Originally published in 1985. In the last two decades education in the Third World has greatly expanded, raising many important issues. Some less developed countries have emulated the West in the style and organisation of their academic systems, hence, it could be said, increasing their dependence. Others have deliberately avoided this path, experimenting with systems more relevant to development and often in a radical way. At a theoretical level, Marxist and neo-Marxist development theorists argue that education systems dependent on the West are evidence of economic dependency and of the correctness of Marxist development theories; while others argue that the evidence points to an interdependent world and that dependency theories do not apply to education. Interestingly two key Marxist Third World Countries, China and Cuba, have very conservative education systems. This book discusses the problems of dependence and interdependence in education throughout the world.

Reissuing works originally published between 1962 and 1995, this collection is made up of volumes that examine insights and data from the practises and situation in one country or area when considering educational practice elsewhere. Many important educational questions are examined from this international and comparative perspective in these volumes. Countries represented here include Russia, the Caribbean, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, China, France, Japan, Israel, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Many of the volumes look at the whole area of comparative education and its methods and theories, while one looks at the Unesco literacy program.

Early Childhood Education: An International Perspective presents the summarized outcomes of a five-year cross-cultural survey of early childhood education in the Western world. It provides understanding of some of the topics of debate surrounding preschool education. The text approaches the argument by centering on the history of philosophical thought in early childhood education and offers information on the political and social-cultural changes that have inspired interest in facilitating children's early learning experience. The book discusses the historical background of early childhood education in the United States. It focuses on the ideas and evidence showing the significance of cooperation in international research. Another topic of interest is the early childhood education in England, Wales, Canada, and Sweden. The section that follows is a review of the aims and objectives of early childhood education. The text will provide valuable insights for teachers, educators, students, and researchers in the field of social sciences.