Summary:

Comparative Education is a multidisciplinary field that analyzes and compares education systems across different countries and contexts. It involves examining structures, curricula, administration, financing and ideological influences to identify similarities and differences between educational models. Scholars like Sodhi and Getao emphasize its role in addressing international educational challenges using historical, philosophical and social science methods. The scope of comparative education, as outlined by Evans, spans subject content, geographical reach, ideological foundations, thematic issues like universal education and historical developments across global education systems.

Understanding Comparative Education: Definitions, Scope and Global Perspectives:

1- Definition of comparative education:

Comparative educationists are primarily scholars who study education in different settings and attempt to solve educational problems. Comparative education is a multidisciplinary subject that draws on knowledge from the humanities and social sciences. According to Sodhi, comparative education is the field in which the theories and methods of history, philosophy and social science are applied to international problems of education. According to Getao, comparative education is the field of study of different educational systems in order to understand the similarities and differences found in these systems.

Considering these definitions of comparative education, it can be said that it is the field in which the structure, curriculum, administration, financing and inclusion of different educational systems are analyzed and compared, with the aim of understanding the similarities and differences in these systems.

2- The Scope of Comparative Education:

Evans has explained the scope of comparative education in terms of the following aspects:

i- Subject Matter and Content:

It includes key components of education systems such as structure, objectives, teaching materials, curriculum, administration, finance and teacher training.

ii- Geographical Units of Study:

It studies and compares different education systems at the international, regional, continental and global levels.

iii- Ideological Scope:

Different countries have educational systems based on different political, social and economic ideologies, which reflect ideological breadth. For example, these ideologies include democracy, communism, socialism, capitalist and mixed economies, which influence the education system of the respective country.

iv- Thematic Scope:

It includes educational themes, thematic issues and their comparative analysis with different geographical units. For example, free primary and secondary education, universal primary education, education for all and universal higher education, etc.

V- The Historical or Spatial Scope:

This aspect of comparative education discusses, examines and compares the various historical changes that have occurred in the field of education.