Research group International and Comparative Education Research - ICER

The International and Comparative Education Research group focuses on the intersection between theory, policy and pedagogy applied to the comparative and international inquiry of global educational issues.
Classroom african country

Foto: Unsplash

The research approach rests on the historical tradition established in the field and involves the empirical investigation of cross-national, -local and institutional dimensions of educational development, planning, reform, delivery and assessment. Research in the field is interdisciplinary aiming at holistic analyses of educational concerns applied at several levels.

Most phenomena of interest to international and comparative researchers are scientifically examined through established units of comparison, for example, through geographical, societal and individual dimensions. The research outcomes of international and comparative studies impact on social change and improvement of educational matters and understanding of educational systems around the world.

Research colloquium

Our research colloquium program offers local and international scholars and practioners opportunities to engage with issues related to the central agenda of ICER. The colloquium language is English.

Cooperation

The ICER group is actively involved with external actors, institutions, organisations and community outreach around the world. The researchers have established collaboration with large international organisations such as the OECD, UNESCO, UN, IIEP and NGO’s as well as government agencies working with educational development issues.

In their capacity as international and comparative education collaborators, the researchers also offer consultancies on issues of comparative and international relevance, and contribute on the Doctoral Program as supervisors and examiners to a number of PhD candidates at the department and internationally.

The ICER group has widely established contacts and develops cooperation with several universities around the world, among them the University of Tokyo and the University of Jyväskylä.

In memoriam: Vale Emeritus Professor Lawrence (Larry) Saha

Obituary Larry Saha pdf, 196 kB. (195 Kb)

This research group has no members.

There are no research project connections.

Innovative Faculty Development towards Inclusive Student-Centred Pedagogy. - A Reflective and Transformative Approach van der Rijst and Fernandez-Diaz (eds). (2025). In this book, the authors present ideas and reflections on contemporary teaching and learning in higher education to offer university academics the tools with which to navigate various dimensions of inclusive student-centred pedagogies. It includes evidence-based examples on lesson planning and assessment, multimodal representation of curriculum, peer observations of teaching and instruction, and educational action research. The book forms one of the outcomes of a comparative EU-funded project involving six universities across Europe.

FACULTY GUIDE FOR TEACHING & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - Evidencing academic policy to everyday practice rom the Erasmus COALITION project Helena Reierstam, Kallia Katsampoxaki-Hodgetts & Meeri Hellstén (Eds). (2025). This book explores the challenges of inclusive teaching in higher education and offers practical suggestions for faculty and students to adapt learning environments, teaching approaches, and learning activities. By evaluating various academic development initiatives, such as peer observation of teaching, lesson redesign, and action research, researchers from different European higher education institutions describe the value that these activities bring to academic practice. This guide not only provides useful evidence and strategies but also shows readers how to implement academic policy in specific higher education contexts. The book is an outcome of the EU-funded project COALITION.

Department of Education

We welcome Dr Alex McCormick, University of Sydney, as part of our Research Exchange Partnership

The International and Comparative Education Research group´s  outreach activities include an Agreement of Research Exchange (2020-2025) partnership between our Education Departments. From its early days, Dr McCormick has acted in the role as the coordinator of the partnership, and we are delighted to invite her to share experiences and knowledge of her work. The partnership was set up in 2019 by Professor Anthony Welch, University of Sydney , and Professor Meeri Hellstén, Stockholm University, to foster comparative and international research alignments among early career- to senior level researchers.  The joint activities provided during her visit involve our 5th Joint Research Webinar and various meetings with our research networks throughout her stay. Dr McCormick will present on her comparative and international research in the ICER Colloquium Program. Please join us online! ICER Colloquium Presentation 13 September 09.00-11.00 Speaker: Dr Alex McCormick, University of Sydney Title: "Love and pedagogy in doctoral supervision: a duoethnography navigating complex positionings within decolonising contexts" Chaired by: Meeri Hellstén, The International and Comparative Education Research group (ICER) Biographical: Dr. Alex McCormick is (since 2008) a Senior Lecturer in Comparative and International Education in the Sydney School of Education and Social work (SSESW). Alex is Associate

Department of Education

New study on distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected students' learning

Researchers at Stockholm University, in a new study, have investigated how the transition to distance learning during the pandemic affected the students' learning conditions . The study is based on interviews with young people and their experiences of the distance education. The results have been published in two articles. The researchers are from the Department of Education and the Department of Special Education.

Department of Education

Professor Yuto Kitamura, University of Tokyo – appointed honorary doctor at Stockholm University

Stockholm University has appointed Professor Yuto Kitamura as honorary doctor. He has contributed in a distinctive way to the university’s activities in research and education, primarly in deep collaboration with the research group ICER. He will be conferred an honorary doctorate as part of the Inauguration and Conferment Ceremony 2021 and 2022.  The ceremony will take place in the Blue Hall in Stockholm City Hall on September 30th, 2022 .

Department of Education

ICE-Breaking, the Podcast

Frederike Jansen, student in the Master's Programme in Education with International and Comparative specialisation, is the person behind ICE-Breaking, a new podcast on the subject of International and Comparative Education.

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