An overview of the book (198 English words):

This is an introductory book, covering widely the meaning, historical development, theoretical frameworks, methodology, thematic studies, educational systems in 11 nations and future trends of comparative education and educational reforms for the twentieth-first century.

Chapter one mentions the meanings, aims and historical development of comparativ education. Chapter two discusses four basic social science theories in comparative education, namely, functionalism, human capital, modernization and dependency theories. Chapter three investigates the methodology of comparative education, including concepts of comparative education, George Z. F. Bereday's four-step procedure 'description-interpretation-juxtaposition-comparison? factor analysis, hypothesis-testing, data source triangulation and ethnomethodological approach.

Chapters four to fourteen depicts the features of educational systems in Taiwan, United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Mainland China respectively. Chapter fifteen investigates educational selection systems through the social analysis of R. H. Turner and E. Hopper with a special reference to Taiwan whilst education for social mobility is scrutinized at cross-national levels. Chapter seventeen anticipates future trends of comparative education in Taiwan and international perspective whilst chapter eighteen sketches similarities and differences of in school reform directions between Taiwan and other countries, incorporating educational decentralization, marketization, school-based management, tertiary and internationalization of higher education.

Background about the authors:

Prof. Yang, Si-wei finished her Ed. D. study at Tokyo University, Japan and currently acts as a professor in the Dept. of Education at National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan.
 
Prof. Shen Shan-shan earned a master degree in education at National Cheng-chi University,  Taiwan and one M. A. and one Ph.D. degrees at the London Institute of Education, UK. She is currently a professor in the Dept. of Elementary Education at National Hsin Chu Teachers College, Taiwan. Her research interests lies in the fields of comparative education, sociology of education and political economics in education

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