An Analytical Framework for CBE Policy Research in Asia

Internationalization of education seems to be inevitable in this ‘world society’ nowadays. Particularly since international organizations like UNESCO and OECD came to power, it seems like we can find similar educational reforms or organizational structures all over the world, which is described by some scholars as ‘isomorphism’. Thus, it would be necessary to take global impact into account even when we are pursuing a policy study within a single state. Competency-based education (CBE) is an important strand in global governance within the education area. Thus, we need some alternative frameworks or perspectives that enable us to cover what is happening both globally and locally for a study focused on CBE policies in a certain state. In this article, we suggest that ‘world culture theory (WCT)’ as a theoretical basis for constructing a solid analytical framework of CBE policy studies, especially in Asia is necessary. This article argues that it is beneficial to borrow from WCT when trying to construct the framework for the CBE policy study, but we have to deal with its limitations first. It is clear that non-western actors and their original strategies are neglected in WCT, furthermore, it attaches too much importance to ‘global stories’, letting local realities merely untouched. However, this article suggests that we can developmentally adopt WCT. With a flexible application of the key concepts of ‘institutionalization’ and ‘legitimation’, this article finds out that WCT has the potential to create a framework covering the whole process of policy-making and implementation. An analytical framework for CBE Policy Research in Asia is presented based on the institutionalism logic rooted in WCT. This framework is characterized mainly by 2 points. (1) a consistent explanatory tool of ‘institutionalization and legitimation’ that is useful for picturing actors of multiple levels, including international organizations, nation-states, national organizations, local organizations, and individuals; (2) a comprehensive perspective that makes it possible to chase a dynamic process of policy-making and implementation in global/local nexus.