Comparative International Education: Independent Country Project Guidelines.
For this final project (and in lieu of a traditional final exam), you’ll be asked to apply what you’ve learned about Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory, Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, the OECD’s PISA exam, as well as any additional primary and secondary source material you choose (including an interview) to create a written document and a preliminary comparative analysis. Please read the guidelines below carefully and let us know if you have any questions.
After exploring the education systems in Finland, South Korea, Poland, United States, China, India, Kuwait, Argentina, Nigeria, and New Zealand this quarter, identify a country of interest to you that is not on this list.
*For example: PISA scores, national spending on education, , % of students who graduate from high school or college, special education provisions, etc.
1) Why did you chose this particular country? Does it hold any significance in your life?
2) What was the research process like for you? Explain how you were able to locate resources, secure the interview, and organize your time.
In 2-3 paragraphs, share at least two “promising practices” this country’s education system has to share with the world (a promising practice is something that seems to be working well, whether it’s a piece of legislation or an ecological systems approach or even a cultural mindset). Explain how you arrived at this conclusion.
In the next 2-3 paragraphs, share at least two of the most important issues / problems this country needs to address to improve its education system. Again, explain how you reached this conclusion.
Create a table that shows a side-by-side analysis of three educational features you compared with at least five of the countries we studied in class. You can choose to illustrate this in any way you’d like (numerically, stoplight colors, text, etc.). To accompany your table, please write 3-4 paragraphs that help explain the differences and similarities you’ve identified (through Cultural Dimensions, Ecological Systems, PISA scores, finance, population size, demographics, etc.)
Create a bibliography written in MLA format and provide at the end of your report. You should have at least two research-based articles and one other source (this is in addition to your interview). You do NOT need to include Hofstede, Bronfenbrenner or the OECD PISA results information in your bibliography.
Provide the name and title of the person(s) you interviewed for this project and the list of questions you asked in an Appendix.
Comparative International Education: Independent Country Project Guidelines.