Why do we engage in international comparison? A review of the motives researchers in education have for comparing nations

This article was originally published in 'Chorus'. Chorus was ‘a peer-reviewed, open access, online journal based at Sana'a University in Yemen. It link[ed] doctoral researchers from Sana'a University with doctoral researchers from British Universities, it [was] supported by the British Council.’ (Chorus, 2010). Chorus is now defunct and this article can no longer be accessed from its original source. In this article I survey a wide range of published and unpublished research which involves comparing education in different nations. The article was intended to provoke discussion among early career researchers in education working across nations. To some extent it captures a moment in time. However, many of the issues are still relevant today in 2015.