International perspectives in educational effectiveness research: a historical overview

This chapter provides a concise narrative overview of the development of international perspectives in Educational Effectiveness Research (EER), contextualised within shifts towards globalisation in education policy including the increased prominence of international large-scale educational assessments (ILSA) in shaping international policy discourse. We take into consideration the broad range of ways in which international perspectives have manifested within the EER field, ranging from published international comparative studies, diverse single-country studies, reviews and meta-analyses, to the “softer” but nonetheless influential intellectual interchange facilitated by the formation of an international community of researchers, policymakers and practitioners.We begin by reflecting on the earliest research in the field, which took place in a limited number of countries, but – we suggest – facilitated the emergence of a nascent international dialogue. The subsequent formation of international organisations – particularly the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) – bringing together EER researchers, practitioners and policymakers, has given this dialogue a more concrete forum over the last 30 years. We document how the search for the “big picture” of educational effectiveness on an international scale has informed a more sophisticated and nuanced set of international perspectives in EER, via increasingly diverse single-country studies, reviews, meta-analyses, international comparative studies, and the development and empirical testing of EER theories. We note recent trends towards a combination of increased internationalisation, increased synergy with and reciprocal influence upon ILSA, and increased methodological diversity in EER. Finally, we offer some concluding reflections and recommendations for future investigations and further development of the field