Exploring the nexus between the aspiration to equitable education systems and its measurement in international development frameworks.

Lead Research Organisation: University of Cambridge
Department Name: Faculty of Education

Abstract

The research focuses on the nexus between theoretical definitions of equity in education and mathematical constructs; indicators, used to measure these various theoretical conceptions. It will explore the feasibility and consequences of embedding philosophical concepts, such as equity, in the global development agenda as well as the validity of associated methodological choices. The research will first develop a measurement theory to structure the relation between the concepts measured and their actual measurement. Measurement theory and associated axiomatization have been used in other fields such as Psychology and can be used to assess the validity of statistics to measure a given construct. It will be applied to guide the assessment of indicators' validity in relation to conceptualizations of equity in education. Building on the representational measurement theory, the research will then mobilize computational social sciences and use Argumentative Zoning and n-gram analysis to identify key authors and proponents of equity concepts and indicators, over time and space. Further, the research will assess the alignment between equity concepts and indicators used. Finally, using data from household surveys and learning assessments, this research will integrate equity indicators into the education production function and will model variations in costs and effectiveness of decisions depending on the equity indicator used and target sets for various vulnerable groups.

Publications

10 25 50

Studentship Projects

Project Reference Relationship Related To Start End Student Name
ES/P000738/1 01/10/2017 30/09/2027
1926839 Studentship ES/P000738/1 01/10/2017 30/09/2020 Patrick Montjourides
 
Description This research is pointing towards a number of important findings pertaining to the perceived legitimacy of international development agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals. The first key finding relates to the need of a renewed conceptual framework to think about and discuss the legitimacy of these global agendas. Global development agendas have become increasingly complex in the way they are created and governed but also in the way they impact people's life. Traditional models of international relations and political sciences struggle to take into consideration issues such as the proliferation of actors beyond the state as well as the raise of non tangible actors such as the agendas themselves which can not be attributed to a single organization anymore but are rather the product of multiple and complex interaction leading up to multiform objects that have an agency of their own. Further thinking about legitimacy from a sociological perspective, that is the perceived legitimacy of an institution, enables to deepens the questioning of processes such as the making and development of global agendas while this was not necessarily possible under normative approaches.
A second finding in this research is the dominance of specific clusters of thought (geographic, discipline) when it comes to the definition of equity in education adopted by the United Nations. While there could've have been in the past a dominance of pedagogists in the intellectual debate around education, the debate is now predominantly driven by economists' considerations and perspectives and fails to integrate issues that have been associated to equity in education in other disciplines.
Exploitation Route The method used (Computational approach) could be replicated for any feature of any international development agenda
Sectors Education,Government, Democracy and Justice
 
Description Co-convenor of UKFIET subtheme: Education technology and data science for inclusive systems 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact As co-convenor I produced the initial call for proposals for the sub-theme, reviewed the submissions, selected the presentations and organized the panels. I also wrote three blog pieces which were meant to engage the audience with the topic of Education Technology and Data Science and communicate key findings. This led to the creation of 10 panels and workshop on the topic in one of the biggest education conference in the UK (UKFIET). The panels and workshops provided a good opportunity for researchers and practitioners to further discuss key issues pertaining to developing and implementing education technology and data science. I also presented my own work and was approahc by DFID EdTech Hub for further discussion.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.ukfiet.org/conference/conference-2019-inclusive-education-systems-futures-fallacies-and-...
 
Description Presentation at the research workshop: Technologies of Expertise as Technologies of Authorization: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Mobilization, Production and Impact of Technologies of Expertise by International Organizations 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact The Global Governance Centre at the Graduate Institute in collaboration with NORRAG organized the Academic Symposium Technologies of Expertise as Technologies of Authorization: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Mobilization, Production and Impact of Technologies of Expertise by International Organizations, which took place at The Graduate Institute, Geneva, on May 24 and 25 2018. The event, which is co-sponsored by the Swiss National Science Foundation, was organized by Annabelle Littoz-Monnet, Professor and Co-Director of the Global Governance Centre at The Graduate Institute, and Gita Steiner-Khamsi, Professor and Director of NORRAG at the Graduate Institute and Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University.

The Academic Symposium drew on research on the politics of expertise, governance of numbers, and globalization in order to examine the technologies of expertise devised and used by international organizations and stakeholders of the global development community to authorize global norm-setting. By introducing the notion of technologies of authorization, the symposium stimulated innovative thinking about mechanisms and channels through which technologies of expertise become actors of the global governance structure through legitimizing and empowering International Organizations in setting up global agendas and framing the roles and responsibilities of representatives of global governance both at the global and national levels.

International and Swiss scholars came together to present their research, identify common research trajectories, and determine a larger joint research agenda around three main research questions:

Typology: How are technologies of expertise mobilized by international organizations and how do they differ in terms of type of organization and sector?
Agency: Who and which agendas do these technologies empower - or legitimize?
Impact: What are the implications of using such technologies? Do they have effects of their own?
The group of experts invited to the symposium represents a diversity of researchers in terms of (i) technologies of expertise, (ii) disciplinary focus, and (iii) sector or sub-system specialization. The triple orientation will enable to advance research on technologies of global governance and authorization in novel directions, that is, beyond the more commonly explored global-national/local nexus.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL https://www.norrag.org/global-governance-and-technologies-of-expertise/