ERIC Number: EJ1155113
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Sep
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1745-4999
EISSN: N/A
"It's the Method, Stupid." Interrelations between Methodological and Theoretical Advances: The Example of Comparing Higher Education Systems Internationally
Hoelscher, Michael
Research in Comparative and International Education, v12 n3 p347-359 Sep 2017
This article argues that strong interrelations between methodological and theoretical advances exist. Progress in, especially comparative, methods may have important impacts on theory evaluation. By using the example of the "Varieties of Capitalism" approach and an international comparison of higher education systems, it can be shown that the use of improved data and of advanced analysis techniques changes the acceptance or rejection of the theoretical approach. As a conclusion, the article advocates data improvements, the use of advanced methods, more generally a methodologically reflexive interpretation of comparative research results as well as a closer cooperation between theory and method development.
Descriptors: Higher Education, Comparative Education, Research Methodology, Cross Cultural Studies, Structural Equation Models, Social Systems, Graduation Rate, Statistical Analysis, Hypothesis Testing, Foreign Countries, Salaries, Employment Opportunities, Social Status, Professional Autonomy, Leisure Time, Family Work Relationship, Factor Analysis, Goodness of Fit, Evaluation Methods
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Austria; Denmark; Finland; Germany; Japan; Netherlands; Norway; Sweden; Switzerland; Australia; Canada; Ireland; New Zealand; United Kingdom; United States; Belgium
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A