Raising Learning Outcomes in the Education Systems of Developing Countries: Research Designs, Methods, and Approaches

Abstract

Research in comparative and international education has, since its origins in the late 19th century, been centrally concerned with the methodological and theoretical challenges of drawing lessons for education policy and practice across diverse contexts (Philips, 2006). Over a century on, the availability of more and better data has allowed for both broader and deeper comparison and analysis. This nascent 'data revolution' (UIS, 2017) has been accompanied by a shift in global education governance norms, beyond a focus on universal access and towards equitable, quality learning outcomes for all. Taken together, the availability of data and the interest in learning outcomes has spurred a widely held recognition that discrete interventions cannot bring about the kind of educational change we hope to see. Achieving quality, equitable learning necessitates reforms across entire education systems, involving a range of actors with complex webs of interest, power and accountability. How can education research respond to the call for 'systems Thinking'?Comparative international research is perhaps uniquely placed to contribute to systems thinking in education: the field is defined by the idea that there are comparable factors, dynamics or inputs at play in different contexts, and that analysis of these commonalities and differences can illuminate new understanding about how education works (or does not work). But individual research projects are not able to capture the complexity of education systems in their entirety. This Special Issue proposes that drawing findings across a portfolio of research may allow us to think about 'systems approaches' in a way that has not yet been possible. As discussed in the lead article in this Special Issue by Magrath, Aslam and Johnson, a number of large-scale research programmes have been developed with this goal in mind: to draw on findings from individual research projects, based in different contexts and using different research methods, to develop a systems approach to education research.The ESRC-DFID Raising Learning Outcomes (RLO) is one such research programme. The RLO programme aims to enable more effective policies and interventions by providing 824183R CI0010.

Systems Thinking in International Education and Development

“…Researchers, practitioners and actors within the global education architecture have developed various frameworks in recent years that translate some of these concepts into actionable formats. The UK Economic and Social Research Council ran three research calls around (1) system elements, (2) system dynamics and (3) system context (Magrath et al, 2019). The World Development Report of 2018 places learning as the emergent property at the centre of concentric circles depicting the interaction between learners, teachers, school inputs and school management, with a whole range of influencing actors around them (World Bank, 2018).…”

Introduction to Systems Thinking in International Education and Development

“…Researchers, practitioners and actors within the global education architecture have developed various frameworks in recent years that translate some of these concepts into actionable formats. The UK Economic and Social Research Council ran three research calls around (1) system elements, (2) system dynamics and (3) system context (Magrath et al, 2019). The World Development Report of 2018 places learning as the emergent property at the centre of concentric circles depicting the interaction between learners, teachers, school inputs and school management, with a whole range of influencing actors around them (World Bank, 2018).…”