Globalisation

Question 1

Overview

Answer 1

Education has been impacted by globalisation as schools and education systems now compete on a global league table rather than just local or national competition

major impact on the UK economy, so the sorts of jobs that the education system needs to prepare people for has changed &, arguably, the system has to change to meet this. Manufacturing jobs have been exported to other countries, particularly in the developing world, so the UK economy has come to depend more on the service sector

Question 2

Consequences 1

Answer 2

1. National governments, increasingly obliged to tailor education policy to meet the needs of the economy. they increasingly feel that education has to produce workers who are able to compete in a global economy by having skills that will be valued in a global market. This puts less emphasis on the social objectives of education (e.g. a concern to increase equality of opportunity) & more on economic objectives.
2. possibility that education systems throughout the world will become increasingly alike as all governments try to achieve the same objectives & there has been a worldwide trend towards privatisation, marketisation & competition in global education systems.
3. Higher educational institutions increasingly have to run as businesses if they market their ‘product’ (education) internationally or globally and universities are particularly keen to attract overseas students because they pay high fees, while having branches overseas allows universities to expand.

Question 3

Consequences 2

Answer 3

4. a huge range of international data available on all aspects of education, including various international student achievement surveys which compare the educational performance of a range of countries. Such surveys have begun to deeply influence educational policies in many countries
5. Part of economic globalisation is the establishment of global ICT companies such as Google & Apple. powerful institutions are now involved in writing curriculums, & online learning materials for various governments around the world. Thus education is increasingly shaped by Transnational Corporations, who make a profit out of providing these services to government
6. Increasing migration has meant education is now more multicultural – all schools now teach about the ‘six world religions’ in RE
7. Increasing cultural globalisation challenges the relevance of a ‘National Curriculum’ – what is the place of the Nation State & the idea of a ‘national curriculum’ if we live in an increasingly global culture?

Question 4

A03 ++++

Answer 4

They do provide evidence for policy makers to learn from other countries, on what seems to work best, & what policies don’t, to help improve our education system.

They are useful for comparing standards internationally to show what is humanly possible for young people to achieve at different ages.

Question 5

A03 ——-

Answer 5

surveys & tests are only based on a very narrow conception of education – literacy, numeracy & science – when many believe that education is about a much wider range of knowledge, socialisation & skills.

international rankings may not actually reflect the effectiveness of education in different countries, but wider social circumstances beyond the control of teachers & schools and which educational reforms themselves are unlikely to change.