, the state, and relevant policy changes – especially in terms of equity and access, as they affect individuals, educational bodies (such as universities), policy-makers across the globe. Current education policy research dealing with equity and social inequality reflects a rapidly changing world where citizens and consumers are experiencing a growing sense of uncertainty, exclusion and loss of flexibility. Yet globalization exposes us also to opportunities generated by a fast changing world economy. In this stimulating and important book, the authors focus on discourses surround- ing three major dimensions affecting the equality/inequality debate in education and society:hegemony, equity, and cultural capital. These are most critical and significant concepts for examining and critically evaluating the dimensions of social inequality in the global culture. Equity has come to mean that which, while upholding justice, is in the best interest of the individual and the community. According to Aristotle, an equitable person is someone who exercises a choice and does equitable acts, is not unreasonably insistent upon rights, but can accept less than his or her share. Such a notion of civil morality suggests that it is incumbent on all citizens, but especially those with means, to take less than they are entitled to so that others may have a sufficient amount. Cultural capital, as coined by P. Bourdieu, defines dominant conceptions of what constitutes knowledge, knowing, and social value. Educational systems – schools, vii viii Foreword colleges and universities, by upholding a single ‘gold standard’ of what it means to be knowledgeable, reinforce the differentiated achievement status of class groups, but also reward those who are conversant with implicit rules of dominant ideology. As such, cultural capital refers to success in schooling, largely dictated by the extent to which individuals have absorbed the dominant culture. As the editors explain, schools, in a sense, are markets wherein children enter with various stores of cultural capital that can be exchanged for enhancement of one’s capital, and thereby, their life-chances. Cultural capital, as a significant dimension of educa- tional inequality, continues to shape and influence children’s lives and destinies globally – as discussed in scholarly fashion in this book. The book as a whole focuses on the issues and dilemmas that help us to under- stand in a more meaningful and practical way the various links between education, social stratification and globalization. They include: – The significance of the politics of globalization and development in education policy – their effects on cross-cultural perceptions of dimensions affecting equality/inequality debate in education and society: hegemony, equity, and cultural capital. – The significance of discourses which define and shape the nexus between education, social stratification and globalization. – The encroaching homogeneity of global culture, which has the potential to reduceadaptability and flexibility, and reinforce the status quo. The perception of education policy research and globalization as dynamic and multi-faceted processes clearly necessitates a multiple-perspective approach in the study of education and this book provides that perspective commendably. In the book, the authors, who come from diverse backgrounds and regions, attempt insightfully to provide a worldview of significant developments in education, hegemony, cultural capital, and equity. They report on equity and access in educa- tion in such countries as Canada, Ghana, Hong Kong, Sweden, and elsewhere. Understanding the interaction between education, inequality and globalization forces us to learn more about the similarities and differences in education policy research and associated reforms in the local-regional-national context, as well as the global one. This inevitably results in a far deeper and richer understanding and analysis of the globalization and education Zeitgeist. Clearly, the emerging phenomena associated with globalization have in different ways affected current developments in education and policy. Globalization of policy, trade and finance, for instance, has profound implications for education and reform implementation. On the one hand, the periodic economic crises coupled with the pri- oritised policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (e.g., SAPs) have seriously affected some developing nations and transitional economies in delivering basic education for all. When the poor are unable to feed their children what expectations can we have that the children will attend school? Children from impoverished families are forced to stay at home to help and work for their parents; they simply cannot afford to attend school. The policies of the Organisation for Economic and Cooperative Development (OECD), UNESCO, the World Trade Foreword ix Organisation (WTO), and the General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS) appear to operate as powerful forces, which, as supranational organisations, shape and influence education and policy, yet they also deny the access of the less privileged to the assumed advantages of an expanding global society. One might well ask what are the corporate organisations doing to enhance intercultural sensitivity, flexibility and mutual understanding? And are those excluded by the demise of democratic proc- esses really able to work together for the common good? The editors and authors provide a coherent strategic education policy statement on recent shifts surrounding the major dimensions that affect equality/inequality debate in education and society: equity, access, and cultural capital. They offer new and exciting approaches to further explore, develop and improve education and policy-making on the global stage. In the different chapters, they attempt to address some of the major issues and problems confronting educators and policy-makers globally. The book contributes in a very scholarly way, to a more holistic under- standing of the education and inequality nexus, and it further offers us practical strate- gies for combating educational inequality. The book is rigorous, thorough and scholarly. I believe it is likely to have profound and wide-ranging implications for the future of education policy and reforms globally, in the conception, planning and educational outcomes of “communities of learning”. The community-of-learning metaphor reflects the knowledge society, and offers us a very worthy insight into the way individuals and formal organisations acquire the neces- sary wisdom, values and skills in order to adapt and respond to change in these turbulent and conflict-ridden times. The authors thoughtfully explore the complex nexus between globalization, democracy and education – where, on the one hand, democratisation and progressive education is equated with equality, inclusion, equity, tolerance and human rights, while on the other hand globalization is perceived (by some critics at least) to be a totalising force that is widening the gap between the rich and the poor, and bringing domination and control by corporate bodies and powerful organisations. The authors further compel us to explore critically the new challenges confronting the world in the provision of authentic democracy, social justice, and cross-cultural values that genu- inely promote more positive ways of thinking. In this volume, the editors and authors jointly recognise the need for profound changes in education and society. They argue for education policy goals and challenges confronting the global village, which I think are critically important. Drawing exten- sively and in-depth on educational systems, reforms and policy analysis, both the authors and editors of this book focus our attention on the crucial issues and policy decisions that must be addressed if genuine learning, characterised by wisdom, compas- sion, and intercultural understanding, is to become a reality, rather than rhetoric. I commend the book wholeheartedly to any reader who shares these same ideals. Vice-Chancellor Peter W Sheehan AO Australian Catholic University Preface Comparative and Global Pedagogies: Equity, Access and Democracy in Education presents up-to-date scholarly research on global and comparative trends in equity and access in education globally. It provides an easily accessible, practical yet scholarly source of information about the international concern in the field of globalisation, access and social inequality. Above all, the book offers the latest findings to the critical issues in education, democracy and educational inequalities. It is a sourcebook of ideas for researchers, practitioners and policy makers in education, globalisation and social inequality. It offers a timely overview of current changes in education and social stratification in the global culture. It provides direc- tions in education, and policy research, relevant to transformational educational reformsin the 21st century. The book critically examines the overall interplay between globalisation, social inequality and education. It draws upon recent studies in the areas of globalisation, educational inequalities and the role of the State (Zajda, 2007; Zajda et al., 2006). It explores conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches applicable in the research covering the State, globalisation, social stratification and education. It demonstrates the neo-liberal ideological imperatives of education and policy reforms, and illustrates the way the relationship between the State and education policy affects current models and trends in education reforms and schooling glo- bally. Various book chapters critique the dominant discourses and debates pertain- ing to the newly constructed and re-invented models of neo-liberal ideology in education, set against the current climate of growing social stratification and une- qual access to quality education for all. The book offers a critique of globalisation, and new dimensions of social inequality in the global culture. It is presented around three particular dimensions: equity, access and cultural capital, as these continue to be most significant dimensions defining social inequality in the global culture (see also Zajda et al., 2008). The book explores the ambivalent and problematic relationship between the State, globalisation and social change. Using a number of diverse paradigms, rang- ing from critical theory to globalisation, the authors, by focusing on globalisation, ideology and social inequality, attempt to examine critically both the reasons xi