Comparative Higher Education Research Methods: Thematic analysis

Abstract

The paper narrates different definitions of comparative education, identifies problems and barriers in comparative education studies. How comparative education finds and uses sameness (contrast) as universalism and difference as ultra-relativism in different national educational policy context. The paper deeply sees how comparative education policies are use, link and apply by comparativists’ to different social theories like modernization theory, conflict theory, structural-functionalism, positivism, relativism, historical and cultural studies, statistical methods (unit of analysis), realism, and post-structuralism, neo-liberalism, capitalism, localism, globalization, and govermentalism, etc. Then compare the comparative educational research findings of the issues, and results in different cultural contexts by using different research methods narrated by different comparative education scholars that can help change, modify or improve the comparative education research implementing model. The cross-cultural comparative education research benefits, shares and measures different education system or evaluate different education schemes. At the end, the paper explores how higher education financial aid policy can play a critical role in addressing persisting poverty and dependence in developed country.