The International Encyclopedia of Education

Scholarly information in all fields of human knowledge is in continuous flux. Educational practices change not only as a result of reforms which are the subject of legislation, but also in response to new societal demands, needs, and changes in the economic conditions in different countries. It is this change within the various fields of education and the fact that many of the entries in the first edition were written in the early 1980s which convinced the editors in 1990 of the need for a completely new edition of the Encyclopedia.

The vast majority of entries in the second edition are completely new; in only a few cases, have entries from the first edition or from the supplementary volumes, been updated. New entries have also been commissioned on specific topics: sociology of education, girls and women in education, the history of education, anthropology, philosophy of education and instructional psychology, so that the scope of the original sections has been expanded.

Every effort has been made to present the most up-to-date information about the theme dealt with in each entry. Authors were selected on the strength of their 'worldwide' knowledge of the topic on which they were asked to write. The authors of over 1,200 entries represent 96 countries. The Honorary Editorial Advisory Board helped ensure that a balance was achieved and contacts with international organizations assisted in selecting authors with a good international overview. Particular attention has been paid to the inclusion of entries of special concern to the Third World. This is clearly evident in those entries dealing with educational and policy planning, economics of education, vocational education and comparative education.

"This updated second edition promises to be even more useful to the educational and scholarship community around the world. Drawing upon highly respected scholars in all the multifarious areas of education - ranging from the most technical empirical methods to the broadest aspects of educational policy making - this work can serve as the reference of first resort for both newcomers and veterans."—N.L. Gage, Stanford University, USA

"Such has been the rapid pace of change in education during the last decade, that there is little need for the editors-in-chief of The International Encyclopedia of Education to justify a substantially rewritten second edition ten years after the first. In recent years key areas such as curriculum, economics of education, evaluation and measurement and, in particular, developments in teaching and teacher education, have all undergone substantial change. The Encyclopedia provides authoritative and well researched surveys of these fields. The Encyclopedia should serve two particular audiences well. The first is the general readership of teachers in education faculties and their students requiring up-to-date overviews of developments in a particular field. The Encyclopedia will also be of great value to researchers because it provides in ways not available elsewhere, an international perspective on current work. The last decade has shown us that many education problems are common to most countries and educational research is increasingly being carried out within an international cooperatvive framework. The Encyclopedia should act as a further stimulus and provide invaluable support for these endeavours. I welcome its publication and will make use of it."—Maurice Galton, University of Leicester, UK

"This splendid second edition of The International Encyclopedia of Education is more than just a learned report on what has been happening in education. It is also formative and judgemental, and this is its real significance. The great merit of this Encyclopedia lies in its constructiveness. It helps to establish the foundations of the study of education - by being factual, reflective, and evaluative in a comprehensive way. Users of the Encyclopedia can see some of the best minds in each field selecting and assessing in Matthew Arnold's words "the best that has been said and thought"in those areas."—W.F. Connell, The University of Sydney, Australia