International comparative ethnographic studies of ECEC (Early Childhood Education and Care) are difficult to conduct but worth the effort. Comparative studies featuring thick description and polysemic interpretations can challenge taken-for-granted assumptions, expand the menu of the possible, expose the provincialism of national approaches, and…

This article aims to show the value of the concept of policy trajectory to compare, from a long-term perspective, the transformations of education policies in the context of globalisation. After discussing the scope and limitations of the analyses of the concept in the literature -- descriptive, sequential, metaphorical and building on the works…

In this article, we analyse changes in the contemporary management of private Catholic schools under State contract in France since the 1980s. Writing from a "policy sociology" perspective, we use data from previous studies on policy and on public and private schools as well as from an ongoing research project comparing policies of…

The promotion of "critical citizenship" has become a key objective of official school curricula around the world. Using an analytic framework developed by the authors, this paper identifies the diverse conceptions of critical citizenship that are promoted, by comparing the official school curricula for citizenship in England and France.…

Since the classical authors of the nineteenth century, the explanation of macro-social phenomena has been considered as the essential epistemic achievement, hence the "raison d'etre," of comparative analysis in the social sciences. In practice, however, the claims of comparative social enquiry for providing convincing explanations are…

This paper considered different conceptions of compulsory education as embodied in the education laws of different countries. An analytical tool was developed for the comparison of these laws in order to learn the implications of the obligation they impose and the measures required for the discharge of the legal obligation. (Author/RK)

This research is a modest contribution to the understanding of a neglected part of the evolution of education systems, i.e., parent participation in educational decision making. Considers the educational, social, philosophical, and political forces upon the parent relationship with school administration. (Author/RK)

In a world increasingly attentive to the educational needs of preschool children, the French "ecole maternelle" occupies a position of special eminence. This research compares preschool provision in England and France and simultaneously examines the degree that the "ecole maternelle" is open and informal in its ethos.…

Analyzes the problems of providing mass higher education in Sweden, France, and the Federal Republic of Germany. Describes selective admissions mechanisms introduced into each country's open system of higher education, and offers social, economic, and political explanations for their failure. Includes 13 references. (SV)

Surveys 24 Mexican primary school teachers about their perceptions of formal responsibility, informal accountability, and personal responsibility and autonomy. Presents teachers' comments on educational authorities, curriculum, parents, and extra-curricular activities. Compares Mexican teachers' perceptions to those of English and French cohorts.…

Identifies differences between primary school teachers in England and France in the areas of conceptions of accountability, teacher role in relation to parents, and the nature of teaching. Proposes six broad themes based on teachers' perceptions of their work: collectivism/individualism, universalism/particularism, role…

Compares secondary education in France and England and argues that the content and meaning of both education and educational attainments are significantly different in the two countries. Summarizes educational history, status of the teaching profession, resistance to vocationalism, and educational strategies in both countries. (JHZ)

Interviews were conducted with 244 women teaching in universities in Finland, France, East Germany, West Germany, and Great Britain to discover causes for the minority position of women who teach in universities. Women's position appeared to depend not on characteristics of individual educational systems but on common factors--social attitudes,…

Examines the evolution in England, France, and the United States of organizations concerned with the wishes of parents in regard to secondary schooling. Concludes that despite significantly different educational systems there is similarity regarding parent involvement: the wishes of the vast majority of parents remain unexpressed, unsolicited, or…

Describes the levels at which young people in France can work for qualifications in technical fields, ranging from relatively straightforward trades to the highest levels of technology. Evaluates trends in vocational/technical and technological education in postwar France and discusses the relationship between national prosperity and high…