International Journal of Educational Development

The purpose of the International Journal of Educational Development is to report new insight and foster critical debate about the role that education plays in development. Aspects of development with which the journal is concerned include economic growth and poverty reduction; human development, well being, the availability of human rights; democracy, social cohesion and peace-building; resilience and environmental sustainability. IJED seeks to help make available new evidence-based theories and understandings as to the extent and nature of educational change in diverse settings. It stresses the importance of appreciating the interplay of local, national, regional and global contexts and dynamics in shaping education and development.

Traditional notions of development concerning growth, industrialization and poverty reduction are under scrutiny. While much attention in the past has concentrated on school achievement and other empirical products of schooling there is a new awareness of education's role in affecting community social cohesion and other social goals. The notion of development itself is broadening, both as a theoretical construct and in its policy and program manifestations. Education is prominent in discussions and critiques of development. Here too perspectives may vary. Education is designed to promote human capability and better the chances for social justice, promote competitiveness and productivity; reduce inequality, poverty and disease; mitigate conflict and crisis. At the same time, education is also being scrutinized for entrenching differences; challenging local values and culture; and for fostering counterproductive experiences of many pupils.

The International Journal of Educational Development is concerned with education in its broadest sense, including formal and non-formal modes, from preschool to adult education. IJED is interested in comparative studies that lead to new insights and challenge orthodox theories; that have potential for policy impact; and that apply to broad range of settings, including industrial democracies as well as low and middle income countries, countries in political transition and countries recovering from armed conflict and social unrest. The IJED also considers papers that look at education and development through the policies and practices of official development assistance and commercial education trade. The IJED does not encourage articles which may be more appropriate for journals of pedagogy, education technology and psychology unless the relevance to feasible public policy is clearly demonstrated. IJED engages these approaches to deepen understanding of the relationship between education policy and development. Further, the IJED does not encourage articles that focus on a certain methodological approach as the central topic of interest. Instead, we encourage the appropriate use of both qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques as means to shed light on key problems of educational policy and development. The IJED will not publish a manuscript with a title which includes a methodology unless the methodology is unprecedented.

The International Journal of Educational Development welcomes papers from all prospective authors, especially from scholars and practitioners who come from low and middle income countries.