Introduction

As with many sections of this Yearbook, this Comparative Studies section reflects important advances in the field of teachers thinking, teaching, and teacher education. While a distinctive characteristic of ISATT has been its international emphasis, this Comparative Studies on Teaching and Teacher Education Section calls for a movement from regional thinking to a truly comparative international approach that seeks to capitalize on the richness of differences across regions to uncover new insights and challenges in the field.

As Darling-Hammond and Lieberman (2012) argue after reviewing accounts from seven nations in order to identify contemporary challenges:

Such a comparative approach is enhanced via cross-regional, cross-national collaboration required to develop comprehensive ontologies and rigorous epistemological frameworks for what counts as knowledge in a field that is plagued by fragmentation and constant challenges by political and market interests. In other words, cross-regional and cross-national collaborations around key issues concerning the profession have the potential to create a strongly linked profession.