Research in Comparative
and International Education

ISSN 1745-4999

Volume 1 Number 2 2006

CONTENTS [click on author's name for abstract and full text]

Elena C. Papanastasiou & Michalinos Zembylas. Did the Cypriot Students Really Cheat on TIMSS?, pages 120‑125
Sandra Romenska. Innovation in Higher Education Systems in the Post-socialist Countries in Central and Eastern Europe, 1999‑2005: possibilities for exploration through a complexity theory framework, pages 126‑135
Andrea Laczik. Comparing Hungary and Russia: methodological implications of a qualitative research project, pages 136‑145
Lorenzo Dubois Baber & Beverly Lindsay. Analytical Reflections on Access in English Higher Education: transnational lessons across the pond, pages 146‑155
Theresa Thonhauser & David L. Passmore. ISO 9000 in Education: a comparison between the United States and England, pages 156‑173
Nicola Savvides. Investigating Education for European Identity at Three ‘European Schools’: a research proposal, pages 174‑186
Solange G. Taylor. Methodological Challenges in Complex Comparisons: bilingual and intercultural education research in Bolivia, Peru, and Chile, pages 187‑197

Did the Cypriot Students Really Cheat on TIMSS?

ELENA C. PAPANASTASIOU & MICHALINOS ZEMBYLAS Intercollege, Cyprus

DOI: 10.2304/rcie.2006.1.2.120

Over the last few years, data obtained from high school seniors for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS, 1995) has led to several simplistic and controversial interpretations. One of these controversies is related to the results from Cyprus: although Cypriot students did not perform well in mathematics in elementary, middle school, and in the non-advanced sectors of high school, the students in the advanced mathematics courses managed to perform exceptionally well. In a previous article, an American commentator has suggested that either Cyprus has a dual educational system or Cypriot students have cheated on this test. In this article, the authors revisit this claim and examine whether it is possible for an educational system that does not allow students to perform well in mathematics relative to other countries, to produce students who could perform exceptionally well when they are high school seniors.

Innovation in Higher Education Systems in the Post-socialist Countries in Central and Eastern Europe, 1999‑2005: possibilities for exploration through a complexity theory framework

SANDRA ROMENSKA Department of Educational Studies, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

DOI: 10.2304/rcie.2006.1.2.126

This article discusses the possibilities for applying a collection of theories, known as complexity theory, for the study of institutional innovation in higher education in the post-socialist countries in Eastern and Central Europe for the period 1999‑2005. It presents an outline of the theory and suggests for discussion links between the framework of complexity theory and a research project under development, trying to map higher education change.

Comparing Hungary and Russia: methodological implications of a qualitative research project

ANDREA LACZIK

DOI: 10.2304/rcie.2006.1.2.136

This article addresses methodological challenges during preparation and data collection that the researcher faced while conducting a research project in Hungary and Russia. The article discusses methodological decisions on the basis of the comparative study that had to incorporate not only the researcher’s aim but also the agenda of the research participants. It argues that in a qualitative study that explores and describes a new area of research, flexibility, cultural sensitivity and the accommodation of local ideas are essential. First, the article briefly describes the content of the research project and offers a short summary of the contextual understanding of Hungary and Russia. The main part of the article relates to the qualitative research method with its country-specific approach.

Analytical Reflections on Access in English Higher Education: transnational lessons across the pond

LORENZO DUBOIS BABER & BEVERLY LINDSAY Pennsylvania State University, USA

DOI: 10.2304/rcie.2006.1.2.146

Recent policy trends in international higher education suggest that the dichotomy between selective and widening participation is a global issue. The central premise of this article considers the historical and contemporary challenge of promoting higher education opportunities across socio-economic distinctions in England. Three critical questions are considered: (1) How did historical developments of higher education in England during the twentieth century, including American influences after the Second World War, shape the contemporary debate on widening participation? (2) Have the purposes of higher education altered as access shifts from elite to mass? and (3) What critical philosophies influence higher education purposes and developments, and might more balanced viewpoints assist policy makers in crafting decisions? Thus, we can garner a greater comprehension of how educational policies in the twentieth century redefined the role of higher education, contributing to the debate concerning the definition of public good – social contribution for the larger society versus economic return for the individuals. In analyzing this debate, the article also: (1) explicates watershed policies, including major education acts since the 1940s; (2) examines shifting post-secondary roles via Trow’s typology of higher education development – elite, mass, and universal; and (3) explores communitarian, neo-liberal, and utilitarian philosophies to illuminate ideas regarding widening access.

ISO 9000 in Education: a comparison between the United States and England

THERESA THONHAUSER Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA
DAVID L. PASSMORE Pennsylvania State University, USA

DOI: 10.2304/rcie.2006.1.2.156

Quality schooling has often been a subject of international concern. In an effort to meet government standards for federal funding, improve their performance, and obtain public trust, education institutions of all levels, in many countries are implementing the market-based ISO 9000 quality management system. ISO 9000 is an international quality management system created by the non-governmental organization, International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The literature surrounding ISO 9000 in education indicates that the application of this quality management system to education is debatable, the implementation process is time-consuming and difficult, and that the subject is understudied. While there have been numerous case studies on ISO 9000 in education, this was the first study to use quantitative survey research methods to examine and compare ISO 9000 implementation in education institutions in two different countries, the United States and England. Interestingly, US and English institutions turned out to be very much the same with regard to ISO 9000. For example, US and English education institutions have a similar time to ISO 9000 registration, define their customer, stakeholder, suppliers, and partners in the same manner, and are implementing ISO 9000 for similar reasons.

Investigating Education for European Identity at Three ‘European Schools’: a research proposal

NICOLA SAVVIDES

DOI: 10.2304/rcie.2006.1.2.174

Encouraging pupils to develop a sense of European identity is one of the implicit aims of the ‘European Schools’. This article describes a proposed research study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, which will investigate how this aim is being pursued at three European Schools. The proposal builds on two years (2003‑2005) of preparation including research methods training, preliminary research and pilot work conducted at one of the three European Schools to be studied. The introduction to this article presents the contextual background and rationale to the proposed study, before moving on to a brief review of the empirical literature and the conceptual framework. Following this is a discussion of the general purpose of the research, outlining the research questions and the methods that will be used for gathering the data to answer them. The purpose in presenting the preliminary details of this project is to seek constructive criticism and suggestions from educational researchers, particularly from amongst comparativists and those working on European, international and intercultural dimensions. This proposal is designed to guide the project rather than to serve as a fixed framework. It may therefore be modified in light of the feedback received and as unforeseen avenues and new opportunities present themselves.

Methodological Challenges in Complex Comparisons: bilingual and intercultural education research in Bolivia, Peru, and Chile

SOLANGE G. TAYLOR Department of Educational Studies, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

DOI: 10.2304/rcie.2006.1.2.187

This article examines the methodological issues encountered in carrying out a three-country comparative study of language-in-education policy implementation in Bolivia, Peru, and Chile. The analysis is divided into three sections, each of which addresses one of the primary challenges encountered in undertaking the research. These three primary challenges were the level of analysis, access to interview and documentary data, and accountability to those who assisted the author in her research. The article explores the chosen response to each of these challenges and suggests additional avenues for research and methodological development.

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