Globalization and Education

Abstract

Few would deny that processes of globalization have impacted education around the world in many important ways. Yet the term “globalization” is relatively new, and its meaning or nature, conceptualization, and impact remain essentially contested within the educational research community. There is no global consensus on the exact time period of its occurrence or its most significant shaping processes, from those who focus on its social and cultural framings to those that hold global political-economic systems or transnational social actors as most influential. Intersecting questions also arise regarding whether its influence on human communities and the world should be conceived of as mostly good or mostly bad, which have significant implications for debates regarding the relationship between globalization and education. Competing understandings of globalization also undergird diverse methodologies and perspectives in expanding fields of research into the relationship between education and globalization. There are many ways to frame the relationship of globalization and education. Scholars often pursue the topic by examining globalization’s perceived impact on education, as in many cases global convergence around educational policies, practices, and values has been observed in the early 21st century. Yet educational borrowing and transferal remains unstraightforward in practice, as educational and cultural differences across social contexts remain, while ultimate ends of education (such as math competencies versus moral cultivation) are essentially contested. Clearly, specificity is important to understand globalization in relation to education. As with globalization generally, globalization in education cannot be merely described as harmful or beneficial, but depends on one’s position, perspective, values, and priorities. Education and educators’ impacts on globalization also remain a worthwhile focus of exploration in research and theorization. Educators do not merely react to globalization and related processes, but purposefully interact with them, as they prepare their students to respond to challenges and opportunities posed by processes associated with globalization. As cultural and political-economic considerations remain crucial in understanding globalization and education, positionality and research ethics and reflexivity remain important research concerns, to understand globalization not just as homogeneity or oppressive top-down features, but as complex and dynamic local and global intersections of people, ideas, and goods, with unclear impacts in the future.

The Educational and Globalization Components of Sustainable Development, and Their Factors

“…In particular, S. Bakhtiari [6] identifies the challenges facing the education system and the emerging opportunities. S. Mitra [7] studies the issues of self-organized learning and proves the possibility of its use in practice, L. Jackson [8] observes the main aspects of globalization that influence the process of education. There are joint studies, for example, Litinskaya A., Katazhina Ch.…”

The Teaching Professions and Globalization: A Scoping Review of the Anglophone Research Literature

“…The main structuring principle for our framework is Verger and colleagues' (2018) continuum of theoretical approaches according to their relative emphases on ideational (culture, norms, ideas, and semiosis) and material factors (economic factors and institutional constraints) in explaining change. Accordingly, we distinguish between the macro-level perspectives of world culture theory and international political economy (Verger et al 2018), yet we understand these as parts of broader theoretical complexes, in line with Liz Jackson's (2016) typology.…”

“…Moreover, we include "culturalist" theories due to the focus on ideational drivers (Edwards 2018). For political economy, we incorporate world systems theory, following Jackson's (2016) construct of "political-economic framings"; policy sociology, due to its critique of neoliberal marketization (Edwards 2018); as well as postcolonial theories that emphasize political and economic power (Spring 2008). Finally, the flows and systems-centered approaches include mid-range theories, concerned with the interaction of actors and the diffusion, adoption and borrowing of ideas, models, and policies.…”

Towards Systematicity: Comparing from the Perspective of Philosophy of Science

“…These trends are attributed to globalization, even if most people are unable to explain what this ‘unobservable entity’ (Hoyningen-Huene, 2013: 61) is. Everyday theories emerge to pseudo-religious beliefs, while social science explains systematically how globalization demands from people standardization ‘to achieve diversity, to increase specialization and the promotion of dedicated research centers, to enhance global employability’ (Jackson, 2016: 12. ).…”