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Provides a background on research papers on the quality of education which were published in the volume 33, number two, 2003 edition of the periodical 'Compare.' Link between education and the issues of democracy and participation; Link between education and issues of democracy and citizenship.

This paper is concerned with processes of international enquiry. It focuses upon the relationship between a research problem and access to conduct research in a country. It uses data from an ethnographic study of primary education in a Northern Indian District. Conceptually drawing upon the insider-outsider debate within the sociology of knowledge, the paper raises issues about the relationship between the research problem, accessing knowledge and being an outsider to a research setting. It considers problems facing a particular form of outsider - a foreigner. The paper maintains that when researchers who are outsiders embark on designing research in non-western international educational settings, then questions considering the relationship between the research problem, access strategies and the culture of the research setting are vital. Grappling with such questions allows for the development and promotion of new forms of partnership, alongside a deeper understanding of culture and context, when developing comparative and international research policy agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The teaching-research nexus has been studied by many researchers, mainly looking at pedagogic links and direct benefits arising from the interaction of both activities. The paper takes a comparative approach, looking at the relationship between teaching and research in four universities from two different countries. This paper argues that contextual factors are vital in shaping the nature of the relationship and also identifies differences between disciplines in how these contextual factors may be understood. In particular, the contrasting structural and political contexts provided by two different national settings are seen to have a crucial role in shaping institutional activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the sensitivities of conducting educational research in small states and territories, where the very act of conducting research, aside from its purposes or focuses, is itself a sensitive matter. The paper takes a ‘critical case study’ of Macau and examines cultural, educational, political, micro‐political, interpersonal and practical issues, overlaid by characteristics of Chinese culture, that must be factored into the planning and conduct of research in the territory. It suggests that compromises and trade‐offs have to be made in educational research in small states and territories, and argues that researchers must anticipate a range of problems in advance, and, through ingenuity, networking and sensitivity, overcome them. The magnification of sensitivities in small states and territories contributes to their special educational ecology; investigating these is frequently an interpersonal as well as a research matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrative research methodology embraces multiple ways of representing lived experience discursively, regardless of a participant's levels of literacy, education or formal occupation. This article explores some of the dilemmas of 'doing' narrative research in comparative and international education, with particular emphasis on the postcolonial agenda internationally. The first part of the article explores the current postcolonial context in which narrative research is taking place. From there, a narrative exploration of a particular context, based on research carried out in Sri Lanka, highlights issues of power, language and ideology. This storied discussion illustrates ways in which the narratives of the empowered and the disempowered reveal the complex interrelationships of language and power. Three key methodological dilemmas are examined, and a suggested framework is given to deal with such dilemmas. In sum, this paper is a journey of discovery of narrative research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to unfold the unheard stories of Chinese women immigrants and to explore the effects of their cultural values on their adjustment needs during their migration process in Britain. According to Chinese tradition, Chinese women are to be submissive and they are neglected in the Chinese community. For Chinese women migrants, their experiences suggest that they are 'invisible' in British society. I intend to employ narrative inquiry to illustrate the life story of a woman immigrant's, weaving her narratives into that of my own experiences. These stories may resonate for readers from similar cultural contexts. The research findings may also help government or policy makers to mediate the adjustment issues of this community without undermining their specific cultural values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents findings from a research project undertaken at the Taman Rama Gandhi School in Bali during the first anniversary week of the Bali Bombings in 2003. It explores the school's response to four key components of Gandhi's model of Basic Education ( Nai Talim ) and shows that the claimed curriculum is framed by two contradictory discourses: a globalisation from above discourse and a Gandhian discourse of tolerance and peace, more consistent with a globalisation from below discourse. The argument is made that the curriculum's commitment to the neo‐liberal capitalist values of the globalisation form above discourse may ultimately thwart the emphasis upon peace and tolerance in the discourse from below. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses various studies published in the "Journal of Comparative Education." The papers presented has a common theme which is education in the 21st century: conflict, reconciliation and reconstruction. Understanding the relationship between education and conflict is the topic of the paper by Peter Colenso and Tony Gallagher. Elizabeth Copper's paper addresses the education of refugees. Juliet McCaffery’s paper makes an original contribution to the field by addressing the community-based participatory literacy programs developed for refugees and internally displaced community in Guinea, Sierra Leone and South Sudan.

The purpose of this literature review is to investigate a new generation of models that integrate two approaches to growth, hithertho different: one focusing on research and development, the other on human capital accumulation. These new models allow us to deal with inequalities and growth interaction or underdevelopment persistence in a canonical model. They define new perspectives regarding the link between inequalities and growth and also an optimal education policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an initiative that took the strategy of youth consultation in programme planning one step further by putting a research project's design, data collection, analysis and presentation of findings in the hands of young women and men who have experienced education and discontinuity of education in a long‐term refugee camp. The participatory action research (PAR) process is described and assessed with attention to how PAR may serve as a practical, credible and ethical methodology for research with refugee youths about refugee youths. This case study reflects that PAR can yield new insights for developing youth‐focused initiatives and positive personal experiences for youth participants, including limited forms of empowerment. Ultimately, however, the structural inequalities imposed by refugee status require redress if the goal is the long‐term empowerment of youths in camps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civic service, which refers to activities that seek to improve the local, national or international community either through community service or service learning, is widespread in secondary schools around the world. Despite this pervasive presence, there are few studies that approach the subject from a cross‐comparison perspective. This article addresses this gap by providing a comprehensive review of the international literature on civic service in terms of history, theory, research and practice. In terms of history and theory, the article brings together the work of several key proponents of civic service who, despite working in different countries and continents, placed civic service high in their educational agenda. In terms of research, it presents the most up‐to‐date research on the potential benefits and pitfalls of civic service. In terms of practice, it lists various limitations related to its implementation and presents possibilities for overcoming these. This section stresses the importance of establishing a respectful and honest relationship with intended beneficiaries to avoid fostering unhealthy social patterns, a key problem of many civic service programs. The article ends with areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]