Bartram, BrendanSimon, CatherineWard, Stephen2020-03-122020-03-122019-12-16Bartram, B. (2019) Exploring international and comparative education, in Simon, C. A. and Ward, S. (eds.) A Student's guide to education studies, 4th edition. London: Routledge.9780367276690http://hdl.handle.net/2436/623131This is an accepted manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge 2019, available online: https://www.routledge.com/A-Students-Guide-to-Education-Studies/Simon-Ward/p/book/9780367276690 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.This chapter offers an introduction to an area of educational studies often described as international and comparative education. This field of study rests on a long tradition, and the chapter begins by sketching its early origins and examining the ways the discipline has evolved. It moves on to a discussion of its various aims and purposes, and considers the reasons why educational comparisons have become of growing global interest. Finally, the chapter looks at a number of important considerations that sometimes call into question the validity of educational comparisons and what they are claimed to show.application/pdfenEducationChapter in book2020-03-10