School of Education

Wednesday 24th January
12:15-1:15pm
Room 224 (St Andrews Building)

Dr Jack Lee: Rethinking the internationalisation of higher education: Politics and inequalities

The internationalisation of higher education has gained significant traction over the last three decades both in policymaking and research. While international engagement has become paramount for any leading university today, there is limited recognition of the political dynamics that shape policies and practices. Academic and economic interests provide incomplete explanations of international activities among universities especially in contexts with colonial legacies, rising nationalism and powerful state actors that defy neoliberal analyses. Contrary to the dominant rhetoric of internationalisation as a positive imperative, universities reproduce many types of inequality through their international work (e.g., epistemic, social, educational, ethical). In this talk, I will examine several underlying assumptions that propel both policymaking and research on international higher education. I will focus on the role of the state as well as geopolitical tensions that mediate the international landscape of higher education by drawing on examples in Southeast Asia, China, Kazakhstan, Germany and Jordan. These examples include education hubs, the revival of the historical Silk Road, and bi-national universities. I will also identify some of the challenges in conducting comparative research on higher education.

Jack Lee is Senior Lecturer in Higher Education at Glasgow. His research focuses on international and comparative higher education particularly from a political perspective with attention to international relations (e.g. cultural diplomacy, soft power). Jack previously worked for the University of Edinburgh, University of Bath, and Nazarbayev University. He was formerly the director of the doctoral program in higher education management at Bath and program manager at the Centre for Intercultural Communication at the University of British Columbia.

Wednesday 31st January
12:15-1:15pm
Room 234 (St Andrews Building)

Dr Rhona Brown: “From polite and procedural to authentic and engaged”: The roles of language(s) in education research and knowledge co-creation

Considering that knowledge is generated, accessed and interpreted through language it is surprising that the role of language(s) in research and knowledge co-creation in international and comparative education research is not foregrounded more. Because working across languages can be complex and messy, accounts and implications of this kind of work are often neglected, smoothed over or hidden. In this short exploratory talk, I will draw on first-hand examples from doctoral research conducted with (rather than through) interpreters in Tanzania, as well as the challenges and opportunities reported by project teams in South Africa, Rwanda, Somalia/Somaliland and India of knowledge co-creation across languages with diverse participants as part of the Transforming Education for Sustainable Futures Network. I will raise questions for discussions about the ways that language use, including local and global languages, significantly impacts relationships, practices and processes and as a result the knowledge and outcomes produced.

Rhona Brown is a Research Associate in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow. Her main research interests are around the intersecting areas of pedagogies, learning, language and teacher education and much of her previous work has focused on educational contexts in the Global South. Rhona completed her PhD at the University of Glasgow, in the Centre for Sustainable, Healthy and Learning Cities and Neighbourhoods in 2022, investigating primary children’s and educators’ perceptions and experiences of home, neighbourhood and school learning spaces in Tanzania. She went on to work as a Senior Research Associate with the Transforming Education for Sustainable Futures Network. She continues to develop her interest in creative and co-creative methods and ethical, equitable research partnerships.

Wednesday 7th February 
12:15-1:15pm
Room 221 (St Andrews Building)

Dr Tore Bernt Sorensen: Comparative education policy research in the context of globalisation: What to compare? How to compare?

This research talk discusses methodological questions raised by a work-in-progress study of the implications between strategic anticipation and education governance in three specific sites: i) The Futures Forum established in 2005 under the Scottish Parliament; ii) the US Center for Strategic Foresight, created in 2018 as part of the Government Accountability Office; and: iii) the OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030 project. Concerning the ‘what’, the talk considers Thea Riofrancos’ (2021) argument for understanding the units of comparison as ‘sites’ rather than ‘cases’. Concerning the ‘how’, I discuss the ways in which thick descriptions might “transcend the unproductive binary between methodological nationalism and methodological globalism” (Takayama and Lingard, 2021, p.241) and produce comparative insights about education policy processes and the multidirectional relations between actors operating at multiple scales in a contingent and increasingly globalised political field.

Tore Bernt Sorensen is Lecturer in Education at School of Education, University of Glasgow. Tore’s scholarship is characterised by three lines of research: Global education governance, public policy analysis, as well as teachers and teaching. In particular, he has in recent years undertaken studies of the activities and influence of the OECD and the European Union in governing education sectors. Previously, Tore worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Hertie School's Educational Governance Team (Berlin, Germany), Taube Centre for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, Jagiellonian University (Krakow, Poland), and in Groupe interdisciplinaire de Recherche sur la Socialisation, l'Education et la Formation (GIRSEF), UC Louvain (Belgium).

Wednesday 14th February 
12pm-1pm
Room 234 (St Andrews Building)

Dr Janice Kim: Expanding educational opportunities or widening learning inequalities? Evidence from national reform of pre-primary education in Ethiopia

In recent years, research has shown that investing in early childhood development can have a substantial impact on children's learning and future economic returns, particularly for socially disadvantaged groups. In response, global and national commitments towards pre-primary education have emerged in low- and middle-income countries. This research talk examines whether the rapid expansion of pre-primary education during the national reform of education in Ethiopia affected subsequent students' learning outcomes. The study utilizes two comparable, representative early grade reading assessment data that straddle the six-year reform period, during which enrolment rates in pre-primary education soared by nearly ten times nationwide. Drawing upon the findings of this study, the implications for ongoing reform are discussed, including the need for strategic and inclusive policies designed to close the learning gap between children from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds.

Janice Kim is a Lecturer in Education at the School of Education, University of Glasgow. Her research interests lie at the intersection of education policy, skill development, and international development. Specifically, she explores how education policy, reform, and practices affect child development, learning outcomes, and educational trajectories. Her research aims to inform policy decisions that address educational inequalities and improve school effectiveness in both high-income and low-/middle-income countries. Her areas of expertise include early childhood development and education, teacher professional development, education technology, education governance and finance, as well as the application of quantitative methods in education. She holds a Ph.D. in International and Comparative Education from the University of Cambridge and has over a decade of professional experience in international organizations and national government bodies, which has helped shape her research interests.

Wednesday 28th February 
12:15-1:15pm
Room 234 (St Andrews Building)

Dr Leping Mou: Navigating a Confucian educational landscape: The contextualisation and indigenisation of liberal arts education in Chinese Societies

Often considered a Western model of higher education, liberal arts education has evolved into a global undergraduate framework, gaining prominence in diverse contexts. Yet, understanding its adaptation in non-Western contexts remains unclear without resorting to a mere decoupling approach. This study, drawing on data from university documents and interviews with faculty members and administrators, explores the conceptualization and indigenization of liberal arts education in three distinct Chinese contexts (Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan). The findings reveal that liberal arts education incorporates values and educational principles rooted in Confucian traditions. It emphasizes holistic individual development of person-making, an egalitarian approach to education, and views education as a long-term project. This research carries significant implications for the study of liberal arts education in non-Western societies, contributing to the decolonization and indigenization of higher education by uncovering and embracing their distinct social traditions and cultural values.

Leping Mou is a Lecturer in Education at the School of Education, University of Glasgow. His educational and professional background, as well as extensive experience, are rooted in various facets of higher education, including sociology of education, student development and success, international comparative education, and research methodology. His research primarily revolves around the intricate ways in which higher education fosters students' capabilities development for both career advancement and overall personal growth within diverse societal contexts. He approaches this investigation through a comparative lens, with a particular emphasis on promoting equity and inclusion. Before joining Glasgow, he taught at the Ontario Institute for Studies of Education (OISE), University of Toronto where he obtained his PhD in higher education and comparative international education.

Wednesday 6th March
12:30-1:30pm
Room 234 (St Andrews Building)

Dr Patience Nyamunda: Access and participation at research intensive universities: The experiences of non-traditional students in Scotland and South Africa  

The widening of access to students that have been disadvantaged by virtue of their personal and situational characteristics is recognised by governments globally as vital both to enhance social equity and economic development. Consequently, countries have differently implemented initiatives to enhance the access and participation of non-traditional students with varying levels of success. This study proposes a comparison of student experiences of access and participation at two research-intensive universities, the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and the University of Glasgow, in Scotland. While South Africa and Scotland are two vastly different countries, challenges relating to HE access and participation prevail. A comparative study will enable an exchange of student and academic practitioner knowledge and expertise.

This talk will focus on how the proposed research will consider issues relating to the diversity of views and experiences involved in conducting research across different insitutional and geographical contexts.

Patience Nyamunda is a lecturer in the School of Education. Prior to joining the University of Glasgow, Patience worked as a lecturer at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. Informed by Amartya Sen’s Capabilities Approach, Patience is interested in how universities foster human development and create more just, inclusive, and sustainable societies. She focuses on the experiences of marginalised groups in different higher education contexts. The marginalised students include those from low-income backgrounds and documented and undocumented migrants. Her areas of interest are conceptions and operationalisation of quality in higher education, with a specific focus on teaching and learning; and higher education access, participation, and employment/ employability. 

Wednesday 13th March
12:30-1:30pm
Room 234 (St Andrews Building)

Dr Max Antony-Newman: Parent engagement in the curriculum: Teachers’ response to parent rights and decolonisation of curriculum movements in the North American context 

Parents have always been engaged with their children’s school curriculum, either by exercising school choice or by supplementing school curriculum at home, hiring tutors or sending children to enrichment programs in the community. In the school domain, the power over curriculum matters traditionally rests with teachers, curriculum developers, and policymakers. In this presentation, I will focus on two competing narratives: While conservative parents mobilise the concept of “parent rights” to influence curricular decisions to match their vision of what is education for, educators committed to social justice have adopted decolonial approaches to curriculum to accurately represent all learners in linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms. I will try to offer a range of solutions that teachers can adopt when navigating this contested terrain to ensure that parents’ “funds of knowledge” are brought into schools to ensure high quality public education for all students.

Max Antony-Newman is a Lecturer in Education at the University of Glasgow. Working from a critical sociological perspective, his main focus is on school-family partnerships, education policy, and teacher education with the overarching goal of moving from parent engagement as a source of social inequality to an opportunity for social justice. Max’s work also centers immigrant and refugee students and linguistic minorities in diverse classrooms. His current research focuses on immigrants and refugees with post-Soviet backgrounds in the North American context, and the role of teacher educators in preparing teachers for parent engagement in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.