In this theme we look at how education and teaching is formed from a sociological and historical perspective. What are the connections between education and societal change? How is inequality perpetuated or thwarted? What role do class, gender, and ethnicity play in different contexts?
Research within the field adopt many perspectives on education (schooling), knowledge, and learning. One such example is how knowledge and learning are shaped by their social and historical context. Another is how education is shaped and shapes an increasingly internationalized world. What happens, for example, when international standards are established, such as the OECDs PISA study?
From a societal perspective it is also interesting to examine which type of knowledge is being conveyed, how it is conveyed, and what it says about the schools and its relationship to society. Or how an education system develops, is governed and formed by specific political decisions or under the influence of societal change.